Production technology of

cucurbits

By: Dr. Archana (Assistant Professor)

Department of Vegetable Science
COA, Hisar
 Crops included in this group
Sr. No. English name Hindi name Botanical name

1 Muskmelon Kharbuja Cucumis melo L.

2 Cucumber Khira Cucumis sativus L.

3 Longmelon Kakri Cucumis melo var. Utilissiemus

4 Watermelon Tarbuz Citrullus lantus

5 Round melon Tinda Citrullus fistulosus

(Indian squash)
Crops included in this group.......
Sr. No. English name Hindi name Botanical name

6 Bottlegourd Lauki, Ghiya Lagenaria siceraria

7 Bittergourd Karela Momordica charantia L.

8 Ridgegourd Kali Tori Luffa acutangula (Roxb) L.

9 Spongegourd Ghia tori Luffa cylindrica

10 Pumpkin Sitaphal Cucurbita moscheta

11 Summer squash Chappan kaddu Cucurbita pepo L.

12 Wax gourd or Ash Petha Benincasa hispida

gourd
 CUCURBITS
• 1. Muskmelon (2n=24)
• 2. Watermelon (2n=24)
• 3. Bottle gourd (2n=22)
• 4. Bitter gourd (2n=22)
• 5. Sponge gourd (2n=24)
Spine gourd (Momordica dioica Roxb.) is a perennial climber of
family Cucurbitaceae. This medicinally important and nutritionally
rich vegetable is known by different names in local dialects like
kankoda, meetha karela, kakrol, kartoli, kantola, bhatkarela, kaksa,
ban karola etc. in different parts of India. Though spine gourd is
closely related to bitter gourd, it is not as much popular as bitter
gourd largely due to lack of awareness among consumers.
The tuberous vegetable is mainly cultivated in West Bengal,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Besides, this
vegetable grows naturally in the forest areas of Chhattisgarh,
Jharkhand and Odisha where it is regularly consumed by the native
tribals.
• Spine gourd can be cultivated through seeds, but the population will
segregate. However, the crop grown vegetatively through tubers and stem
cutting will result in uniform, true to type plants. The seed requirement to
cultivate a commercial crop in one hectare area will be 2.5-5.0 kg owing to
difficulties in seed germination and maintenance of male/female ratio for a
healthy fruit set.
• However, if the vegetative mode of propagation through tubers or plants
generated from stem cuttings is used where the male and female plants or
tubers are already known, a total of 2500–2650 tubers or plants having
2200–2300 female and 300–350 male plants will be sufficient to cultivate 1
ha area.
 Difference between Ridge gourd and
Sponge gourd

Ridge gourd Smooth gourd or sponge gourd

6 sex forms are seen. Generally monoecious form is seen.

Leaves are shallowly lobbed & larger. Leave are deeply lobbed & smaller.
No white patches on leaves. White patches on leaf.
Male flowers are smaller Male flowers are larger.
Angled & 10 ribbed fruits. Smooth fruits
Seeds black and pitted. Seed black, white flat and not pitted
The flowers of ridge gourd open in the evening and The flowers of sponge gourd open in the early
remain open throughout the night morning hours.
 Seed less Watermelon
• This triploid seed is the seed that produces seedless
watermelons. In other words, a seedless watermelon is a
sterile hybrid which is created by crossing male pollen for a
watermelon, containing 22 chromosomes per cell, with a
female watermelon flower with 44 chromosomes per cell.
• “Seedless watermelons are grown from seeds that are
produced by crossing watermelon lines to produce plants that
have an odd number of chromosomes,” Adelberg said.
“Because of the odd number of chromosomes, these plants
are sterile and do not produce mature seed.”
• The system for producing seedless watermelons was
developed by Professor H. Kihara, a Japanese scientist at
Kyoto University, who described his work in 1951.
• Seedless watermelons are triploid (3X) which causes them to be
sterile, or seedless. The triploid seeds are created by crossing a
normal diploid (2X) melon as the pollinator with a tetraploid (4X)
parent. Each parent contributes half its respective chromosomes,
1X from one parent and 2X from the other.
• Colchicine, an alkaloid derived from the corms and seed of
Colchicum autumnale, is commonly employed to create
watermelon tetraploids. It binds tubulin, inhibits spindle
formation, and prevents separation of chromosomes at
anaphase. As microtubules function in chromosome segregation,
colchicine induces polyploidy by preventing the segregation
of chromosomes during meiosis that results into half of the
gametes containing double the chromosome number than
usual.
• The normal watermelon (called a diploid) has 22 chromosomes per
cell. By treating seedlings with colchicine, a new plant type called
a tetraploid having 44 chromosomes is produced.
• This triploid seed is the seed that produces seedless
watermelons. In other words, a seedless watermelon is a
sterile hybrid which is created by crossing male pollen for a
watermelon, containing 22 chromosomes per cell, with a
female watermelon flower with 44 chromosomes per cell.
• Pepo-A fleshy, several-seeded fruit that has developed from one
flower having a single ovary divided into several carpels, which
develops a firm or tough rind as it matures (such as a melon, squash,
cucumber).
Seedless water melon
 Xenia and Metaxenia

