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Technical Kisanखेती, तकनीक के साथ
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ModerateUpdated 6 September 2026

Pointed Gourd (Parwal)

Trichosanthes dioica

A perennial vine, not an annual one — planted once from root or vine cuttings and cropped in flushes for four to five years or more, where the one fact a first-time grower must know is that parwal is dioecious: male and female flowers grow on separate plants, so a planting with no male vines at all sets almost no fruit, and getting the male-to-female ratio right (roughly one male for every nine or ten females) is the single decision that makes or breaks the whole planting.

A wicker basket piled with fresh green-striped pointed gourds (parwal) at a market in Hooghly, West Bengal

Quick Summary

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

Quick Summary

Pointed gourd (parwal, patol) is unlike almost every other gourd on this site: it is a hardy perennial vine, planted once from vegetative cuttings and then cropped in repeated flushes for four to five years or longer before it needs replanting, rather than being sown fresh from seed every season. It is concentrated in the eastern states — West Bengal alone grows roughly half of India's crop, with Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Assam accounting for most of the rest.

The one fact that decides success or failure is that pointed gourd is dioecious — male and female flowers grow on entirely separate plants, unlike most cucurbits where one plant carries both. A planting grown only from female-type cuttings, with no male vines nearby to supply pollen, sets almost no fruit no matter how well it is otherwise managed. Growers plant a small proportion of male cuttings alongside the female ones — commonly around one male vine for every nine or ten females — so that bees have pollen to carry between them.

Because it is perennial and vegetatively propagated, there is no seed to buy each season. A new planting starts from healthy root or vine cuttings taken from a good-yielding, disease-free host plant, set into manured pits at the start of the growing season and trained onto a bower. The vine is cut back after the season and resprouts from the same rootstock the following year, cropping again — this cycle repeats for several years, with yield typically improving in the second and third year before eventually declining, at which point the planting is renewed.

Once established, day-to-day management is similar to other bower-grown gourds: keeping the red pumpkin beetle off young shoots, watching for fruit flies and mildew once the vine is flowering and fruiting, and picking the tender young fruit regularly since an over-mature parwal turns hard-seeded and loses market value.

Crop type
Perennial climbing vegetable vine (dioecious cucurbit)
Season
Planted at season onset; crops in flushes across summer and monsoon each year
Suitable states
West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Assam
Growing duration
First harvest 3–4 months after planting; productive 4–5+ years per planting
Water requirement
Moderate; regular watering through each cropping flush, good drainage always
Temperature
Warm, 25–35°C for active growth; vine dies back in cold winters
Soil type
Light, well-drained, fertile sandy loam to loam, pH 6.0–7.0
Difficulty level
Moderate (getting the male:female planting ratio right, perennial upkeep)
Expected yield
15–30 t/ha depending on variety and planting age
Key risk
Planting only female-type cuttings with no male vines — almost no fruit sets

Overview

Pointed gourd, known as parwal in the north and patol in Bengal (Trichosanthes dioica), is a perennial climbing cucurbit grown for its small, oval, green-striped fruit, eaten as a everyday vegetable across eastern and northern India. Unlike most gourds grown fresh from seed each season, parwal is planted once from vegetative cuttings and then crops repeatedly for several years from the same rootstock.

It is heavily concentrated in the east: West Bengal alone accounts for roughly half of India's production, with Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Assam growing most of the remainder. It thrives in the warm, humid conditions of the Gangetic plains and does best on light, well-drained, fertile soil.

The plant is dioecious — male and female flowers are borne on completely separate vines, so both sexes must be present in the planting for fruit to set at all. A small share of male cuttings (commonly around 10%, giving roughly one male vine per nine or ten females) is planted alongside the fruiting female vines to ensure pollination. Beyond getting this ratio right at planting, the crop is managed much like other bower-grown gourds: training onto an overhead trellis, feeding and watering through each cropping flush, and controlling the same beetles, fruit flies and mildews that trouble other cucurbits.

Crop timeline, sowing to harvest

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

  1. Planting

    Cutting establishment

    Healthy 20–30 cm vine or root cuttings from a good female (fruiting) host and a smaller share of male cuttings are planted into manured pits, commonly at the start of the warm season or after the monsoon, and watered in.

  2. Weeks 2–6

    Sprouting and vine growth

    Cuttings sprout and the young vine is trained up a stake onto the overhead bower; weak or non-sprouting cuttings are replaced early.

  3. Months 2–4

    First flowering

    Male and female flowers open on their separate vines; bees move pollen between them, and the first fruit sets on the female vines.

  4. Months 3–5

    First harvest flush

    Young, tender fruit is picked every few days through the first flush, typically running from early summer into the monsoon in the plains.

  5. Winter (each year)

    Vine die-back and rest

    Growth slows and the vine is cut back close to the rootstock as cold weather sets in; the root system survives underground through the cool, dry season.

