Seed selection and field management of balsam pear

Balsam pear, also known as cold gourd, is a plant of the family Cucurbitaceae and is an annual climbing herb. Stems, branches, petioles and pedicels pilose, axillary tendrils. Leaves 3 to 12 cm in diameter, 5 to 7 palmately parted, lobes oval, outer margin serrated. Blossoms at the turn of spring and summer, monoecious and yellow. The fruit is long oval, with most irregular tumor-like protuberances on the surface. The seeds are hidden in fleshy fruit and are wrapped in red sacs when ripe. Balsam pear is a favorite vegetable, the origin is not clear, but it is generally believed to be native to the tropics. It is widely cultivated in South Asia, Southeast Asia, China, and the Caribbean Islands.

Morphological characteristics of balsam pear

Annual climbing weak herbs, much branched; stems and branches pilose. Tendrils slender, up to 20 cm long, puberulent, undivided. Petiole slender, initially white pilose, later subglabrous, 4-6 cm long Leaf blade ovate-reniform or suborbicular in outline, membranous, 4-12 cm in length and width, green above, light green abaxially, densely obviously puberulent on veins, remaining hairs sparse, 5-7-parted, lobes ovate-oblong, margin coarsely dentate or irregularly lobulate, apex mostly obtuse-rounded and acute-pointed, base curved semicircular, leaf veins palmately shaped.

Monoecious. Male flowers: solitary leaf axils, pedicels slender, puberulent, 3-7 cm long, middle or lower part with 1 bract; bracts green, reniform or orbicular, entire, slightly ciliate, both surfaces sparsely pilose, length and width 5-15 mm; Calyx lobes ovate-lanceolate, white pilose, 4-6 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, acute Corolla yellow, lobes Obovate, apex obtuse, acute or retuse, 1.5-2 cm long, 0.8-1.2 cm wide, pilose; stamens 3, free, anthers 2-flexed. Female flowers: solitary, pedicel puberulent, 10-12 cm long, often with 1 bract at base; ovary fusiform, densely verrucose, stigma 3, dilated, 2-lobed. Fruit fusiform or cylindrical, wrinkled, 10-20 cm long, orange-yellow after maturity, 3-valved from the tip. Seeds numerous, oblong, with red aril, 3 denticulate at each end, notched on both sides, 1.5-2 cm long and 1-1.5 cm wide. Flowering and fruiting period from May to October.

Balsam pear is one of the high quality vegetables that people like to eat in summer and autumn. To do a good job in seed selection and retention of balsam pear is an important part of winning a bumper harvest in the coming year. The selection and retention methods of balsam pear are introduced below:

Isolated and anti-mixed balsam pear is a cross-pollinated crop, and other balsam pear varieties can be planted at least 2 kilometers away from the field. Otherwise, it is easy to cross naturally between different varieties, so that the remaining species are mixed and impure.

Artificial assisted pollination of balsam pear in flowering period, in case of overcast and rainy weather, is not conducive to cross-pollination, artificial auxiliary pollination should be carried out in order to increase the yield of remaining seeds.

In the vigorous fruiting period, seed retention of balsam pear should be carried out at the same time combined with fruit picking and listing. When balsam pear is harvested for 2 or 3 times, it begins to enter the period of exuberant fruit, and the seeds can be retained.

In order to select the seeds and plants, the plants with strong growth, no diseases and insect pests, many fruits, correct melon shape and the characteristics of this variety should be selected as remaining seed plants.

To choose a melon, you should choose 2 or 3 fruits near the base as the melon. Pick the rest of the young fruits as early as possible and concentrate nutrients to grow melons.

Timely harvest should be harvested when the melon is fully ripe and has not yet turned yellow. cut open the pedicel with a knife about 5cm deep, take out the internal seeds, and the fruit can still be sold on the market. At this time, the flesh of the melon has turned bright red, which is a symbol of maturity.