• Xenia is the effect of genes from the male parent on the

development of fruit or seeds.
• Xenia may be used to identify the
best pollenizer parents to decrease fruit development
period and increase yield in mixed cultivar plantings.
• Metaxenia is the effect of pollen on fruit shape and
other fruit characteristics.
• Xenia is defined as the direction effect of the pollen
grains (male parent) inside the embryo sac except for
embryo (i.e. on the seeds and fruits, outside the embryo)
whereas Metaxenia is the effect of pollen grain on the
testa and pericarp which are present outside the embryo
sac.
• One of the most familiar examples of xenia is the different colours that
can be produced in maize (Zea mays) by assortment of alleles via
individual pollen grains. Such maize cobs are cultivated for decorative
purposes.
*Law of independent assortment:
• The allele of two or more different genes get sorted into gametes
independently of one another. The allele a gamete receives for one gene
does not influence the allele received for another gene.
 Melons and gourds
• A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with
sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the
plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry,
specifically a "pepo". Melons, on the other hand, are mainly culinary in
use. They are typically sweet, fleshy, and sometimes juicy.

• The term “gourd” unofficially refers to the hard-shelled

fruits of some members of the plant family Curbitaceae –
the “gourd” family.

• Gourds typically fall under 2 genera: Cucurbita and Lagenaria.

Melons, on the other hand, fall under the Citrullus and Cucumis.
 Cucurbits
• This group commonly called vine crops belong to the family 'cucurbitaceae'.

• Being warm season crops, It is tropical in origin mostly in Africa, tropical America and
South-East Asia.

• Used either for cooking (all the gourds) or as salad (cucumber and long melon) or as desert
fruits (muskmelon and watermelon) or canned or preserved (ash gourd).
Cucurbits mostly seed propagated, besides few vegetative propagated like pointed gourd
(parwal) and also few perennials like chow-chow and ivy gourd.
Cucurbits are generally day neutral in nature.
• It consists of a wide range of vegetables either used for salad purpose
(cucumber) or for cooking (all gourds), pickling (West Indian gherkin) or
as dessert fruit (muskmelon, water melon) or candied or preserved (ash
gourd).
• As a group, cucurbits occupy the largest area in India and in other
tropical countries. Its use is not primarily because of calories, minerals or
vitamins since they are generally low to moderate in nutrients with a few
exceptions like bitter gourd (rich in vitamin C 96 mg/100g), parwal and
chow chow (calcium–531 mg and 140 mg/100 g respectively).
• From the nutritional point of view, cucurbit seeds are valued for their
high oil and protein contents.
• Seed proteins of cucurbits are comparable to that of legumes and are
richer in methionine.
Cucurbitacins – Majority of cucurbits are characterized by presence of
bitter principles, cucurbitacins at some portions of plant and at some stages of
development.

