Evaluation of F Hybrids of Ridge gourd [Luffa acutangula, (Roxb. L.)]for 1 Growth, Quality and Yield

The present investigation entitled “Evaluation of F 1 hybrids of ridge gourd [Luffa
acutangula (L.) Roxb]” was conducted during Kharif 2021 at AICRP on Vegetable Crops,
Department of Horticulture, MPKV, Rahuri, comprising 22 treatments (20 hybrids and 2
check cultivars) with 2 replications using simple RBD. The hybrid COH-1 × Karjat Local
recorded the longest vine length (9.95 m) and the maximum number of primary branches per
vine (8.40). This hybrid also showed the minimum days for the first male flower (33.70 days),
first female flower (36.60 days), and earliest fruit harvest (44.10 days). It had the lowest sex
ratio (4.78) and node at the first female flower (10.80), with minimum days for 50% of plants
to produce flowers in COH-1 × Nidhi (39.50 days). Maximum fruit weight was observed in
COH-1 × Arka Sujata (199.43 g) and maximum fruit length in Arka Sujata × Nidhi (46.95
cm). The hybrid Arka Sujata × Nidhi recorded the maximum fruit diameter at the center (4.53
cm), the fruit diameter at the pedicel was highest in Navin Long × Krishna-51 (1.94 cm), and
the maximum fruit diameter at the stylar end was in Arka Sujata × Krishna-51 (3.67 cm). The
highest number of fruits per vine was in COH-1 × Karjat Local (19.20), resulting in the
highest fruit yield per plant (4.30 kg) and per hectare (24.67 t/ha). All hybrids had elongate
fruit shape with 10 ridges. Hybrids COH-1 × Karjat Local, COH-1 × Banaras Local, and
COH-1 × Arka Sujata were superior for most characters based on mean performance.