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ModerateUpdated 6 September 2026

Bitter Gourd (Karela)

Momordica charantia

A warm-season climbing vine picked every two or three days for two to three months, where two things decide the crop — training the vine up onto a bower so the fruit hangs clean in the air away from rot and egg-laying flies, and staying ahead of the melon fruit fly, which stings the young fruit and makes it drop or rot from inside before you can sell it.

A warty green bitter gourd (karela) hanging from the vine among the leaves

Quick Summary

The key points from this page in about two minutes — read it or have it read aloud.

Quick Summary

Bitter gourd (karela) is a warm-season climbing vegetable grown almost everywhere in India — Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana — in a summer crop sown around January–February and a rainy-season crop sown in June–July.

The single biggest decision is how you grow the vine. Left to trail on the ground, the fruit lies in the damp, rots easily, colours unevenly and is easy for the melon fruit fly to find. Trained up onto a bower (a pandal or overhead trellis of poles and wire), the vine gets more light, the flowers are pollinated better, the long fruit hangs straight and clean, picking is easier, and yield roughly doubles. The bower costs money and labour once, but on bitter gourd it usually pays for itself in one season.

The second thing that decides the crop is the melon fruit fly. The female stings soft young fruit and lays eggs under the skin; the maggots feed inside, and the fruit drops or rots before it can be sold. It cannot be cured once the fruit is stung, so control is all about prevention — pheromone or cue-lure traps, a protein-bait spray, bagging individual fruit on small plots, picking and destroying every stung fruit, and deep-ploughing after the crop to kill pupae in the soil.

The rest is straightforward: bitter gourd likes heat, needs steady moisture once it starts fruiting, and is picked young and tender-green — a fruit left to ripen and turn orange on the vine signals the plant to slow down flowering.

Crop type
Warm-season annual climbing vegetable (cucurbit)
Season
Summer (Jan–Feb sowing) and rainy season (June–July)
Suitable states
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra
Growing duration
First pick 55–70 days; picking runs 2–3 months
Water requirement
Moderate; steady and reliable once fruiting starts
Temperature
Warm, 25–35°C; growth slows below about 18°C
Soil type
Well-drained sandy loam to loam rich in organic matter, pH 6.0–7.0
Difficulty level
Moderate (melon fruit fly, red pumpkin beetle, bower needed for a good crop)
Expected yield
8–12 t/ha (open-pollinated, trailing); 15–25 t/ha (hybrid on a bower)
Key risk
Melon fruit fly stinging young fruit so it drops or rots before sale

Overview

Bitter gourd, or karela (Momordica charantia), is a warm-season climbing member of the cucurbit (gourd) family, grown for its bitter, warty green fruit that is eaten as a vegetable and is valued in home remedies. It is a short-duration crop — the first fruit comes 55–70 days after sowing, and picking then runs for two to three months.

It is grown across almost all of India. The main plains crop is sown in the summer (January–February) and again with the monsoon (June–July); in the south and on the coast it can be sown over a longer window. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana all grow it in quantity.

Two decisions shape the result more than any other: training the vine up onto a bower rather than letting it trail (which roughly doubles yield and gives clean, straight, marketable fruit), and controlling the melon fruit fly from the moment the first fruit sets, since a stung fruit cannot be saved and the fly can take most of an unprotected crop.

Crop timeline, sowing to harvest

A quick visual map of the season — jump to any section below for the detail behind each stage.

  1. Day 0

    Sowing

    Soaked seed dibbled 2–3 per pit on ridges or pit-planted beds; summer crop January–February, rainy-season crop June–July. Seedlings can also be raised in poly bags for an early start.

  2. Day 7–15

    Germination & seedling

    Seedlings emerge and open their first true leaves; this is the red pumpkin beetle danger window, when a few beetles can strip a young stand overnight.

  3. Day 20–30

    Vine growth & training

    The vine starts to run and throw tendrils; it is led up a stake and onto the bower wires, and the earliest side shoots low on the stem are pinched off.

  4. Day 35–50

    Flowering

    Yellow male flowers open first, then female flowers with a tiny gourd behind them; bees do the pollination, so mid-morning spraying is avoided.

  5. Day 50–70

    First fruit & first pick

    The first fruit reach picking size — young, firm and fully green. Fruit-fly traps and bait must already be running by now.

  6. Day 70–150

    Peak picking

    Fruit is cut every 2–3 days for two to three months; steady moisture and a light nitrogen top-dressing keep new flowers and fruit coming.

Suitable states

States where this crop is grown at scale, highlighted below. Your local Krishi Vigyan Kendra is still the final word for your specific block.

