Evaluation of neykumbalam (Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn.) in oil palm plantations
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Date
2003
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Department of Plantation Crops and Spices, College of Agriculture, Vellayani
Abstract
The study titled "Evaluation of neykumbalam [Benincasa hispida
(Thunb.) Cogn.] in oil palm plantations" was carried out at the oil palm
plantations of the Oil palm India Ltd., Kulathupuzha, Kollam district,
Kerala during the period 2001-2002.
Seeds of twenty different neykumbalam accessions were collected
from different parts of Kerala and were subjected to seed germination
studies. These accessions were raised as intercrop in oil palm plantations
of different age groups (above eleven years and below five years) and in
open as a pure crop.
Various biometric observations were taken at four different stages
viz., vegetative stage (35 DAS), flowering stage (70 DAS), fruiting stage
(105 DAS) and harvest stage (140 DAS). Growth parameters like vine
length, number of branches and number of leaves and flowering characters
and yield characters were evaluated. Physiological parameters evaluated
included leaf area index, dry matter production, crop growth rate, absolute
growth rate, relative growth rate, net assimilation rate and harvest index.
The different shade levels significantly influenced almost all
characters. All the accessions showed superior performance under open
condition. However, the yield under young oil palm canopy was
comparable with that under open condition.
Under mature oil palm canopy and open condition, accession All
performed best and A3 was the poorest performer. Under young oil palm
canopy, accession A2 was the best performer and A3 the poorest performer.
From the study, All (Thiruvananthapuram local-3) and A2 (Idukki local-l ) were
the most promising accessions identified, irrespective of the light condition.
Results of the present study indicated that neykumbalam is a fair
proposition as an intercrop in young oil palm plantation.
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Citation
172139