Bitter Gourd (Ampalaya) Production Guide
June 15, 2011| Bitter gourd or ampalaya (Momordica charantia L.) belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. It is also known as paria (Ilocano,Indonesia), palia (Bisaya), peria (Malaysia); and balsam pear (English). |
| It is high in vitamins and an excellent source of iron and calcium. Fruits, young shoots and flowers are used as vegetables. It is also known to cure diabetes, arthritis, rheumatism, asthma, warts, abscesses and ulcers. |
| Production Statistics |
| Total production volume in 1997 was 43,043 t with the biggest growers in Regions II & IV. These are generally two types being grown: the Sta. Rita, which is long, dark green & less warty; and the pinakbet type, which is short, small, warty and very bitter. The pale and white varieties popular in other Southeast Asian countries are not preferred locally. |
| Production Management |
| Varieties |
| Variety Maturity (days) Remarks Sta. Rita (strains) 70-75 OP Makiling 65-70 OP Sta. Isabel 70-75 OP Jade Star (A,L,XL) 60-70 F1 hybrid Mayon 65-70 F1 hybrid Million Green 65-75 F1 hybrid |
| Climatic and Soil Requirements |
| Bitter gourd grows best in low elevation areas anytime of the year. It can also be grown in mid elevation. Bitter gourd grows well in any type of soil with a pH of 5.5-6.5. Production is best, however, in sandy loam soil. |
| Land Preparation |
| Prepare the soil thoroughly by plowing all harrowing twice. Make furrows 3 m apart. Apply 5 t/ha well-decomposed animal manure two weeks before planting. |
| Planting |
| Bitter gourd can be direct seeded or transplanted. A 1-ha production areas requires 2-3 kg seeds. Crack seed coat to facilitate water absorption. Soak seeds in water overnight or wrap in cheesecloth. Transplant the following day or at radicle break. Spacing is 3 m between rows and 30 cm between hills. If pre-germinated or transplanted, use only one seed per hill. |
| Fertilization |
| At planting, apply complete fertilizer (14-14-14) at the rate of 15-20 g/hill. During the dry season, side-dress 10-20 g/hill urea (46-0-0) and muriate of potash (0-0-60) once a month. However during the wet season, side dress- 5-10 g/hill urea and muriate of potash every two weeks. |
| Trellising, Vine Training and Pruning |
| Bitter gourd grows best with overhead trellis. Use bamboo or ipil-ipil posts at 3m x 3m spacing. Construct vertical trellis (along he row) and overhead trellis with a combination of GI wire and abaca twine or nylon string. Spacing of 1.5 m between rows and 0.75 cm between hills may also be used. Train the vines on the vertical trellis. Lateral shoots may be pruned, leaving only the main vine. Remove all female flowers below the overhead trellis. Allow branching and fruiting on the overhead trellis. Fruits may also be allowed to form just above the 10th node. |
| Pest and Disease Management |
| Insect Pests/Diseases Recommendations Aphids Spray with hot pepper extract or soap solution Cucurbit beetle Spread wood ash; spray carbamates Cutworm Spray with hot pepper extract or Bascillus thuringiensis Leaf folders Collect folded leaves Fruit fly Plastic bagging; fruit fly attractant Bacterial wilt Sanitation;avoidance Downy mildew Remove infected leaves; spray with mancozeb, Acrobat;use compost tea (Compost tea is prepared by fermenting compost for 10-14 days. The effluent is sprayed to control foliar diseases). Little leaf Sanitation;crop rotation 'Namamarako' Crop rotation; use Borax |
| Harvesting |
| Harvest when the fruits are green, shiny and have attained full ssize. This is about 15-20 days from poliination or 60-95 days from planting. Priming can be done at 2-3 days interval. Harvesting can be done continuously for 2-3 months. |
| Postharvest |
| Sort fruits according to market standards, and remove damaged fruits. Pack in plastic or bamboo crates lined with newspaper or bamboo leaves. Under this condition, fruits can be kept for 2-3 days. It can be stored at 4oC for three weeks. |
| Cost and Return Analysis Per Hectare |
| ITEMS AMOUNT (P) I. VARIABLE COSTS P 115,270 A. Labor (P150/MD) Plowing 1,500 Harrowing (2x) 1,000 Bedding 1,500 Manure application (10 MD 1,000 Planting (2 MD) 300 Mulching w/ rice straw (8 MD) 1,200 Fertilization; basal (2 MD) & 2,100 Side-dress (12 MD) Irrigation (40 MD) 6,000 Spraying ( 30 MD) 4,500 Weeding (20 MD) 3,000 Trellising (60 MD) 9,000 Vine training, pruning 4,500 (30MD) Harvesting (50 MD) 7,500 Miscellaneous (20 MD) 3,000 Sub-total 46,100 B. Materials Seeds (3 kg//ha) 10,000 Animal manure (5 t) 5,000 Fertilizers 14-14-14 (5 bags) 1,750 46-0-0 ( 8 bags) 3,720 0-0-60 (2 bags) 1,200 Trellis Ipil-ipil posts (1,200pcs) 2 uses 12,000 GI wire (300 kg); 4 uses 12,000 Abaca twine (200 rolls) 8,000 Pesticides 5,000 Fuel & Oil 5,000 Miscellaneous 5,000 Sub-total 69,170 |
| II. FIXED COSTS 20,563 Land rental 7,500 Depreciation 5 pcs. Scythe (2 yrs) 63 5 pcs. Hoe ( 3 yrs) 125 3 pcs. Shovel (3 yrs) 75 2 knapsack sprayers (5 yrs) 800 Interest on Loans at 20% int. p.a. 12,000 TOTAL COSTS 135,833 GROSS INCOME 150,000 -225,000 NET INCOME 14,167 -89,167 With marketable yield of 10-15 t/ha at P15/kg |
Posted by bong. Posted In : Agrikultyur
