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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172139
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