After the seeds of balsam pear are washed and stored, the flesh should be washed off with clean water. After the seeds are spread out and dried in the shade, they are put into a cloth bag and stored in a ventilated and dry place. The seeds can also be filled in a glass cup, first put in a glass cup with fresh husk ash about 3 to 5 centimeters thick, then put in the seeds, and then cover them with husk ash. Then store it in a cool and ventilated place.

Field management of balsam pear

Balsam pear root system likes wetting, avoid stagnant water, usually should pay attention to dig through the drainage ditch, in case of violence, should timely eliminate stagnant water in the field. The use of water can be carried out according to the dry and wet condition of the soil. In general, in sunny days, the sun is fierce, evaporation is large, and water disappears quickly, so it is necessary to sprinkle water in time to ensure its physiological water requirements, avoid drought and wilt, and affect plant growth and development, flowering and fruiting. In the period of high yield, sufficient nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers were supplemented with water. The simple way is to sprinkle various fertilizers on the inner surface of the balsam pear field. You can also use fully mature farm manure. Pay attention to the principle of "small amount of diligent application" in the amount of fertilizer. Balsam pear to enter the peak period of fertilization should be adequate, high temperature and drought season should be timely watering, the box is best covered with wheat straw to moisturize, and pay attention to prevent stagnant water.

First, weeding: balsam pear field open land, surrounding ridges, ditches are not allowed to have grass, can be killed with glyphosate drugs.

Plant finishing: timely removal of the old, yellow and diseased leaves in the lower part of the shed, as well as non-melon branches hanging to the lower part. If possible, branches without melons or female flowers in the upper part should also be removed. If you are sick, the insects and fruits should also be removed in time. All picked leaves, branches and fruits should be bagged and destroyed. Second, promote flowers: regularly spray a small amount of "flowering essence", "Chuoguoling", "spraying treasure", "amino acid", aloin, borax, dipotassium phosphate, calcium nitrate and other agents. Third, the harvest of balsam pear should be harvested in time, when the young melons grow fully. The pericarp is protruding and swollen, and the top of the fruit is harvested when it begins to shine. Fourth, the prevention and control of balsam pear is often caused by nematode disease, Fusarium wilt (generally not affected by grafted seedlings), powdery mildew, blight, anthracnose and so on. The main pests are melon fruit flies and aphids. Powdery mildew: during the flowering and fruiting period, the leaves are covered with white powdery matter, which makes the leaves lose green and yellowing, resulting in premature senescence of the plant. Prevention and control methods: when there is a white powder on the leaves, the aqueous solution of cyanobactazole, trimethoprim, or sulfur suspending agent should be sprayed on the leaf surface every 7-10 days for prevention and control, and be sprayed continuously for 2-3 times. pay attention to the amount of water must be large.

Epidemic disease: on the leaves, it starts from the leaf tip or leaf edge, the shape of the disease spot is irregular, the periphery is not obvious, the initial dark green, water stains, and then turn brown. The disease spot can expand to the whole or more than half of the leaves, and when it is wet, a circle of white mildew grows at the junction of the disease spot. Control agents: chlorothalonil, Bengke, Bordeaux solution, Nongliling, Anke, Sixian morpholine, ethyl phosphate aluminum, disinfectant alum or Jinreidi spray, diseased leaves removed and taken away for destruction.

Borer: use triazophos, insecticidal order, Shachongshuang, Regent, chlorpyrifos, bt spray. Aphids: imidacloprid, acetamiprid, avermectin spray. Melon fruit fly: take the larva to eat into the young melon as a harm, make the young melon deformed, and change color ahead of time, then rot and deteriorate, but also emit a foul smell. Control methods: in the young melon stage, spray the young melon with Regent water solution, or farmland happy water solution, or kung fu water solution for 2-3 times, once every 4-5 days, and remove the deformed fruit in time, burn it or bury it deeply outside the garden.