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PROPAGATION AND PRODUCTION OF GAC (MOMORDICA COCHINCHINENSIS SPRENG.), A GREENHOUSE CASE STUDY

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2012

SOPHIE E. PARKS ,
CARLY T. MURRAY ,
DAVID L. GALE ,
BASEM AL-KHAWALDEH  and
LORRAINE J. SPOHR
SOPHIE E. PARKS*
Affiliation:
Central Coast Primary Industries Centre, Locked Bag 26, Gosford, New South Wales 2250, Australia
CARLY T. MURRAY
Affiliation:
Central Coast Primary Industries Centre, Locked Bag 26, Gosford, New South Wales 2250, Australia
DAVID L. GALE
Affiliation:
Central Coast Primary Industries Centre, Locked Bag 26, Gosford, New South Wales 2250, Australia EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales 2678, Australia
BASEM AL-KHAWALDEH
Affiliation:
Central Coast Primary Industries Centre, Locked Bag 26, Gosford, New South Wales 2250, Australia
LORRAINE J. SPOHR
Affiliation:
Central Coast Primary Industries Centre, Locked Bag 26, Gosford, New South Wales 2250, Australia
*
‡Corresponding author. Email: Sophie.Parks@dpi.nsw.gov.au
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Summary

Greater cultivation of the underutilised Gac fruit, Momordica cochinchinensis, by poorly resourced householders and farmers would potentially improve livelihoods, and, on a larger scale, meet the increasing demand for Gac as a health product. Cultivation methods need to be developed to suit small- and large-scale production and must consider the unpredictable ratio of male to female plants grown from seed, and slow growth induced by cool temperatures. In this study, we examined the responses of Gac to propagation and protected cropping techniques to identify potential methods for increasing production. Plants germinated from seed in seed-raising mix under warm and humid conditions were grown hydroponically to maturity in a climate-controlled greenhouse during a temperate winter, producing fruits that were harvested ripe, from 44 weeks after sowing. Cuttings taken from female plants were dipped in indole-3-butyric rooting hormone powder or gel, or were left untreated, and then placed in rock wool, potting mix, water or closed media sachet. All treatment combinations, with the exception of the untreated potting mix, permitted the development of healthy plants in a second greenhouse crop. Growing plants from seed, then vegetatively increasing the number of productive female plants by cuttings is a means to increase Gac production with limited resources. Gac production using greenhouse technology, as described here for the first time, is relevant to other temperate regions. The finding that larger fruits have a higher percentage of edible aril than smaller fruits provides a new area of investigation towards enhancing production.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 49 , Issue 2 , April 2013 , pp. 234 - 243
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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