Cucurbitacins are tetracyclic triterpins having extensive oxidation levels. Its

highest concentration is in fruits and roots and is less in leaves.

Pollen grain also carries fairly good amount of bitter principles. This is a
common problem in oriental pickling melon, cucumber and bottle gourd and
is rarely noticed in ridge gourd and snake gourd.

The consumers usually remove fruit tips during conception to avoid possible
chance of bitterness in fruits.
• Cucurbits are highly cross pollinated and pollination is done by honey
bees and bumble bees. Flowers are born in axils of leaves and are solitary
or in racemose clusters. Individual flowers are unisexual, large and
showy.
• Fruit is essentially an inferior berry and is called as “pep” due to hard
rind when mature. Fruits can be stored for long period in ash gourd,
pumpkin, oriental pickling melon, etc. while keeping quality is less in
cucumber, snake gourd, bitter gourd, etc. The fruits of all cucurbits
except chow chow are many seeded.
 Climate
• Cucurbits require long warm dry weather and abundant sunshine.
• These crops are sensitive to even slightest frost, hence require partial
protection if grown during winter months.
• Cucurbits germinate best when day temperature is above 25°C.
• For normal growth average monthly temperature should be around 30°C.
 Reasons to grow cucurbits
• Easy to grow from seed
• Lots of different types and cultivars
• Some can be stored and eaten over the winter i.e. Pumpkin
• Versatile in the kitchen

But monitor them closely because they are susceptible to

many insect pests and diseases.
 Flower types in cucurbits

Types Flower
Unisexual flower Male (♂) or female (♀)
Male flower Only male sex (♂) is present and
female sex (♀) is absent in same
flower.
Female/pistillate flower Only female sex (♂) is present and
male sex (♀) is absent in same
flower.
Bisexual/ Both male and female sexes (♂♀) are
hermaphrodite present in the same flower
 Different sex forms in cucurbits

• Androecious: Plant bears only male (♂) flowers

• Gynoecious : Plant bears only female (♀) flowers
• Monoecious : Plant bears male (♂) and female (♀) flowers on separate nodes
• Andromonoecious: Plant bears male (♂) and hermaphrodite (±) flowers on separate
nodes
• Gynomonoecious: Plant bears female (♀) and hermaphrodite (±) flowers on separate
nodes
• Trimonoecious or Androgynomonoecious: Plant bears male (♂), female (♀) &
hermaphrodite (±) flowers on separate nodes.
• Dioecious: Male (♂) and female (♀) flowers are borne on separate plants.

• Androdioecism: Male (♂) and hermaphrodite (±) flowers borne on separate plants.

• Gynodioecism: Female (♀) and hermaphrodite (±) flowers borne on separate plants.

• Andromonodioecious: Male (♂) flowers borne on separate plant and female (♀) +
hermaphrodite (±) flowers together on another plant on separate positions.

• Gynomonodioecious: Female (♀) flowers borne on separate plants and male (♂) +
hermaphrodite (±) flowers borne together on another plant on separate positions.
• Monoecious : Round melon, long melon, ridge gourd, sponge gourd, bottle gourd,
pumpkin, bitter gourd, ash gourd, summer squash

• Mostly monoecious : Cucumber

• Monoecious and andromonoecious: Watermelon

• Andromonoecious and hermaphrodite: Muskmelon

• Dioecious: Pointed gourd

 Sex ratio in cucurbits

The no. of male flowers produced is in far greater proportion than the pistillate
flowers. This is called sex ratio.

Majority of cucurbits are monoecious and sex ratio (male: female) ranges
from 25-30:1 to 15:1
 The latter condition (15:1) is advantageous and economical, because it results in
greater number of pistillate flowers per plant, consequently higher fruit set and yield.

