Tinda Cultivation in Pakistan

Tinda is grown as a vegetable in Pakistan. Its main varieties are Annamalai Tinda and Arka Tind. Sandy loam soils rich in organic matter with good drainage and pH ranging from 6.5-7.5 is best suited for Tinda cultivation. This crop requires a moderate warm temperature. Its seeds are sown during January-February. For a better crop, 3.5 Kg/ha of seeds is required. The seeds are chemically treated with Trichoderma viride 4g or Pseudomonas fluroscens 10 g or Carbendazim 2g/kg of seed. 

Preparation of field

The field is ploughed to fine tilth and form long channels at 1.5m apart.

Sowing 
The seeds should be sown on one side of the channel. hin the seedlings after 15 days to maintain two/pit at 0.9 m spacing.

Irrigation
The field is irrigated before dibbling the seeds and thereafter once in a week.

Application of fertilizers

FYM 10 t/ha, N 20 kg/ha is applied as fertilizer as basal and N 20 kg/ha 30 days after sowing. Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria @ 2 kg/ha and Pseudomonas @ 2.5 kg/ha should be applied along with FYM 50 kg and neem cake @ 100 kg before last ploughing.

Weeding

Weeding is done thrice to control the weed population.

Plant protection

Beetles 
Bettles can be controlled by spraying Malathion 50 EC 1 ml/lit at weekly intervals.

Fruit fly 

1.      Collect the affected fruits and destroy.

2.      The fly population is low in hot day conditions and it is peak in rainy season.

3.      Hence adjust the sowing time accordingly. Expose the pupae by ploughing.

4.   Use polythene bags, fish meal trap with 5 g of wet fish meal and 1 g of Dichlorvos in cotton, 50 traps are required per hectare.

5.    Fish meal and Dichlorvos impregnated cotton are to be renewed once in 20 and 7 days respectively.

6.      Neem oil  @ 3.0 %  as foliar spray as need based

7.      Do not use DDT, copper and sulphur dust, as these are phytotoxic.

White fly
White flies can be controlled by spraying 5 % Neem Seed Kernal Extract.

Yield
10 t/ha in 90 days can be obtained.