Performance of ridge gourd (Luffa acutangular L.) hybrid on growth, yield and quality

Introduction

Ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula L.), also known as kalitori, angled gourd, angled loofah, Chinese okra, silky gourd, and ribbed gourd Luffa is a multi-harvest vegetable crop grown in the South Asian region. It is commonly called "Torai" in rural areas of India. The name "Luffa" or "Loofah" is an Arabic origin and refers to the spongy characteristic of the mature fruit. It contains a gummy compound called "Luffein", which has medicinal importance. Hybrid ridge gourds offer several advantages, including higher yields, uniform fruit size and shape, early maturity, improved resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and enhanced shelf life. These traits make hybrids particularly suitable for intensive cultivation and commercial farming. Fresh ridge gourd contains approximately 10-15 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams of edible portion, which contributes meaningfully to the daily recommended intake. It is a warm season crop that cannot tolerate frost and thrives in temperatures between 18ᵒC and 28ᵒC.This aimed to evaluate between the genotypes with the local variety and making it a promising crop for cultivation for the farmers. This focuses on the evaluation and performance analysis of hybrid ridge gourd cultivars with respect to growth, yield, and quality parameters. The study aims to provide insights into the suitability of specific hybrids under local cultivation conditions and contribute to the advancement of high-efficiency vegetable production systems.

Materials and Methods

The present investigation "Performance of Ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula L.) Hybrid on growth, yield and quality" was carried out during the period between March-May, 2024.The experiment was carried out at a Research field, Department of Horticulture, Naini Agricultural Institute, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences, Prayagraj (U.P.). The experiment was laid out in RBD with 3 replications. 11 varieties from Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), Varanasi and 1 check variety (KAREENA) with a parameter of 1.5m ×0.75m spacing.

Treatments Details

Results and Discussion

The investigation titled "Performance of Ridge gourd (Luffa acutangula L.) Hybrid on growth, yield and quality" was conducted at the experimental station of the Department of Horticulture, Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology, and Sciences, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. The study involved twelve distinct genotypes of ridge gourd, assessing their growth, yield, and quality attributes under local conditions. The data collected throughout the experiment are detailed in this section, with tables and illustrations provided to enhance the clarity and understanding of the results.

Growth parameters

This study revealed the various growth parameters viz, Days to germination, Germination percentage, Days to 1 st male &female flower appearance, Node to 1 st male &female flower emergence, Days to 1 st picking &Chlorophyll content was analyzed and tabulated in Table 1.

Days to Germination, Germination percentage, Days to male & female flower emergence

In terms of Days to Germination, the minimum day AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 with (5.87days) and the maximum day was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-8with (6.83days). Germination at the earliest benefits for market price. The view was supported by Kurre et al. (2022) [8] in Ridge gourd. In terms of Germination percentage the highest germination percentage was observed in AVT-I-2022/RIGHYBD-1with 100%, followed by AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-6 with100%, and the minimum germination percentage with 80% was being observed in Check Variety (KAREENA). In terms of Days to first male appearance to minimum days was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 with (29.8days) and the maximum days was observed in Check Var. (KAREENA) with (35.87days).In terms of Days to first female appearance to minimum days was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 with (39.3days), and the maximum days was observed in Check Var. (KAREENA) with (51.13days).This findings were reported by Kurre et al. (2022) [8] in Ridge gourd Ramya et al. (2020) [10] in bitter gourd.

Node to first male &female flower emergence, Days to 1 st picking, Chlorophyll content

In terms of node to first male appearance the earliest was observed in, AVT-I-2022/RIGHYBD-1 with (1.2) and the maximum node was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 with (3.43). This view was supported by Deepthi et al. (2016), Vaishali (2016). In terms of nodes to first female appearance the earliest node appearance was observed in AVT-I-2022/RIGHYBD-1 with (4.13) and the latest was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 with (6.63). The view was supported by Khatoon et al. (2016) [6] , Karthik et al. (2017) [5] in Ridge gourd. In terms of Days to first harvesting the earliest days was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 with (37.06 days) and the latest days was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-8 with (49.26days). The view was reported by Demove et al. (2010) [4] in bitter gourd. In terms of Chlorophyll content the minimum was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-9 with (46.03) and the maximum was observed in AVT-I-2022/RIGHYBD-1 with (55.3).

