HAU develops two varieties of bottle gourd, onion

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, January 20

The Department of Vegetable Science at the Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) has developed two new varieties bottle gourd and onion each. The varieties have been notified for cultivation in Haryana.

Prof KP Singh, vice-chancellor of the university, said the new varieties/hybrid were better in yield and resistance against various diseases. The central sub-committee on the Crop Standard Notification and Release of Variety for Horticulture Crops has notified them for cultivation in the state, he said.

The VC said that bottle gourd hybrid HBGH- 35 was medium in size and gave an average yield of 350 quintal per hectare. It was resistant towards diseases such as Anthracnose and Cercospora. The GH-22 variety of bottle gourd gave an average yield of 280 quintal per hectare.

Similarly, the HO-4 hybrid variety of onion had less bolting with greater resistance towards diseases like yellow dwarf virus, stemphillium blight and purple blotch. It yields 310 quintal per hectare.

Dr SS Siwach, director, research, said bottle gourd hybrid variety was good for cultivation in summer and rainy seasons while onion could be grown winter.