Performance Analysis of Bitter Gourd (MomordicacharantiaL.) under Different Training Systems

Abstract

The present study aimed to identify suitable training system for bitter gourd cultivation,The experiment was conducted at College Orchard, Horticultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Among the different training systems evaluated, pandal system recorded the highest vine length (481.81 cm), followed by the bamboo training system (476.76cm). The treatment using fish net training system showed the highest internodal length (6.34 cm). Pandal training system exhibited the highest number of branches (10.04). Earliness in terms of days for the appearance of male and female flowers was observed in pandal training system (41.33 and 53.16 days respectively). Days to 50% flowering was also found earlier in the pandal system (64.23 days). The narrow sex ratio (5.86) was observed in the bamboo pole support system tied with gunny thread. The pandal system recorded the highest number of fruits per vine (78.66) and gunny thread training system recorded the lowest number of fruits (34.83). The highest fruit length of 21.35 Madras Agric.J., 2021; doi: 10.29321/MAJ.10.000291(online first) cm and fruit diameter of 3.57 cm wererecorded inthe pandal training system. The maximum fruit weight was recorded in the pandal system (74.12 g fruit-1) and the minimum fruit weight was observed (52.74g fruit-1) in the fish net system. Pandal training system exhibited the highest yield plant-1 (5.79 kg plant-1), yield plot-1 (132.65 kg) and yield hectare-1 (119.16 q ha-1) while the lowest values were recorded under gunny thread system of cultivation. Among the different training systems pandal/conventional training system is more economical with a benefit-cost ratio of 2.51 followed by bamboo system, fish net system and bamboo poles support system tied with gunny thread