Abstract

Classed as one of the most popular vegetables of South India, the bhendi has appealed to the home and market gardener as a hardy plant adaptable to almost every part of the Province with the exception of the hills roughly above 4,000 feet from the mean sea level. Though primarily grown for its green fruits it is reported that fibre of a moderate quality can also be extracted from the plant, Although several varieties are under cultivation, information as to the suitability of variety to each region; and varietal peculiarities are yet to be known accurately. To gather some information on the present position and to assess the immediate problems for improvement a study was undertaken at the Agri- cultural College, College Orchards, Coimbatore towards the end 1 1942 The observations and data collected so far are given in this paper with the hope that the information presented will be of some value to the scienti- fic worker and to the large scale bhendi farmers whose attention towards the crop has been diverted in the wake of the stimulus given to vegetable cultivation under the present emergency period.

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