Yield parameters

Different Ridge gourd genotypes was analyzed and tabulated in Table :2 on the basis of yield parameters viz. No. of fruits per plant, Average fruit weight(g), Average fruit length(cm), Average yield per plant(kg), Average yield/hectare (q/ha), Average yield /hectare(t/ha)

In terms of Number of fruit per plant the minimum was observed in AVT-I-2022/RIGHYBD-1 with (12.33) and the maximum was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 with (19.06). These findings are in agreement with the results reported by Triveni et al. (2021) [13] in ridge gourd. The highest fruit length was recorded in AVT-II-20221RIGHYBD-12 with (23.26cm) followed by AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-11 with (21.33cm) and the shortest fruit length was observed in AVT-I-2022/RIGHYBD-1 with (11.83cm) followed by AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-7 with (16.96cm). The view was reported by Murthy et al. (2020) [9] , Rathore et al. (2017) [12] ; Chauhan et al. (2023) [3] in Ridge gourd. In terms of fruit diameter the minimum was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 with (16.03mm) and the maximum was observed in AVT-I-2022/RIGHYBD-1 with (23.24mm).In terms of fruit weight the minimum was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-9 with (114.83g) and the maximum was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 with (186.93g) and tabulated in Table :1 The findings were supported by Rathore et al. (2017) [12] in Ridge gourd.

Fruit yield per plant(kg), Fruit yield per hectare (q/ha), Fruit yield per hectare(t/ha) In terms of average yield/plant(kg) the minimum was observed in AVT-I-2022/RIGHYBD-1 with (1.38kg/plant) and the maximum yield/plant AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 with (4.33 kg/plant).In terms of average yield/hectare (q/ha) the minimum was observed in AVT-I-2022/RIGHYBD-3 with (110.96q/ha) and the maximum yield was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 with (177.13 q/ha). The results are in agreement with the findings of Kurre et al. (2022) [8] in Ridge gourd. In terms of average yield/hectare (t/ha) the minimum was observed in AVT-I-2022/RIGHYBD-1 with (12.06 t/ha) and the maximum yield (t/ha) was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12with (38.43 t/ha). This investigation was supported by the findings of Rathore et al. (2017) [12] ; Murthy et al. (2020) [9] in Ridge gourd.

Quality parameters

Quality parameters decide the Vitamin C content, TSS content, Fruit color and Fruit shape of different genotypes which was tabulated in Table :3.

Vitamin C content, TSS content, Fruit color, Fruit shape

In terms of Vit C content the minimum was observed in AVT-I-2022/RIGHYBD-5 with (1.16mg/100g) and the maximum was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-7 with (1.46mg/100g). In terms of TSS content the minimum was observed in AVT-I-2022/RIGHYBD-1 with (3.2ᵒBrix) and maximum TSS content was observed in AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-10 & Check Variety (KAREENA) with (4ᵒBrix). This investigation was carried by Rathore et al., (2017) [12] in Ridge gourd and Ramya et al. (2020) [10] in Bitter gourd; Ara et al. (2018) [1] in pointed gourd. (2019) [2] in Ridge gourd.

In terms of fruit shape AVT-I-2021/RIGHYBD-1 had Short elliptical tapered, AVT-I-2021/RIGHYBD-3 & AVT-II-2022/RIGHYBD-11 had Elongated elliptical tapered, AVT-I-2021/RIGHYBD-4, AVT-II-2022/RIGHYBD-8, AVT-II-2022/RIGHYBD-9, AVT-II-2022/RIGHYBD-10 had Elongated tapered, AVT-I-2021/RIGHYBD-5 had Cylindrical shape, AVT-II-2022/RIGHYBD-6 had Spindle shape, AVT-II-2022/RIGHYBD-7 had Oblong shape, Check Variety (KAREENA)had Elongated slim. The difference in fruit shape findings was done by Rao et al., (2021) [11] in Ridge gourd.

Conclusion

From the present investigation it is concluded that among 12 varieties of ridge gourd on the basis of mean performance the hybrid AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 had substantially higher yield and performed better for other desirable traits as compared to KAREENA (check variety) in terms of days to germination with (5.87 days), germination percentage (100%), earliest day to first male& female flower was observed in (29.8days) & (39.3days), number of fruits per plant (19.06), early harvesting (37.06), yield/plant (4.33 kg), yield (177.13 q/ha), and maximum average fruit yield (38.43 t/ha) and highest gross return with (5,76,000 Rs/ha), maximum net return (Rs 4,62,257) and the highest Benefit cost ratio with (5:00). So, from the above results it can be concluded that the hybrid variety AVT-II-2021/RIGHYBD-12 is the most suitable genotype that can be grown by the farmers for more production of ridge gourd.

References

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