  6. Following seasons (years 2–5+)

    Resprouting and repeat cropping

    The same rootstock resprouts each warm season and crops again, with yield generally improving through the second and third year before gradually declining, at which point the planting is renewed with fresh cuttings.

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

Because male and female flowers are on separate plants, weather and timing that reduce bee activity around flowering — heavy rain, for instance — can cut fruit set even when both sexes are present in the right ratio.

  • Ideal temperature

    A warm-season vine, growing and flowering best at 25–35°C. Growth slows sharply and the top growth dies back once winter cold sets in, but the root system survives dormant underground and resprouts the following warm season — this die-back-and-resprout cycle is normal, not a crop failure.

  • Rainfall

    Does well with the monsoon once established on a bower with good drainage, but cannot stand waterlogging around the root crown, which causes collar and vine rot. Supplementary irrigation is needed in the drier pre-monsoon flush.

  • Humidity

    Moderate to high humidity suits the crop, but long humid, overcast spells raise the risk of downy and powdery mildew on the foliage and fruit and vine rot at the base.

  • Sunlight

    Full sun on an open bower gives the best flowering and fruit set; a shaded or overcrowded trellis reduces both.

Soil requirements

Since the planting stays in place for several years, getting the pit preparation and drainage right at the very start pays off for the whole life of the planting — problems fixed easily before planting become much harder to correct once the root system is established.

  • Suitable soil

    A light, well-drained, fertile sandy loam to loam suits pointed gourd best; heavy waterlogging-prone clay encourages root and collar rot in a crop that stays in the same spot for years.

  • pH range

    Best at pH 6.0–7.0; the crop tolerates a moderate range either side but does poorly on strongly acid or alkaline soil.

  • Drainage

    Good drainage is essential and matters even more than for an annual crop, since the same root system has to survive multiple monsoons in the same pit over several years. Raised planting mounds or ridges are worthwhile on flatter, heavier land.

  • Organic matter

    A perennial, long-cropping plant benefits from generous farmyard manure worked into the planting pit at establishment, topped up with an annual dressing of compost or FYM each year as the vine resprouts.

Land preparation

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

  1. 1

    Dig and manure planting pits

    Dig pits roughly 45–60 cm across and deep at 2–3 m spacing, and fill with a mix of topsoil and well-rotted farmyard manure ahead of planting the cuttings.

  2. 2

    Put up the bower before the vine runs

    Erect an overhead trellis (poles with a wire or bamboo grid, about 1.5–2 m high) before or immediately after planting, so the young vine can be trained up as soon as it sprouts.

  3. 3

    Plan the male-to-female planting layout

    Decide in advance where male cuttings will go among the female ones — evenly spaced through the block, roughly one male for every nine or ten female plants — rather than adding male vines as an afterthought once fruiting problems appear.

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

Swarna Alaukik

Released by ICAR Research Complex for Eastern Region, Ranchi. Light greenish, unstriped, elongated fruit with soft flesh and soft seeds, suited to both table use and sweet preparations, on a heavy-bearing vine.

First harvest ~3–4 months after planting20–25 t/haNo special resistance widely documentedJharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, OdishaFresh table use and sweet-making, eastern states

Swarna Rekha

Also from ICAR RCER, Ranchi. Elongated green fruit with distinct light stripes, soft seeds and good shelf life, widely grown across the eastern belt from Bihar and Jharkhand to West Bengal and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

First harvest ~3–4 months after planting15–20 t/haNo special resistance widely documentedBihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Eastern UPFresh market, good keeping quality

Swarna Suruchi

A third ICAR RCER, Ranchi release alongside Swarna Alaukik and Swarna Rekha — light greenish, unstriped fruit with soft flesh and seeds, bred for heavy yield and good eating and processing quality.

First harvest ~3–4 months after planting20–25 t/haNo special resistance widely documentedJharkhand, Bihar, eastern statesTable use and sweet preparations, high-yield plantings

Rajendra Parwal-1

A clonal selection from Dr Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa, Bihar, developed for the state's eastern Gangetic plain conditions with light-green fruit and a heavy-bearing vine.

First harvest ~3–4 months after planting20–25 t/haNo special resistance widely documentedBiharBihar and adjoining Gangetic-plain conditions

Rajendra Parwal-2

A later, high-yielding clonal release from the same Bihar university, distributed to farmers as part of state high-value horticulture programmes. Small, light-green fruit (about 25–30 g each) borne heavily — 150–175 fruit per vine — giving one of the higher reported yields among named parwal varieties.

First harvest ~3–4 months after planting20–25 t/ha (roughly 200–250 q/ha reported)No special resistance widely documentedBiharHigh-density commercial plantings

Faizabad Parwal-1

Released by Narendra Deva University of Agriculture and Technology (NDUAT), Faizabad, for Uttar Pradesh and adjoining Bihar. Attractive, round, green fruit on a well-established commercial variety across the region.

