Bitter Gourd (Karela)

Land Preparation

Deep ploughing with 8–10 tons farmyard manure. Prepare beds 5–6 ft apart with a channel between; karela is grown on ridges or trellis.

Sowing Time & Method

Spring: February–March. Monsoon crop: June–July. Soak seed 24 hours before sowing to speed germination. Two seeds per hill, hills 2 ft apart.

Seed Rate & Treatment

1.5–2 kg per acre.

Fertilizer

One bag DAP at sowing, urea in two splits at vining and flowering, plus SOP for fruit quality.

Irrigation

Every 6–8 days in summer. Fruit quality drops fast under water stress.

Weed Control

Weed Damage Control Product
Horse Purslane (Itsit) Carpets the bed in the hot weeks before the vines run, taking the water and feed of the young plants. First hoeing before the vines start to run, while it is still small
Purple Nutsedge (Deela) Takes the water and fertiliser off the ridge from sowing right through the picking season. Lift the tubers out during land preparation — after that it comes back from the tubers at every hoeing
Bermuda Grass (Khabbal) Mats the ridge and drinks the water there before the crop's roots reach it. Dig the runners and roots out of the ridges and furrows during land preparation; at the second hoeing only clear what has come back, before the vines cover the ground and a hoe would tear them too
Jungle Rice (Swank) Comes up thick in the furrow after every irrigation and drinks the water meant for the crop. Take it out of the furrows at both hoeings, before it sets seed
Field Bindweed (Lehli) Twines up through the karela vines and over the bower, shading the flowers so fewer fruit set. Pull it off the vines by hand and dig its root out of the ridge at the second hoeing

Two hoeings before the vines spread and cover the ground.

Insect Pests

Fruit fly is the main pest and can ruin most of the crop — the female lays into young fruit and the maggots feed inside. Hang traps early, collect and destroy fallen fruit daily, and never leave infested fruit in the field. Red pumpkin beetle attacks seedlings.

Diseases

Powdery mildew and downy mildew on the leaves; mosaic virus spread by whitefly.

Harvesting

Pick every 2–3 days while the fruit is still green and tender. Fruit left to yellow on the vine signals the plant to stop producing.

Expected Yield

80–150 maund per acre.

Pests & diseases of Bitter Gourd (Karela)

Whiteflyhigh Fruit Flyhigh Cotton Leaf Curl Virushigh Powdery Mildewmedium Downy Mildewmedium Boron Deficiencymedium Nitrogen Deficiencymedium Iron Chlorosismedium Phosphorus Deficiencymedium Potassium Deficiencymedium Micronutrient Deficiencymedium