Sex ratio is highly sensitive to environment and high nitrogen, long days and high
temperature generally promote greater number of male flowers.
• Besides environmental factors, endogenous levels of auxins,
gibberellins, ethylene and absscisic acid also determine sex ratio and
sequence of flowering.
• Endogenous application of plant growth regulators can alter sex form, if
applied at 2-4 leaf stage.
• High ethylene level induces female flowers and is suggested to increase
female flowers in cucumber, musk melon, summer squash and pumpkin.
• Gibberellins promote maleness and are antagonistic to the action of
ethylene and abscisic acid.
• Silver nitrate (300-400 ppm) also induces maleness.
 Growth hormone apply at 2-4 true leaf stage

Ethrel 250 ppm: Long melon, muskmelon, pumpkin, water melon

Ethrel 100 ppm: Bottle gourd, ridge gourd, smooth gourd, round melon, cucumber

Cycocel 250 ppm: Bitter gourd

 Flowers in cucurbits
Watermelon Muskmelon

Bitter gourd Bottle gourd

Contd… Pumpkin Flower
Male Female

Cucumber
 Cultivars and hybrids
Bottle Gourd Bitter Gourd

Long fruited Round fruited

PSPL PSPR Pusa Do
Mausami
Pusa Santushti Pusa Sandesh Pusa Vishesh
Arka Bahar Punjab Round Arka Harit
Thar Samridhi Pusa Hybrid-2 Coimbatore
Long
Pusa Meghdoot (F1 Pusa Manjari (F1 hyb.) Kashi Sona
hyb.)
HAU: GH-22,
HBGH:35
Contd…
Water Melon Muskmelon
Asahi Yamato (Japanese) Arka Rajhans
Sugar Baby (USA) Arka Jeet (12-14% TSS)
Arka Jyoti (F1 hybrid) Pusa Sharbati
Arka Manik (MDR) Pusa Madhuras
Pusa Russel Pusa Rasraj
Pusa Bedana (Seedless) Hara Madhu (12-15% TSS)
Improved Shipper Punjab Sunehri
Durgapura Kesar Durgapura Madhu
Durgapura Lal Lucknow safeda
Durgapura Meetha Hisar Saras
Thar Manak Hisar Madhur
Ridge Gourd Sponge Gourd

Pusa Nasdar Pusa Chikni

Pusa Nutan Pusa Supriya

Satputia (Bihar) Pusa Sneha,

Arka Sujat Kashi Hari Chikni

Hisar Kali Tori Phule Prajakta

Contd…

Cucumber Pumpkin
Japanese Long Green Pusa Vishwash
Pusa Sanyog (F1 Hybrid) Pusa Vikas
Poinsette Pusa Hybid-1,
Poona Khira Arka Chandan
Balam Khira Arka Suryamukhi
Solan Kheera-75 Azad Pumpkin-1
Pusa Uday Kashi Harit
Pusa Barkha CO-1
Pant Shankar Khira-1 Ambili
Pointed gourd
Ivy Gourd
Ivy Gourd
Pointed Gourd
Fruits of Cucurbits
Watermelon Muskmelon

Pumpkin
Fruits of Cucurbits

Bottle gourd

Bitter gourd
Fruits of Cucurbits………

Cucumber

Ridged gourd Smooth gourd

 Other cucurbits

Pointed gourd
 Soil requirement

1. A well-drained loam soil is preferred for cucurbits.

2. Lighter soils are good for getting early crop/yield.
3. In heavy soils, vine growth will be more and fruits mature late but the yield will be
higher than the lighter soils.
4. Also essential that the soils should be fertile and rich in organic matter.
5. All the cucurbits are sensitive to acid soils.
6. Most of the cucurbits prefer a soil reaction between 6.0 and 7.0.
7. There is no cucurbit, which can tolerate high salt concentration.
 Sowing time

 Being a tropical group of vegetables, these crops are grown in spring-summer and
rainy seasons.

