Mahmud Al-Imran, a farm entrepreneur in Ramchandrapur village, Bheramara upazila, Kushtia, has had a good bitter gourd crop on one bigha using plastic mulch and pheromone traps. If the weather holds he expects to sell about Tk 300,000 worth over the season, Krishi Shomoy reports.
How the two methods work: covering the soil with plastic sheet (mulching) keeps weeds down and holds soil moisture for longer, while pheromone traps lure harmful insects and keep attacks in check. Imran says he is getting good yields without disease problems.
He planted seedlings of the Agro One Leader variety on one bigha, and the plants began yielding within 40 to 50 days. He is selling early gourds from the field at Tk 60 to 65 a kilo. He said he had not known how much the methods would help, and neighbouring growers are now interested.
Bheramara upazila agricultural extension officer Md Monirul Islam said field officers visit farms regularly to advise on disease prevention and balanced fertiliser use and encourage modern methods for low-cost, safe vegetables, and bitter gourd grown with pheromone traps and mulch is now in extra demand.
Reported by Krishi Shomoy's Kushtia correspondent.
Photo (illustrative): vegetables grown on plastic mulch. Photo: unknown author / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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