  • Jammu and Kashmir
  • Himachal Pradesh
  • Punjab
  • Uttarakhand
  • Haryana
  • Delhi
  • Uttar Pradesh
  • Rajasthan
  • Bihar
  • Jharkhand
  • West Bengal
  • Sikkim
  • Assam
  • Arunachal Pradesh
  • Meghalaya
  • Nagaland
  • Manipur
  • Mizoram
  • Tripura
  • Gujarat
  • Madhya Pradesh
  • Chhattisgarh
  • Maharashtra
  • Odisha
  • Goa
  • Telangana
  • Andhra Pradesh
  • Karnataka
  • Kerala
  • Tamil Nadu
  • Puducherry
  • Ladakh
  • Chandigarh
  • Lakshadweep

Grown here

Climate requirements

The bower is partly a climate tool: lifting the vine into open air and sunlight improves flowering and pollination and keeps the leaves and fruit dry enough to hold disease down.

  • Ideal temperature

    A hot-weather crop. It grows and sets fruit best at 25–35°C. Below about 18°C growth almost stops and the seed will not germinate well, which is why the summer crop is not sown until the cold has fully gone. Very hot, dry winds above 40°C at flowering cause flower drop and poor fruit set.

  • Rainfall

    The rainy-season crop runs mostly on the monsoon, but bitter gourd does not like standing water — heavy, continuous rain causes flower drop, fruit rot and root disease. The summer crop is grown entirely on irrigation.

  • Humidity

    Moderate humidity suits it. Long wet, humid spells favour downy mildew and powdery mildew on the leaves and make fruit rot worse on a trailing crop, which is another reason to use a bower.

  • Sunlight

    Full sun. A vine shaded by trees or a taller crop makes long runners and leaves but few flowers and little fruit.

Soil requirements

Because the crop is picked so often and eaten directly, and because bitter gourd is a favourite of the fruit fly, keeping the plant vigorous with good soil and organic matter — so it can outgrow damage and keep flowering — is itself a pest-management step.

  • Suitable soil

    A well-drained sandy loam to loam rich in organic matter is ideal. Bitter gourd will grow on a wide range of soils but does poorly on heavy clay that holds water and on shallow soils. River-bank and garden-land soils with good organic matter give the best crops.

  • pH range

    Best at pH 6.0–7.0. It tolerates slightly acidic soil; strongly acid or saline soils reduce germination and yield.

  • Drainage

    Free drainage is essential. Water standing around the collar for even a day or two in warm weather brings on collar rot and root rot and kills plants in patches — plant on ridges or raised beds so surplus water runs off.

  • Organic matter

    Responds strongly to well-rotted farmyard manure or compost worked into the pits or rows before sowing — 20–25 t/ha, or a couple of spadefuls per pit. Organic matter holds moisture through the picking period and feeds the long-cropping vine.

Land preparation

Same four steps whichever region you are in — only the timing shifts with the sowing window.

  1. 1

    Plough and form ridges or pits

    Plough two or three times to a fine tilth, then open ridges and furrows 1.5–2.0 m apart, or dig pits 45 × 45 × 45 cm at the planting spacing. Ridges and pits both keep the collar above standing water.

  2. 2

    Mix in organic manure

    Work 20–25 t/ha of well-rotted farmyard manure or compost into the ridge tops or pits, along with a basal dose of phosphorus and potash and part of the nitrogen.

  3. 3

    Put up the bower before or just after sowing

    Erect the pandal — vertical poles about 2 m high carrying a grid of wire or split bamboo overhead — before the vines start to run, so training is not delayed. On smaller plots a simple net or trellis on stakes does the same job.

Seed information

How the main varieties compare, so you can pick by duration, yield, disease pressure or what you are growing for.

VarietyDurationYieldDisease resistanceBest stateSuitable for

Pusa Do Mausami

A long-standing IARI open-pollinated variety that crops in both the summer and the rainy season (its name means "two seasons"). Long, dark green, tapering fruit about 18 cm with medium tubercles; a dependable general-purpose karela for the northern plains.

First pick ~60–65 days12–14 t/haNo special resistance; standard fruit-fly and mildew watchUttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, DelhiBoth-season plains crop, fresh market

Pusa Vishesh

An IARI open-pollinated variety with a compact, less spreading vine and medium-long, dark green, glossy fruit with a mild bitterness. The shorter vine suits closer spacing and smaller plots and makes training easier.