 In South India, where winter is neither severe nor long, these crops are grown almost
round the year.
Region Sowing time
In South India October-November
In North-East India November to March
In hills of North India April-May

 In Northwest arid Rajasthan like Bikaner, a rainy season crop of water melon is taken
because of absence of heavy rainfall during August-September.
 Sowing method

 Most of the cucurbits are seed propagated and in situ sowing is practiced.
 Transplanting of seedlings practices done especially in Punjab and Haryana and can save
seed nearly 50-60% as compared to in situ sowing.
 In garden soil, sowing is done on the top of the sides of furrows, and the vines are allowed
to trail on the ground especially in rainy season.
 In some cases, raised beds or mounds are made to facilitate drainage especially in heavy
rainfall regions.
 Pit system is practiced during rainy season and vines are trained over the pandals at a
height of 1.5 to 2 meter or more.
Trellies in cucurbits
Low tunnels
 Seed rate, season and planting distance
Distance
Sr. Seed Rate Planting
Crops Season Plant to Plant
No. (kg/ha) Row to Row (m)
(cm)
1. Bottle gourd Summer/Rainy 3.0-6.0 2.0-3.0 100-150

2. Bitter gourd Summer/Rainy 4.5-6.0 1.5-2.5 60-120

3. Ridge gourd Summer/Rainy 3.5-5.0 1.5-2.5 60-120

4. Sponge gourd Summer/Rainy 2.5-3.5 1.5-2.5 60-120

5. Musk melon Summer 3.0-4.0 1.5-2.5 60-120

6. Water melon Summer 3.5-5.0 2.5-3.5 90-120

7. Cucumber Summer/Rainy 2.5-3.5 1.0-1.5 60-90

8. Pumpkin Summer/Rainy 5.0-6.0 2.5-3.0 100-150

 Manure and fertilizers
 FYM : 10 tone/ha
 Nitrogen : 50 kg/ha
 Phosphorus : 25 kg/ha
 Potassium : 25 kg/ha

Farmyard manure should be incorporated in the field 3-4 weeks before sowing at the
time of field preparation.
Full dose of P2O5 + full of K2O + 1/3 of N should be applied as basal dose at the time
of sowing.
Rest 2/3 dose of N is applied in furrows in the standing crop in two equal splits at 30
days after sowing and at flowering time followed by earthing up.
 Irrigation requirement

 In spring-summer crop, frequency of irrigation is very important, while in rainy season

crop, irrigation may not be necessary at all, if rainfall is well distributed between July-
September.
 Soil moisture for seed germination is important in cucurbits.
 Irrigation once in 5 or 6 days will be necessary depending upon the soil, location and
temperature, etc.
 In rainy season crop, the incidence of anthracnose and fruit fly is severe if microclimate
near the vines is humid. Therefore, some of the rainy season crops are trailed over
supports to prevent rotting of fruits.
 Usually, irrigation frequency is reduced, when the fruits reach near maturity and
completely stopped in the last stages of harvest
 Intercultural requirement

Thinning of plants should be done 10-15 days after sowing retaining not more than 2
healthy seedlings per hill/spot.

The beds or ridges are required to be kept weed free in the early stages before vine
growth start.

Weeding and earthing up are done at the time of top dressing of split application of
nitrogenous fertilizers.

