Effects of mulching and sowing date on earliness, fruit quality and economics of round gourd (Praecitrullus fistulosus)

MANPREET  SINGH; NAVEEN  GARG; MONIKA  MAHAJAN; KULBIR  SINGH

doi:10.56093/ijas.v96i6.151726

Authors

MANPREET SINGH Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab 141 004, India
NAVEEN GARG Regional Research Station, Punjab Agricultural University, Bathinda, Punjab 151 001, India
MONIKA MAHAJAN Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab 141 004, India
KULBIR SINGH Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab 141 004, India

https://doi.org/10.56093/ijas.v96i6.151726

Keywords:

Economics, Quality, Mulch, Sowing time, Tinda

Abstract

A two-year study conducted on round gourd in Punjab revealed that irrespective of sowing time, the lowest days to first picking and the highest fruit quality attributes (ascorbic acid, fibre and ash content) were recorded by SBPM followed by BPM and PSM. However, the highest fruit dry matter was recorded by PSM followed by SBPM. Irrespective of mulching, the highest ascorbic acid, dry matter, fibre and ash content was manifested in DS2. The interaction effects revealed that the maximum ascorbic acid and ash content were observed in DS2 + SBPM while dry matter and fibre were maximum in DS5 + PSM and DS5 + SBPM, respectively. The maximum gross returns, net returns and BC ratio were observed with SBPM followed by BPM, PSM and BS. However, based on BC ratio, it is recommended to use SBPM or BPM in DS1; SBPM, BPM or PSM in DS2 and DS3; whereas, only SBPM should be used in DS4 for cultivation of round gourd ‘Punjab Tinda 1’ in Punjab.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Anusha K R, Singh K, Sardana V, Sharma S P and Singh R. 2021. Influence of planting time and mulching on yield and quality of direct sown muskmelon (Cucumis melo L.) under low tunnel. Vegetable Science 48(2): 150–55.

AOAC. 2005. Official Methods of Analysis, 18th edn. Association of Official Analytical Chemists International, Gathersburg. Barber T M, Kabisch S, Pfeiffer A F H and Weickert M O. 2020. The health benefits of dietary fibre. Nutrients 12(10): 3209. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12103209

Birbal, Soni M, Rathore V S, Nathawat N S and Renjith P S. 2019. Interactive effect of FYM and mulching on productivity and water use efficiency of squash melon (Citrullus vulgaris var. fistulosus) grown with supplemental irrigation in hot arid region of Rajasthan. The Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 89(2): 307–13.

Conti S, Villari G, Amico E and Caruso G. 2015. Effects of production system and transplanting time on yield, quality and antioxidant content of organic winter squash (Cucurbita moschata Duch.). Scientia Horticulturae 183: 136–43.

Dhingra D, Michael M, Rajput H and Patil R T. 2012. Dietary fibre in foods: A review. Journal of Food Science and Technology 49(3): 255–66.

Kaur A, Sekhon K S, Thaman S, Sidhu A S, Garg N and Chawla N. 2020. Effect of paddy straw mulch, irrigation regimes and nitrogen levels on the performance of spring transplanted bell pepper in semi-arid environment of south-western Punjab. Vegetable Science 47(1): 74–79.

Khan S, Pal M and Kumar V. 2015. Influence of different mulches on growth and yield sponge gourd (Luffa cylindrica L.). Plant Archives 15(1): 393–95.

Narayanan A, Keerthana G and Ravikumar V. 2017. Mineral and anti-nutrient content of common and uncommon green leafy vegetables before and after drying. Food Science 108: 47403–07.

Scalisi A and O’Connell M G. 2021. Relationships between soluble solids and dry matter in the flesh of stone fruit at harvest. Analytica 2: 14–24.

Singh M and Garg N. 2024. Effects of mulching on plant growth, viral diseases, earliness and fruit yield attributes of round gourd under variable sowing dates in north Indian plains. The Journal of Agricultural Science 162: 225–35.

Singh M, Garg N, Yadav B K, Singh P and Choudhary O P. 2026. Relationship of round gourd (Praecitrullus fistulosus) fruit yield with soil temperature and nutrient uptake under different mulches and sowing times. Journal of Crop Improvement 40(1): 50–70.

Tanveer A, Sarwar M, Asghar M S, Saleem M F, Maqsood H, Ali B, Munir M K, Arshad M, Ikram R M, Ikram N A and Rizwan M. 2022. Reducing nutrient uptake in okra weeds by suppressing their population through alligator weed compost mulch for better pod yield and quality. Arabian Journal of Geosciences 15(10): 1006. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-022-10300-5

Thakur A and Sharma R. 2018. Vitamin C enriched bitter gourd based functional squash. The Pharma Innovation Journal 7(3): 98–103.

Wehner T C and Guner N. 2004. Growth stage, flowering pattern, yield and harvest date prediction of four types of cucumber

tested at 10 planting dates. Acta Horticulturae 637: 223–29.