First pick ~55–60 days12–16 t/haNo special resistance claimedHaryana, Punjab, MaharashtraClose spacing, kitchen and market gardens

Pusa Hybrid-1

An IARI F1 hybrid bred for higher, more uniform yield, with medium-long, uniform, dark green fruit and vigorous vines. One of the most widely grown karela hybrids in the north.

First pick ~55–60 days18–22 t/haVigorous; tolerant of common leaf diseasesUttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, BiharCommercial bower crop, higher yield

Pusa Hybrid-2

An IARI F1 hybrid with glossy dark green, slightly less bitter fruit and good early yield, suited to both seasons in the plains. Uniform fruit that travels and displays well.

First pick ~55–60 days18–20 t/haGood field tolerance of pests and diseasesNorth Indian plainsCommercial crop, distant markets

Arka Harit

An ICAR-IIHR (Bengaluru) open-pollinated variety with spindle-shaped, glossy green fruit carrying smooth, regular tubercles and low seed content. Popular in the south for its attractive, uniform fruit.

First pick ~60–65 days11–13 t/haNo special resistance claimedKarnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil NaduSouthern plains, fresh market

Kashi Pragati

An ICAR-IIVR (Varanasi) open-pollinated variety (also sold as VRBT-77) with medium-long green fruit, early and steady bearing, and wide adaptability across the eastern and northern plains for both seasons.

First pick ~55–60 days14–18 t/haField-tolerant of leaf spot and mildewsUttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West BengalEastern plains, both-season crop

Coimbatore Long (CO-1)

A TNAU (Coimbatore) selection with extra-long, medium-green fruit up to 30–40 cm and a light bitterness, favoured in Tamil Nadu and the south where a long fruit sells well. Best grown on a bower so the long fruit hangs straight.

First pick ~60–70 days12–16 t/haNo special resistance claimedTamil Nadu, Kerala, KarnatakaLong-fruit southern market, bower crop
Seed rate
4–6 kg/ha for open-pollinated varieties; only about 2–2.5 kg/ha for F1 hybrids. On an acre that is roughly 1.6–2.4 kg of open-pollinated seed, or under 1 kg of hybrid.
Certified seed
Buy fresh seed of a named variety each season from a state seed corporation, an ICAR institute or a reputed company. Hybrid seed must be bought new every time — seed saved from a hybrid fruit does not come true. Choose a both-season type for the plains and a long-fruited type only where the market pays for length.
Spacing
Rows or channels 1.5–2.0 m apart; hills 0.5–1.0 m apart in the row, 2–3 plants per hill thinned to the best 2. Wider spacing on a bower, closer on the flat.
Seed treatment
Soak seed in water for 24 hours, or nick the hard seed coat at the broad end, to speed and even up germination. Treat with a fungicide such as thiram or carbendazim, and a biocontrol like Trichoderma, against damping-off and seedling rots.

Sowing guide

Do not sow the summer crop while cold nights continue — bitter gourd seed rots in cold, wet soil and the stand comes up thin and slow.

Best time
Northern plains: mid-January to February for the summer crop (once frost risk is over) and June–July for the rainy-season crop. South and coast: a longer window from December through July. Raising seedlings in poly bags can bring the summer crop forward by two to three weeks.
Row spacing
1.5–2.0 m between rows/channels
Plant spacing
0.5–1.0 m between hills
Sowing depth
2–3 cm
Method
Dibble 2–3 soaked seeds per pit or per spot on the ridge, thin to the best two seedlings, and start leading the vine onto the bower as soon as it throws tendrils. Poly-bag raised seedlings are transplanted at the 2–3 leaf stage without disturbing the root ball.

Fertilizer schedule

A split dose beats one large dose applied at sowing — nitrogen especially is lost to the air and to leaching if it all goes in on day one.

  1. 1

    Basal (at sowing/planting)

    Day 0

    Well-rotted FYM in the pits or rows, plus a basal dose of about 20–25 kg N, 50–60 kg P₂O₅ and 50–60 kg K₂O per hectare mixed into the ridge or pit.

  2. 2

    First top-dressing

    25–30 days (vine growth / early flowering)

    About one-third of the remaining nitrogen (roughly 20–25 kg N/ha) placed beside the plants and lightly earthed in as the vine climbs and starts to flower.

  3. 3

    Second top-dressing

    45–55 days (start of picking)

    The rest of the nitrogen at the start of the picking period. On a long-cropping bower crop, small split doses of nitrogen and potash every 3–4 weeks through the picking period keep flowering strong.

Irrigation schedule

  1. 1. Sowing to establishment

    Day 0–20

    Light irrigation right after sowing and then every 4–6 days in summer to keep the ridge moist through germination and early vine growth.