In general, vertical training is more helpful in increasing the yield of cucumber.
 Pruning in muskmelon
1) Muskmelon bears male flowers on main stem, whereas, secondary branches bear both
male and hermaphrodite flowers.
2) The first hermaphrodite flower in Hara Madhu variety is generally borne on 7 th
node on secondary branch, therefore, the secondary branches up to 6 th node are
pinched off at their emergence and subsequent ones are allowed to develop.
3) Perfect flowers arising from branches on 7th node onwards are allowed to set fruits.
These secondary branches are also de-topped at two leaves above the first perfect flower.
4) In comparison to un-pruned plants the pruned plants give more number of fruits
with bigger size, thus, pruning technique is quite helpful to get higher yield (20-
25%) in Hara Madhu variety.
5) This technique is also useful in Punjab Sunheri variety, where pinching of secondary
branches is done up to 3rd node.
 Pinching in watermelon and bottle gourd
It is advisable to remove the apical growing point of plants at 4-6 true leaf
stage.
This enhances early maturity by 10-12 days, and gives 10-20% higher yield
as compared to un-pinched plants.
 Riverbed cultivation
 Growing of cucurbits in riverbeds or river basins constitutes a
distinct type of farming.
 It can be treated as a kind of vegetable forcing.
 The cucurbits are grown under sub normal conditions, during
winter months from November-February especially in North
India.
Apiece of land created inside a river due to deposition of sand is known as riverbed or Diara land. Cultivation in
diara land facilitates off-season production which is a type of vegetable forcing in many cucurbitaceous vegetables
which is purely an indigenous and innovation of vegetable grower. The term “Diara” has been extracted from the
word “Diya” meaning earthen lamp. Keeping in conformity with the shape of the “Diya”, the bowl like systems on the
surface (depressions) situated between the natural levees on either side of the river appear like small Diyas when
rainwater gets accumulated in them during the rainy session. It is observed that out of total area under cucurbits
cultivation, 68% area is under riverbed cultivation. During the summer season, around 70-75% of total cucurbits
production is being produced in river beds or diara land area which is available in market from February–June
and October–January. Such land is also known in different areas of India as khaddar lands, char lands, dariayi,
kachhar, doab, kochar, nad, riverine area, nadiari, diara lands and tal lands. The river-beds of Yamuna, Ganges,
Gomati, Saryu and other tributaries in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar; river-bed Banas in Tonk district of
Rajasthan; Narmada, Tawa and Tapti river beds of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra; Sabarmati, Panam,
Vartak and Orsung of Gujarat; Tungabhadra, Krishna, Hundri, Pennar river-beds of Andhra Pradesh are some of
the important areas where cucurbits like cucumber, bitter gourd, long melon, sponge gourd, ridge gourd, water
melon, muskmelon, bottle gourd, pumpkin, etc. are extensively grown. In Kerala in the river-beds of Pamba and
Manimala, cucurbits like bitter gourd, snake gourds, etc. are grown. The subterranean moisture seeped from adjacent
river, streams, makes the upper layers of land more suitable for growing early vegetable crops.
 Glass culture/glass house culture
In Western Europe, Japan and other countries, summer months (April-September) are usually cloudy with
frequent spells of rains, making it difficult to grow cucumber. Hence, protected cultivation has come into
vogue and glass house culture of cucumber is a highly specialized system of vegetable forcing.

In this culture, temperature, humidity, light and carbon dioxide inside the glass house are controlled to
provide ideal conditions under computerized microprocessor systems
 Harvesting

Picking of fruits at the right edible maturity stage is dependent upon individual kinds
and varieties.
Watermelon
• Dull and hollow sound is produced when the fruits are thumbed/ knocked on maturity.
• Tendril accompanies the fruit gets shriveled and dried.
• The portion of fruit resting on the ground gets changed from pale white to creamy
yellow.
• When fruit is pressed with hand, mature one gives crisp cracking sound/noise.
• Plugging or cutting a little part of the rind is a sure method/test, but this spoils the fruit.
Muskmelon

• Half-slip stage: Fruits are not completely ready for table use, but are good for distant
market. Slight pressure is required to separate the fruit from the stem. (for distant market).
• Full-slip stage: Fruits are fully ready for table use and are best for local market. Fruit
itself is separated from the pedicel. Pressure is not required to separate the fruit from the
stem. (for local market)
• Musky flavour: Fruits produce a very pleasant musky flavour on ripening.
• Change in color: The green pigment is disappeared due to degradative process and
yellow pigments are appeared due to synthesis processes.
• Full netting: A net like structure is developed on the fruit surface on ripening.
Cucumber
In salad or slicing cucumber, dark green skin colour prefer and white skin colour will also
be a useful indication for edible maturity.

Bottle gourd
Tenderness and edible maturity are judged by pressing the skin and little
pubescence persisting on the skin. Seeds should be soft, if examined in transverse
section. Hence, smaller fruits fetch better price in the market.

Sponge gourds
The flesh should not turn fibrous and picking should be done earlier.

