Bottle gourd
Bottle gourd
The most essential plant is the bottle gourd vegetable plant in our day-to-day life. It is botanically Lagenaria siceraria and it belongs to the Cucurbitaceous family.In south India its commonly called as Sorakkai.
Plant description
The bottle gourd plants has commonly cultivated plants in India. Most of the Cucurbitaceae vegetable plants are annual climbing vines with wide leaves & those are edible. The fruit has various shapes. And the shape depends upon the varieties.
Most of the bottle gourd shapes are uniformly cylindrical, curved round bulbous. Lagenaria siceraria plant bears attractive white flowers & plant grows up to 4 -5 inches in diameter with large petals.
Varieties
In India, the bottle gourd plants are cultivated as essential vegetable. Popular varieties of bottle gourd are CO1, PKM 1, PLR 2, PLR 1(salad type), Pusa Megdoot, Arka Bahar, TNAU Bottle gourd Hybrid CO1 & Pusa Summer Prolific Long.
Growing Bottle gourd from seeds
Initially,sow the quality seeds directly in to the pits or raised seed beds & sprinkle water.
Seeds germinate 3 to 4 days after planting. And matured plant climbs as they are climbers
Harvesting done 2–3 months after harvesting.
Season
Best season for sowing this plant is during January & July.
Spacing
This vegetable plant spacing needs to be 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm at the size of 2.5*2 meters.
Soil
This vegetable plant prefers to grow in sandy loamy soil with good drainage preferably acidic pH of 6 to 6.5 & plant thrives well at good organic potting mix.
Watering
Water the plants two days once in a week. This sorakkai vegetable plants loves regular soil moist & in large farming drip irrigation followed.
Fertilizer
The sorakkai vegetable plants need minimum fertilizer application like organic fertilizers, manure, FYM, vermicompost & neem oil can be applied.
Plant Training
This vegetable plants training done through bamboo sticks or any dried branches.
Weeding
Removal of weeds around this vegetable plant should be done by hand weeding or hoeing.
Pruning
Trim the old dried plant parts. Removal of rotten fruit from plant during the rainy season.
Harvest
Tender fruits are harvested before the fruit becomes 100% of matured. This sorakkai benefits has good healthy benefits.
Yield
Each plant can produce up to 5 fruits/plant
In Large scale 17–20 t/ha in 135–175 days.
Benefits
The sorakkai benefits are enormous such as
- Bottle gourd contains a good amount of vitamin C, B, folate, iron, zinc & calcium.
- It has contain a high amount of choline, a neurotransmitter which are good for brain function.
- String music instruments made from dried bottle gourds like khanjiri,tumba, veena, & others.
Growing plants around you help to reduce stress, makes the environment fresh, gives a calming effect & feels relaxed.
Save Earth & Go Green.
Bottle gourd-Sorkkai vegetable plant.
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