  2. 2. Vine growth to flowering

    Day 20–50

    Water every 6–8 days; mild moisture stress here keeps the vine from running to all leaf, but do not let it wilt.

  3. 3. Flowering and picking

    Day 50–150

    The critical period — irrigate every 4–7 days in summer so the soil never dries out. Water stress now causes flower drop and short, bitter, misshapen fruit; a heavy irrigation after a dry spell can crack the fruit.

Critical stages

  • Flowering
  • Continuous fruit development and picking

Water-saving tips

  • Drip on the ridge keeps steady moisture through the long picking period on a fraction of the water furrows use, and keeps the foliage and fruit dry against disease.
  • A straw or crop-residue mulch on the ridge holds soil moisture, keeps down weeds, and — on a trailing crop — keeps fruit off bare wet soil.
  • In the rainy season the job is often the opposite: open the furrows and drain excess water fast, because waterlogging for even a day or two kills bitter gourd through collar and root rot.

Weed management

Common weeds

Bermuda grass (Cynodon)Nutsedge (Cyperus)Amaranthus (chaulai)Bathua (Chenopodium) in the summer cropHorse purslane (Trianthema) in the rainy-season crop

Organic control

  • One or two hand-weedings with light earthing-up in the first month, before the vine covers the ground or climbs the bower and shades most weeds.
  • A straw or black-plastic mulch on the ridge suppresses weeds, saves water and keeps the crop clean.
  • Growing on a bower means the ground under the crop can be shallow-hoed or mulched easily right through the season, which a trailing crop does not allow.

Chemical control

  • A pre-emergence herbicide cleared for cucurbits (such as pendimethalin) applied right after sowing, followed by one hand-weeding and earthing-up at 25–30 days, is the usual practice on larger areas.
  • Confirm the product, dose and pre-harvest interval with your local KVK — bitter gourd is picked frequently and eaten directly, so herbicide choice and timing matter.

Nutrient deficiency identification

What a shortage of each nutrient actually looks like on the plant, so you can tell a deficiency apart from a disease before you spray the wrong thing.

Diseases to watch for

Symptoms, likely cause and what actually treats it — not just a spray name.

Pests to watch for

What to look for before the damage is visible, and organic options before you reach for a chemical.

Common mistakes to avoid

The mistakes that cost growers the most, ranked by how often they show up in the field — not in the order you might expect.

  1. 1

    Letting the vine trail on the ground instead of training it up a bower.

    Why it hurts

    The fruit lies in the damp and rots, colours unevenly and is easy for the fruit fly to find; yield is roughly half what the same crop gives on a bower, and picking is slow and back-breaking.

  2. 2

    Waiting for fruit-fly damage before putting out traps and bait.

    Why it hurts

    By the time you see stung, dropping fruit the fly population is already large. Traps and bait must be running from the first flower — this is prevention, not a rescue.

  3. 3

    Sowing the summer crop too early, into cold soil.

    Why it hurts

    Bitter gourd seed rots in cold, wet soil; the stand comes up thin, slow and uneven, and the early plants sit stunted until the weather warms.

  4. 4

    Over-feeding nitrogen.

    Why it hurts

    The vine runs to long leafy growth with plenty of male flowers but few female flowers and little fruit; balance nitrogen with phosphorus and potash and split it through the picking period instead of dumping it early.

  5. 5

    Leaving over-mature orange fruit on the vine.

    Why it hurts

    A fruit allowed to ripen and turn orange signals the plant to slow down flowering; pick every 2–3 days and remove any fruit that has started to colour.

  6. 6

    Ignoring drainage in the rainy-season crop.

    Why it hurts

    Water standing around the collar for even a day or two in warm weather brings on collar rot and root rot and kills plants in patches — plant on ridges and keep the furrows open to drain fast.

Harvesting

Start picking 55–70 days after sowing, when the fruit has reached the size for the variety but is still young, firm and fully green, with the tubercles well filled but the seed inside still soft and white. Pick every 2–3 days with a sharp knife or by snapping the stalk, leaving a short stub. A fruit that has begun to lighten or show orange at the tip is past its best.

Signs it is ready

  • Fruit at full length for the variety but still bright green
  • Flesh firm, tubercles plump, no yellowing
  • Seeds inside still soft and white, not hard and red
  • New flowers still opening along the vine

Tools

  • A sharp knife or secateurs for clean cuts
  • Shallow crates or baskets — bitter gourd bruises and the bruises brown quickly
  • Shade at the field edge for holding picked fruit
  • Paper or net bags if individual fruit are being covered against fruit fly

Expected yield

About 8–12 t/ha for an open-pollinated trailing crop and 15–25 t/ha for a hybrid grown on a bower with good fruit-fly control. On an acre that is roughly 30–100 quintals over the whole picking period.

