Skip to main content

Cultivation of Teasel/Spine Gourd

Session in Whatsapp group on !st April 2018 by Shri Ravi SankarTekuru 

This veggie controls diabetes, excess heat,cancer, piles, cough etc.
Now a days it became popular in markets. In Telugu it is called as Adavi-kakara or Agakara.

Climate: 
Teasel Gourd love light warm moist (25C to 30C). Don't love cool or very low temperatures. But it can sustain low temperatures. Requires warm climate and humidity to grow rigorously.

Soil: 
Loves well drained soils like sandy loam soils with high percentage of organic matter. Give high yields in soils which have pH 5.5 to 7.1( slight acidic to near neutral is best 7 pH).Can adapt in wide range of soils.

Seed:
Approx 1-2 kg per acre seed required. But we can't predict how many male/female come out of seeds.Better idea is going with tubers or plant stems 1210-3630 plants required per acre, 10% should be taken from male plants that is male tubers or stem cuttings required.Select virus free and disease free a seeds or tubers or stems from farmer. Soak seeds overnight before planting because of seed shell hardness.Approx seed germination time is 7 days.

Duration: 
People say plant can live up to 15 years and give fruits throughout year under full sunlight.From 60 days flowers will start approx from 70 days harvest will start.

Spacing: 
If your soil contains more percentage of sand dig 30-60cm pits(length * width * height) for every 6-7 feet(pit to pit). Mix soil with compost/fym and fill the pits. If clay soil is more. start preparing raised bed(120cms) or mounds/hills.

Field Preparation: 
Teasel Gourd need more organic content in soil. Grow green manure before the crop. Traditional practice is filling all pits with 8 tons of FYM or 5 tons of compost with 500 kg of Neem cake along with top soil.
Teasel gourd loves to climb. So, it need trellis with height of 6 feet approx.

Sowing Method: 
Sow 4 -5 seeds in every pit/hill/mound. And thin to remain 2 plants per pit or hill.
Propagate through stem cuttings 12 days old or 2 true leaves seedlings 1 per pit/hill can be transplanted. Direct sowing of tubers 1 per pit/hill.

Irrigation:
Initial irrigation before sowing. Irrigation is required every week . Especially before flowering. Maintain specific time everyday at least irrigating deep 20cm soil gives best results. Give mulch for soil if climate is too hot outside.These plants don't like over irrigation.Over watering, stagnation leads to several viral/fungal diseases.

Inter-crops: 
No inter-cropping seen up to now because minimal pest attack. Relay intercepting can be done. Beans for fixing nitrogen, Sorghum and Corn to prevent root rot by controlling soil nematodes, Radish deters leaf eating insects, fruit borers, Marigold, sunflower attract pollinators and deters bugs and beetles. Mint is said to help control ants, aphids, flea beetles, and rodents. Growing castor controls leaf miners.

Harvest: 
Tender fruits are harvested for eating purpose. Matured fruits are left like that for seeds.Average yield of 7-10 tons of harvest per acre.

Pest control:

  • Bacterial/viral infections occur due to water stagnation, over moist conditions and no proper circulation of air.
  • Four kg of Neem seeds are powdered and dissolved in 100 litres of water and filtered. Add 10 litres of cow urine and mix it with 50 gm of soapnut powder. Spraying this extract every 15 days will control many pests and diseases.
  • Install light traps one for every half acre from 6-10pm to overcome moths laying eggs and remove traps before teasel gourd flowers start to appear.
  • Spray diluted Neem oil for Aphids & Mealybugs.
  • Use fruit fly traps.

I

Register with us:

Queries:

1.Under this can we grow shade loving crops?
It's difficult because it won't allow any sunlight. Strip cropping can be done

2. Is chicken growing possible?
Yes

3. Should we safeguard the root zone while growing chicken?
It's a strong plant, never give up easily. No extra care required

4. Is its germination tough? Any special care to be taken for germination?
From seeds it's tough, propagate from stems and tubers.





Labels:

Comments

  1. Atrangi appy17 November 2019 at 18:11

    Which trees can be grown along with this in agroforestry systems

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Five Layer Shri Palekar Ji Model - 36*36 model for full 1 acre

Huge trees, for example, Mango, Jack-fruit, Jamun, and Amla ought to be planted 36 feet separated. Guava, Chikku, Lemon and Pomegranate saplings can be planted in the middle of the mango plants at a separation of 18 feet. Papaya, Drum-stick, Banana that involve lesser space ought to be planted in a space of 9 feet between the second arrangement of trees recorded previously. The above plants ought to be planted along a similar column over the plot of land leaving space to develop a single assortment of vegetables, millets and so forth on each bed. separate 1 section of land into a break even with squares of 36ft X 36ft. In each piece of 36 ft x 36 ft ( which is additionally separated into four 9ft X 9ft sub-squares) We can grow around 170 trees, in that 9ft x 9 ft part of the land (one sub-square). Plant 1 Banana Tree, 4 Arecanut Trees, 4 Black pepper Creepers getting on Arecanut trees, 2 Coffee Plants, 2 Glirsedia Trees, 2 Venella Creepers hopping on Glirsedia trees
4 comments
Read more

Stone pole fencing Vs Cement pole fencing Vs Iron pole Fencing

Which is best Fencing? (Stone Vs Cement Vs Iron pole Fencing) Height: If your main concern is to protect your farm from theft, above 10 feet height poles required, which stands 8 feet above ground and 2 feet below ground. Size: 4Inch * 6Inch average pole dimension with 8-10 feet length. Barbed wire from TATA wiron Durability: Stone poles are much more durable than cement or iron. Cement poles starts crumble, iron poles often leads to damage due to rust. Especially poles used to support other poles used in corners or usually called as cross pieces must be strong. Only stone poles give sufficient support without damage. Weight: Stone poles have good weight when compared to cement or iron, so it is not easy to theft by a single person. Whereas Iron poles are easy to lift and carry. Distance: Ideal distance between pole to pole is 8 feet. Even in case when the fence wire sags after some period, it can be re-tightened. If distance increases there will be problem with fence wire. Suppor
Post a Comment
Read more

Companies with Buy Back Policy / Contract Farming can register here

Companies who provide Marketing assistance in selling the crops to the farmers who got into business with them by purchasing the Planting material from them. Other than providing complete marketing assistance, Companies who provide “Buy Back Agreement” in project of “Contract Farming” for some of the crops, which are highly demanded by their associates. In this way, they hereby by associating persons/farmers with them looking for nice profit & growing collectively. With proper network of buyers with them, Companies who provide returns to the farmers/cultivators who purchase the planting material from them and do farming as per their instructions. The crop/crops under buy back agreement are provided with targeted requirement, those companies can register here.
Post a Comment
Read more