Bitter gourd
The fruits should not turn yellow or yellowish orange during transport and hence fruits
are picked at green stage.
 Yield
The yield of cucurbits varies according to the system of cultivation, cultivar, season and
several other factors. Approximate estimation would be:

Crops Yield (q/ha)

Cucumber 80- 120 (OPV)
Bottle gourd 100-150
Bitter gourd 60- 120
Ridge gourd 80- 120
Sponge gourd 80- 120
Musk melon 100-150
Water melon 200-250
Cucumber 100-120
Pumpkin 200-250
Pests of cucurbits
 Red pumpkin beetle

This insect causes serious damage at seedling stage.

Control
• Follow clean cultivation.
• Collection and destruction of beetles during cool hours of early
morning when they remain sluggish.
• Dusting the crop with 5% carbaryl or spraying the crop with 0.2%
carbaryl.
 Fruit fly
•Bactrocera cucurbita, Bactrocera dorsalis synonym
Daucus cucurbita, Daucus dorsalis
•This is the most destructive pest of cucurbits.

Control
•Collect and destroy the affected fruits.
•Spray with Malathion or Thiodan at 0.1%.
• Use 400 ml carbavin/Hexavin (50 WP) in 250 ltr water/Acre
•Use poison baits containing sex attractants like protein hydrolysate 0.5kg +
1.25kg of 50% Malathion WP + 200g of molasses.
 A pheromone trap is a good and safe way to reduce the number of fruit flies. This
method uses a pheromone or parapheromone to attract the male fruit flies into a trap
where they are killed.

 Large number of pheromones baited traps can be used in the fields to capture males of
newly emerged moths and reduce the number of males for mating of fruit flies insect.

 In this way, pheromone traps play an important role where this is both cultural and
biological method of pest monitor and pest control.

 The pheromone, cuelure or lure is used in cucurbits, which mimics the scent of
female flies, attracts the male flies and trap them in large numbers resulting in check of
population growth early in season.

 Around 10-12 lures/acre is recommended. The pheromone trap should be placed from
onset of flowering to harvest of the crop. The lure need to be replaced once 30-40 days.
 Yellow sticky traps are a common method for monitoring many pest including aphids, whiteflies and
leaf minor adults.

 Use of yellow sticky traps in seedlings production at the rate of 1-2 traps/50-100 meter square can trap
significant numbers of whiteflies.

 Yellow colour is attractive to many insects commonly found including winged adult white flies,
aphids, leaf minor and thrips attack.
Blue sticky traps are a non toxic way
to control and monitor thrips (Frankliniella
occidentalis and Thrips tabaci) and Sciarids.
These pests are attracted by the unique blue
color and stick to the non-drying glue coating
the trap.
 Whiteflies
Control
Spray acetamiprid (0.01%) or
triazophos (0.04%) or
bifenthrin (0.01%).

Aphids

Control
Spray cypermethrin (0.01%)
or acetamiprid (0.01%) or
malathion (0.05%).

Mites

Control
Dust with fine sulphur or spray
with 0.1% wettable sulphur.
Diseases of cucurbits
 Powdery mildew
 Sphaerotheca fuliginea and Erisiphe
cichoracearum
 Most of the cucurbits are affected by
this fungus.
 White powdery fungal growth develop
on leaf surfaces, petioles and stems,
which are primarily asexual spores
called conidia.
 It usually develops first on crown
Control
leaves, shaded lower leaves and leaf
 Collect and burn diseased plant refuse.
under surfaces.
 Older plants are affected first.  8-10 kg Sulphex powder in evening time.
 Severely attacked leaves become  Spray the crop with Karathane (0.2%), sulfex
brown and shrivelled leading to (0.2%), Bavistin (0.1%).
premature defoliation.
 Downy mildew
 Pseudopernospora cubensis
 High rainfall or humidity and moderate temperature are favorable for this
disease.
 Symptom : Under the leaf surface dark brown or dark grey powder is
seen.
 The disease is characterized by formation of yellow, more or less angular
spots on the upper surface of leaves.
 White purplish spores appear on the upper surface of the leaves.