Post-harvest & storage

  • Storage

    Bitter gourd is highly perishable and does not store — it yellows and softens within 2–4 days at room temperature. Keep picked fruit in the shade, move it to market the same day or the next morning, and hold it at 10–12°C with high humidity if a cold room is available (below 8°C causes chilling pitting).

  • Packaging

    Pack in single or double layers in ventilated crates or baskets, not tight sacks; the fruit bruises easily and a bruised, browned patch spreads fast and downgrades the lot.

  • Transportation

    Move in the cool of the early morning or evening, covered against sun and drying wind. Avoid over-filling — crushed fruit at the bottom of a deep load rots and taints the rest.

  • Shelf life

    2–4 days at room temperature; up to about 2–3 weeks at 10–12°C and 85–90% humidity. Selling fast and fresh is almost always better than trying to hold the crop.

Market prices

Today's mandi price near you, pulled live from the government's own Agmarknet data.

Live daily mandi prices from the government Agmarknet dataset.

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See the full list in the Mandi Price Checker

Synced from data.gov.in (Agmarknet). Rates are ₹ per quintal.

Weather

Current conditions and a 5-day outlook for your selected location, with one line of stage-aware advice.

Pick your state for current conditions and a 5-day outlook.

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Live data from Open-Meteo

Profit calculator

Your own cost sheet, expected yield and selling price — not ours.

Where the money goes

Share of the total cost per acre, using the calculator’s own default cost sheet below — adjust the numbers there to match your field and this picture will no longer apply to you exactly, but the ranking rarely changes.

  • Labour34% (₹16,000)
  • Land rent19% (₹9,000)
  • Pesticide & weedicide13% (₹6,000)
  • Fertiliser9% (₹4,000)
  • Irrigation9% (₹4,000)
  • Seed6% (₹3,000)
  • Machinery6% (₹3,000)
  • Interest4% (₹2,000)

Official downloads

Government and ICAR documents only — everything below is hosted on an official server.

Frequently asked questions

Is a bower (pandal) really worth the cost for bitter gourd?

On bitter gourd, almost always yes. Training the vine up onto a bower roughly doubles yield, gives clean, straight, evenly coloured fruit that sells for more, makes picking far faster, and keeps the fruit up in the air where it rots less and is harder for the fruit fly to reach. The bower is a one-time cost that usually pays for itself in a single season, and it lasts several crops.

How do I stop the fruit fly ruining my karela?

Start before you see damage. From the first flower, hang cue-lure or pheromone traps (8–10 per acre), put out a protein-bait splash as spots on the leaves, pick and deep-bury or burn every stung and fallen fruit every day, bag individual fruit on small plots, and deep-plough after the crop to kill the pupae in the soil. A stung fruit cannot be saved, so the whole game is prevention.

When should I sow bitter gourd?

In the northern plains, mid-January to February for the summer crop — but only after the frost risk is fully over, because the seed rots in cold soil — and June–July for the rainy-season crop. In the south and on the coast the window is longer, roughly December to July. Raising seedlings in poly bags lets you bring the summer crop forward safely.

My vine has lots of flowers but almost no fruit. Why?

Bitter gourd carries separate male and female flowers, and the first many flowers on a young vine are all male — fruit only comes once female flowers start, usually a week or two later. Too much nitrogen makes it worse by pushing leafy growth and male flowers. Poor bee activity (from mid-day spraying or very hot dry wind) also cuts fruit set. Ease off nitrogen, avoid spraying when bees are working, and give it a little time.

Why is my karela small, pale and very bitter?

Usually water stress during fruiting, or heat. When the plant is short of water the fruit stays small, misshapen and extra bitter. Keep the soil evenly moist through the picking period (drip is ideal), mulch the ridge, and pick the fruit young — an over-mature fruit also turns hard and bitter before it colours.

Does bitter gourd have an MSP or a mandi price?

There is no MSP for bitter gourd. It is one of the more heavily traded fresh vegetables on Agmarknet as "Bitter gourd", with daily price and arrival records from APMC markets across the country. Price is seasonal and best for the early summer crop and the late rainy-season crop, lowest at the flush.

Still have questions?

The FAQs above cover the common ones. For anything specific to your field and soil, your nearest Krishi Vigyan Kendra is the authoritative answer.

Ask Technical KisanRe-read the FAQs