Punjab Komal
A Punjab Agricultural University (Ludhiana) bottle gourd released in 1988. It is early, with the first fruit ready about 70 days after sowing. The fruit is oblong, medium-sized, light green and pubescent, 10–12 on a vine, and the variety tolerates cucumber mosaic virus.
Quick facts
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- First fruit in about 70 days after sowing
- Seed rate
- 2.0 kg of seed per acre
- Expected yield
- About 200 q/acre (about 49 t/ha)
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Tolerant to cucumber mosaic virus
- Release
- Released by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Punjab Komal is a bottle gourd from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, released in 1988. PAU's Package of Practices for vegetables describes it as early maturing, with the first fruit marketable about 70 days after sowing. The fruit is oblong, medium-sized, light green and pubescent, with 10–12 fruits per vine. The fruits are tender and sit on a medium-long, thin stalk from the 4th or 5th node onwards. It tolerates cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), and PAU gives an average yield of about 200 q/acre, which is about 49 t/ha. PAU lists it as an improved variety, not as a hybrid.
Should you pick this variety?
Choose Punjab Komal if you farm in Punjab and want an early bottle gourd that tolerates cucumber mosaic virus: first fruit in about 70 days, oblong light green fruit and about 200 q/acre (about 49 t/ha) from PAU. Choose Punjab Barkat (226 q/acre) or Punjab Long if your market wants long cylindrical fruit. Choose Punjab Bahar (222 q/acre) if your market wants nearly round fruit. Choose Pusa Naveen if you are near Delhi and want an IARI type of about 550 g.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeFebruary–March and June–July; November–December under protection
- Seed rate2.0 kg of seed per acre
- SpacingBeds 2.0 to 2.5 m wide, with seed sown on both sides of the bed 45–60 cm apart
- IrrigationEvery 6–7 days in summer, sparingly in the rains, 8–9 irrigations in all
- Fertilizer20–25 tonnes of farmyard manure per acre, plus 14 kg N (30 kg urea) at sowing and 14 kg N at first picking
- HarvestingReady in about 60–70 days after sowing, depending on variety and season; pick tender, medium-sized fruit every 3 or 4 days
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Early, with the first marketable fruit in about 70 days
- Tolerates cucumber mosaic virus
- Tender, oblong, light green fruit, 10–12 on a vine
Things to consider
- It is a 1988 variety. PAU's newer Punjab Barkat (2014) is listed at 226 q/acre and Punjab Bahar (2017) at 222 q/acre, both above its 200 q/acre
- Tolerant is not the same as resistant, so control the aphids that carry the virus
- The oblong, medium-sized fruit is not the long cylindrical type some markets want, which is Punjab Long or Punjab Barkat
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Punjab
Follow PAU's feeding and picking plan
PAU gives a simple plan for bottle gourd. Add 20–25 tonnes of farmyard manure per acre before making the beds. Give 14 kg of nitrogen at sowing, which is 30 kg of urea, and another 14 kg of nitrogen at the first picking.
The crop needs frequent irrigation: every 6–7 days in summer and only sparingly in the rains, 8–9 irrigations in all. Pick tender, medium-sized fruit that is still shiny, every 3 or 4 days in the peak season.
With the first fruit about 70 days after sowing, a crop sown on 15 February is ready around 26 April, and one sown on 15 June around 24 August. Use the dates to book pickers and crates in advance.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Bottle Gourd (Lauki) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Bahar | An open-pollinated lauki with straight, 1 kg, light green fruit that tolerates blossom end rot | First pick ~60–65 days | 40–45 t/ha | Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh |
| Kashi Bahar | A high-yielding F1 lauki with long, straight, 780–850 g fruit for the eastern plains | First pick ~55–60 days | 50–55 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand |
| Punjab Komalthis page | An early, CMV-tolerant PAU bottle gourd with oblong, light green fruit, about 200 q/acre | First fruit in about 70 days after sowing | About 200 q/acre (about 49 t/ha) | Punjab |
| Pusa Hybrid-3 | An F1 lauki built for easy packing and long-distance transport, recommended for all of India | First pick about 50–55 days | 42.5 t/ha in summer, 47 t/ha in the rainy season | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra |
| Pusa Naveen | An open-pollinated lauki with straight, 550 g fruit and no crooked neck, for two seasons | First pick ~60–65 days | 35–40 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra |
| Pusa Samridhi | An open-pollinated lauki with long, neckless fruit, listed 14–19% ahead of Pusa Naveen | First pick about 50–55 days | 27–31 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana |
| Pusa Sandesh | An open-pollinated round lauki of about 600 g, for kitchens and markets that buy the round type | First pick about 55–60 days in the rainy season, 60–65 days in summer | About 32 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Bottle Gourd (Lauki) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Bottle Gourd (Lauki) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Bottle Gourd (Lauki) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Bottle Gourd (Lauki) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Bottle Gourd (Lauki) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Bottle Gourd (Lauki) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Bottle Gourd (Lauki) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Punjab Komal a hybrid?
No. PAU lists it as an improved variety released in 1988, not as a hybrid. So you can save seed from a healthy crop. PAU asks for an isolation distance of 800 m from other bottle gourd fields for a seed crop.
Is Punjab Komal long or round?
PAU describes oblong, medium-sized fruit. That is neither the long cylindrical type (Punjab Long, Punjab Barkat) nor the nearly round type (Punjab Bahar). Some websites call it round, but PAU's description is oblong.
What yield does Punjab Komal give?
PAU gives an average of about 200 q/acre, which is about 49 t/ha. PAU's newer varieties give a little more: Punjab Barkat (2014) 226 q/acre and Punjab Bahar (2017) 222 q/acre.
Does Punjab Komal resist cucumber mosaic virus?
PAU says it is tolerant to cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). Tolerant means it copes better than most, not that it is immune. Control aphids early, which spread the virus, and remove plants with crinkled, mottled leaves.
Is Punjab Komal better than Pusa Naveen?
They come from different institutes and trials. PAU gives about 200 q/acre (about 49 t/ha) for Punjab Komal. IARI's checklist gives 35–40 t/ha for Pusa Naveen, with 550 g fruit. Sow a strip of each side by side for one season and weigh both.
Sourced from: Heterosis and combining ability for yield and quality traits in bottle gourd — PAU Ludhiana thesis (Krishikosh), Package of Practices for Cultivation of Vegetables 2021 — Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (bottle gourd: Punjab Komal 1988). editorial policy.