First harvest ~3–4 months after planting15–17 t/haNo special resistance widely documentedUttar Pradesh, adjoining BiharCommercial plantings, eastern and western UP

Faizabad Parwal-4

Also from NDUAT, Faizabad. Light-green, spindle-shaped fruit with tapering ends, specifically recommended for bower (pole) cultivation and noted for tolerating reclaimed sodic soils better than most named varieties.

First harvest ~3–4 months after plantingComparable to other Faizabad releases; specific figure not consistently documentedNo special resistance widely documented; better tolerance of sodic soil reportedUttar PradeshBower cultivation, reclaimed sodic land
Seed rate
Not grown from true seed — a new planting uses about 2,000–2,500 healthy vine or root cuttings per hectare (roughly 800–1,000 per acre) at 2–3 m spacing, of which about 10% should be male cuttings interplanted with the female ones to ensure pollination.
Certified seed
Take cuttings only from healthy, disease-free, good-yielding host vines — ideally from a known female variety for the fruiting stock and a compatible male vine for pollen. Because the crop is vegetatively propagated, there is no fresh hybrid seed to buy each year; the planting material itself is the main quality decision, and a diseased or poorly-yielding mother vine passes its problems on to the whole new planting.
Spacing
Pits or hills 2–3 m apart in both directions on an overhead bower, giving roughly 1,100–2,500 plants per hectare depending on spacing and the male:female ratio used.
Seed treatment
Dip the cut ends of cuttings in a rooting hormone and a fungicide solution before planting to improve establishment and reduce losses to rot at the cut surface.

Sowing guide

This is a planting decision made once every four to five years, not every season — get the male:female ratio and cutting quality right at this stage, since it cannot easily be corrected after the vines are established.

Best time
Cuttings are planted at the start of the growing season — commonly with the pre-monsoon warm-up or just after the monsoon in the eastern plains, so the young vine establishes before either the coldest or the wettest weeks.
Row spacing
2–3 m between pits/hills
Plant spacing
2–3 m within the row
Sowing depth
Cuttings are set with 1–2 nodes below the soil surface, often coiled into the pit rather than planted straight
Method
Healthy vine or root cuttings, 20–30 cm long with several nodes, are planted into manured pits — commonly coiled into a ring shape with a couple of nodes buried — watered in, and trained onto the overhead bower as they sprout, with male and female cuttings interplanted in the planned ratio.

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 planting)

    Planting time

    Well-rotted farmyard manure worked into each pit at planting, along with a basal dose of phosphorus and potash and part of the nitrogen.

  2. 2

    Annual maintenance dose (each resprouting season)

    As new growth starts each year

    A fresh annual dressing of farmyard manure or compost plus a balanced NPK top-dress as the vine resprouts from the rootstock, since the same plants crop repeatedly for several years and draw down soil fertility each season.

  3. 3

    Split top-dressing through the flush

    During active flowering and fruiting

    Small split doses of nitrogen and potash through the cropping flush keep flowering and fruit size up, similar to other long-picking bower gourds.

Irrigation schedule

  1. 1. Establishment (new planting)

    First 4–6 weeks after planting cuttings

    Regular light watering to keep cuttings from drying out while they root and sprout.

  2. 2. Vine growth and flowering

    Each growing season

    Water every 5–7 days in dry weather so the soil stays evenly moist through vine growth and flowering.

  3. 3. Fruiting flush

    Through each harvest period

    Steady moisture through fruit development and picking; avoid letting the crop dry out between waterings, which checks flowering and fruit set.

Critical stages

  • Cutting establishment
  • Flowering and fruit set
  • Fruit development through each flush

Water-saving tips

  • Drip irrigation on a permanent bower planting pays for itself over the several years the same planting stays in the ground, and keeps foliage dry against mildew.
  • A mulch around the base of each hill conserves moisture and protects the shallow root crown through the hottest weeks.
  • Because the crop stays in one place for years, investing in a proper drainage channel at planting saves repeated waterlogging losses later.

Weed management

Common weeds

Grasses and broadleaf weeds around the base of each hillClimbing weeds that can compete with young cuttings before the vine covers the bower

Organic control

  • Keep the base of each hill weeded by hand, especially while cuttings are establishing and before the canopy closes over the bower.
  • Once the vine covers the trellis, its own shade suppresses most weed growth beneath it.
  • A light mulch around the root crown suppresses weeds and conserves moisture at the same time.

Chemical control

  • Herbicide use is uncommon on an established perennial planting; where used around young cuttings, keep well clear of the base to avoid injury.

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

    Planting only female-type cuttings, with no male vines.

