Teasel gourd

Teasel gourd:

Teasel gourd is such kind of expensive crop as the type of pumpkin. It can be stored for a long time in its normal condition. A sufficient quantity of teasel gourd is exported to the Middle East and United Kingdom every year. Cultivation of teasel gourd spreads in different places of Bangladesh in the recent years.

Climate, Land and Soil :

Warm and moist climate is suitable for teasel gourd cultivation. It can be grown in semi-shadowed place, but accretes better in fully sunny place.  It is grown only in the month September to November in Bangladesh. The land which is free from flood and well managed for water expulsion is convenient for teasel gourd cultivation. Double-ash and etela typed soil is appropriate for teasel gourd cultivation. Acid soil is good for teasel gourd.

Varieties :

Asami, Monipuri, Mukundopuri and Modhupuri  are noticeable among the local varieties. The Asami types are tasty and round and short in shape. But Monipuris growth is better than other.

Life Line of Crop :

It needs about 200-270 days to get fulfilled production of teasel gourd.

Reproduction :

Teasel gourd reproduces in many ways such as radish, real seeds and cutting of tree trunk. Generally it reproduces with radish. It is very easy to spreads its parentage with radish. In this way it maintains all specialty of mother type.

Plants also can be prepared from real seeds but it has some disadvantages. Such as about 50% seeds don’t sprout and about 50% plants grow as male among the sprouted seeds.

New plants are prepared from cutting the tree trunk too.

..

Quantity of Seeds :

It needs radish of seeds according to following table for teasel gourd cultivation.

Radish	150 kg/hector or 1600-2500 pcs radish/hector will be needed. Each radish needs 15-20 cm in height.
Number of radish	Female:  1440-2250 pcs/hector     Male:  160-250 pcs/hector
Weight of radish	Female:  142.5 kg/hector     Male:  7.5 kg/hector

Preparing Land and Planting Radish :

It needs to prepare bed and mada according to following table.

Size of bed	Breath Length	45 cm Depends on length of land
Size of drain	Breath Deepness	30 cm 20 cm
Size of mada		45 x 45 x 45 cm
Number of rows in each bed		2
Distance	Rows to rows Tree to tree	200-250 cm 200-250 cm
Number of mada in per hector	1600-2500 pcs
Number of tree	Female Male	1440-2250 pcs 160-250 pcs (5-10% of number of total trees)