Control:
 Follow crop rotation.
 Control the weeds population.
 Burn the plant debris after harvest.
 Removal of infected leaves and spraying the crop
with 0.25% Manozeb 3 to 4 times at 10 days interval
effectively control the disease.
 Anthracnose- Colletotrichum lagenarium

 One runner on a plant may wilt and collapse, with the rest
of the runners remaining healthy.
 Anthracnose is a destructive seed borne fungal disease of
most of the cucurbits.
 This disease mostly occurs warm and moist season and
appear during the period of heavy summer rains.
 Symptoms vary among the three principal cucurbits
infected.
 Leaf lesions begin as water soaked and then become.

Control
 Follow good sanitation
Treat the seed with Carbendazime @ 2.5 g/kg.
 Spray 400g Indofil M-45/200 ltr of water
 Yellowish circular spots.
Fusarium wilt

One runner on a plant may wilt and collapse, with the rest of the runners
remaining healthy.
Control
Follow two three years crop rotation.
 Give hot water treatment to seeds at 55 0C for 15 minutes.
 Cultivate resistant varieties.
Treat the seed with systemic fungicide like Bavistin or Benlate (2.5g/kg
seed)
 Bacterial wilt of cucurbits
The striped cucumber beetle,
one vector of the cucumber
bacterial wilt
 Bacterial wilt of cucurbits
 Individual leaves with severe wilt symptoms on sunny days. Within a week or two
the condition spreads to entire vines which do not recover from the wilt.

 The disease spreads from the leaves downward into the petioles and then the stem
until the entire plant wilts and dies.

Control :
 Use resistant varieties.
 Use malathion/Thiodan 2ml/ltr water.
 Use 1.5 ltr chlorpyrephos 20EC/Acre
apply with irrigation water
 Gummy Collar Rot (Rhizoctonia bataticola)

 This disease is notices mostly in April-May mostly in

Muskmelon
 Yellowing of stem at collar region followed by stem
splitting and oozing of gum like substance are typical
symptom of this disease.

 Spray the stems of affected plants with 0.1% Bavistin

solution.
 Pythium Fruit Rot (Pythium butleri, P.
aphanidermatum)

 Fruit rot caused by Pythium generally starts

as small, water soaked lesions on immature
or mature fruit near or in contact with the
soil. The whole fruit is involved within 72
hours, the epidermis is ruptured, and the fruit
collapses. Under high moisture, a white,
cottony growth may be apparent on the
lesion surface.

Control: Treat the seed with Thiram/ Captan @ 3 g per kg of seed. Improve soil drainage conditions, plant on raised
beds; avoid fruit contact with the soil and follow wider plant. spacing to reduce humidity. Follow drip irrigation and
avoid over-head sprinklers and flooding of fields. Crop rotation with non-cucurbit crops is also helpful in reducing
disease incidence. Apply nitrogen fertilizers judiciously to discourage excessive vegetative growth
 Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV)

CO : Cucumis Virus 2B, Cucumis Virus 2C

 Use seeds from healthy virus free plants.
 Treat the seed with hot air (700C for days) or hot water treatment (550C for 60 minutes).
 Adopt clean cultivation and remove alternate hosts particularly
weeds.
 Avoid relay cropping of susceptible crops.
 Cultivate tolerant/ resistant varieties.
 Avoid cropping during mosaic prone season and areas.
 Spray Metasystox or Rogor or Dimecron or Monochrotophos @ 1.5-2 ml/litre of water at 10-15 days intervals.
Cucumber
In 1982, Chakravarty distinguished two botanical varieties given as under.
1.Cucumis sativus var. sativus – based on higher number of leaves
2.Cucumis sativus var. anguria– based on higher number of placentae
*Gherkin is a term generally used to refer to a pickled cucumber.
Cucumber cultivars are usually classified based on how they are used:
Slicing cucumber Pickling cucumber (gherkins)
Fruits of slicers are larger Fruits of pickling cultivars are smaller
Less prolific More prolific
Suitable for fresh as salads Suitable for storage in brine
A heavier skin with uniformly A thin skin with a lighter colour is
cylindrical shape is preferred preferred