    Why it hurts

    Because pointed gourd is dioecious, a planting with no male vines nearby sets almost no fruit no matter how well it is fed and watered. Plant roughly one male cutting for every nine or ten female cuttings, evenly spaced through the block.

  2. 2

    Skimping on pit preparation and drainage at planting.

    Why it hurts

    This is a perennial crop that stays in the same spot for four to five years or more — poor drainage fixed easily before planting becomes collar rot and lost plants once the rootstock is established and much harder to correct.

  3. 3

    Taking cuttings from a diseased or poor-yielding mother vine.

    Why it hurts

    Since there is no fresh seed each year, weak or diseased planting material passes its problems on to the entire new planting for its whole multi-year life. Select cutting material from healthy, heavy-bearing vines only.

  4. 4

    Letting fruit over-mature on the vine.

    Why it hurts

    An over-mature parwal develops hard seeds and coarse flesh and loses market value, and — as with other gourds — heavy over-mature fruit left on the vine can slow further flowering. Pick young and tender, regularly.

  5. 5

    Neglecting annual feeding because "the vine is already established".

    Why it hurts

    A planting cropping repeatedly from the same root system for several years draws down soil fertility every season; skipping the annual manure and fertiliser top-up shows up as declining yield well before the planting's natural life is over.

Harvesting

Pick fruit young and tender, while the skin is still smooth, green and glossy and the seeds inside are still soft — typically a week or two after fruit set, well before the fruit reaches full size or the seeds harden. Pick every few days through each flush with a sharp knife or by hand, leaving a short stalk.

Signs it is ready

  • Skin still smooth, glossy and fully green (or lightly striped, depending on variety)
  • Fruit still small to medium for the variety, not fully swollen
  • Seeds inside still soft when a sample fruit is cut
  • New flowers still opening along the vine

Tools

  • A sharp knife or secateurs for a clean cut
  • Shallow baskets — the fruit bruises if piled too deep
  • Shade at the field edge for holding picked fruit before it moves to market

Expected yield

About 15–30 t/ha depending on variety and the age of the planting, typically lowest in the first year, peaking in the second and third year, and gradually declining afterwards. On an acre that is roughly 60–120 quintals in a good cropping year.

Post-harvest & storage

  • Storage

    Pointed gourd is moderately perishable — about a week at room temperature in the shade, longer (up to two to three weeks) at cool temperatures (10–13°C) and high humidity.

  • Packaging

    Pack in ventilated baskets or crates in shallow layers, not deep sacks, since the tender young fruit bruises easily.

  • Transportation

    Move in the cool of the morning or evening, shaded from direct sun and drying wind.

  • Shelf life

    About a week at room temperature; two to three weeks under cool, humid storage conditions.

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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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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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.

  • Labour36% (₹16,000)
  • Land rent20% (₹9,000)
  • Pesticide & weedicide10% (₹4,500)
  • Fertiliser9% (₹4,000)
  • Seed8% (₹3,500)
  • Irrigation7% (₹3,000)
  • Machinery6% (₹2,500)
  • Interest4% (₹1,800)

Official downloads

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

Frequently asked questions

Why is my pointed gourd vine not setting any fruit?

The most common cause is having no male vines in the planting. Pointed gourd is dioecious — male and female flowers grow on completely separate plants — so a block grown only from female-type cuttings has no source of pollen and sets almost no fruit, however well it is fed and watered. Plant roughly one male cutting for every nine or ten female ones, evenly spaced through the planting, so bees can carry pollen between them.

Is pointed gourd grown from seed like other gourds?

No — it is a perennial vine, planted once from healthy vine or root cuttings taken from a good host plant, not sown fresh from seed each season. The same rootstock resprouts and crops again for four to five years or more before it needs replanting, unlike bottle gourd or bitter gourd, which are annual crops sown from seed every year.

How long does one pointed gourd planting keep producing?

A single planting typically crops for four to five years, sometimes longer with good management, before yield declines enough to justify renewing it with fresh cuttings. Yield is usually lowest in the first year, peaks in the second and third, and gradually tapers off afterwards.

What happens to the vine in winter?

Growth slows and the top growth of the vine dies back once cold weather sets in, which is a normal part of the plant's perennial life cycle, not a sign of disease or failure. The root system survives dormant underground through the cool season and resprouts on its own the following warm season.

What is the biggest disease risk for pointed gourd?

Downy and powdery mildew on the foliage in humid weather, and collar rot at the base of the vine where waterlogging sits around the root crown for years in the same spot. Because the planting stays in place for several years, getting drainage right at planting matters even more than for an annual crop, since collar rot is much harder to manage once an established rootstock is infected.

Does pointed gourd have an MSP or a mandi price?

There is no MSP for pointed gourd. It trades on Agmarknet as "Pointed gourd(Parval)", with genuine daily price and arrival records from markets in producing states including Odisha, Maharashtra and West Bengal.

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