1. LEEK
Introduction
 Leek is a non bulb forming tetraploid plant of onion family
 Except large size it looks like green onion
 It is a non building biennial crop grow for blanched stem
 It’s cultivation is not commercial in India and growing only in kitchen garden
 Blanching : It is a technique used in vegetable growing. Young shoots of a plant are
covered to exclude light to prevent photosynthesis and chlorophyll production , thus
plants remain tender
Uses and Nutritive value
 The grown stem and leaves are consumed as solad or cooked with other vegetables
or mild flavouring soups
 It is a good substitute for green onion during summer and winter
 The long white stem, leaf base and tops are edible and nutritious,
 It is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals-phosphorus, iron and vitamin
C
Taxonomy
 Family : Amarilidaceae
 Genus : Allium
 It can grown in all soils but medium soils which are rich in nutrients and organic
matter with a pH range of 6-8 is best suited
Cultivation
 Seed rate : 5-7 kg/ha
 Spacing : 30 x 10 cm between rows and plants
 Sowing time : plains - August : October
 Hills – March : April
 Planting : About 5-7 kg seeds are sown in the nursery during mid September –
October

2.  Seedlings are transplanted when they attain 15cm height of 40-50 days old seedlings
 Transplanting should be done in 15-30 cm deep trenches made at 30 cm apart to
facilitate blanching
 Blanching :- It is a important operation in the cultivation in leek which improves the
quality of crop . Blanch the plants by covering them gradually with soil to a certain
heights as they grow. Avoid blanching at early stage of plant growth when they are
young
Manures and fertilizers
 Apply 20t FYM
 5O kg of nitrogen
 65 kg of phoshorus and
 130 kg of potassium
 The top dressing is done with another 50 kg of nitrogen after 30 days after
transplanting
Irrigation and Weeding
 The crop should be irrigated regularly for the proper growth and plant development
at an intervals of 7-10 days
 Weeding is very important operation and should be done as and when necessary to
keep down the weeds
Plant protection
Insects
Disease
Insect-Pest
 Cutworm(Agrotis ipsilon) :-
It is a polyphagous insect and active at the onset of weather and The caterpillars cut the
seedling at ground level during night time
 Control :-
Follow clean cultivation and break big clods of soil

3. Dust the soil with 4% Endosulfan at 25 kg / ha
Diseases
 Fungal Disease :
1.Downy Mildew(peronospora destructor):
The entire surface of the leaves bears with violet growth of mycellium and sporangia
If the weather is hot or dry , only pale white patches are seen
The affected leaves drop at the point of lesion and dry at tip
 Control:
Spray the crop with Dithane M-45 at 0.3 % at weekly interval
2. White rot (sclerotium cepivorum):
The fungus is soil brone and kills the stem , roots
The leaves of infected plants become yellow and flaccid leading to death of whole plant
 Control:
Spray the crop with 0.1 % Bavistin
Harvesting and Yield
Harvesting should be done by lifting the green leaves manually
Yield varies from 20-25 t/ha
CHAYOTE
Uses
 The fruits before the maturity of seed in tender stage is commonly cooked and the
roots which develop into tubers are also eaten
 The tender sliced fruits are taken as salad either alone or mixed with other salad
food
 It act as substitute for summer squash
 All plant parts of the plant make good fodder
 Its plant extract is used for industrial uses like hat and buckets

4. Nutritive and Medicinal value
 It is probably the richest among the gourds in nutritive value particularly in
carbohydrates(6.3%) and calorific value (29 calories/100g)
 The leaves possessing cardiovascular modifying properties
 Leaves used in herbal medicines for hypertension
 Seeds are taken for intestinal problem
Introduction
Family : Cucurbitaceae
Genus : Sechium
Species : edule
Origin : Mexico
Cultivar
 Considerable variations are exist in the types under cultivation in size , fibre content
of fruits
 Two distinct types are generally recognised
 Green fruited-Florida green
 White fruited-Florida white
GREEN FRUIT
WHITE FRUIT
Climate and Soil
It is a warm season crop , Hot and moist climate is favourable for its growth and
development
Susceptible to frost and low temperature hindering the growth
Under moderate climates, it can be grown throught the year and optimum temperature is
18-22 c
It can be grow in all type of soil but loam and slit loam soil with Ph value 5.5-6.5 , well
drained with sufficient moisture are most favourable for growing
Cultivation

5. Seed rate : Propagated is by planting the whole fruit .
The single seed is located near the broad end of the pear shaped fruit
The fruit germination in 8-10 days
Sowing time : April-may in hills
June-July in plains
Spacing : 1.8 x 2.4 in between rows and pit
Manures and fertilizer
The pits are manured with 10-15 kg of FYM
100 g of N:P:K mixture to basin
Irrigation and Weeding
 The crop should be irrigated regularly for the proper growth and plant development
at an intervals of 7-10 days
 Weeding is very important operation and should be done as and when necessary to
keep down the weeds
Harvesting and Yield
The vines start flowering in about 3-4 months and production is continuous.
The fruits attaining the optimum size and tender are harvested carefully without injuring the
vines
A well grown plant of about one year yields 500-600 fruits per year and the fruits weighs
200-450 g
The total yield is 25-35 t/ha
Plant protection
Insects
Disease
Diseases
 Downy mildew(Pseudoperono sparacubensis):
Purplish appear on lower surface of leaves

6. Fruits do not mature and attain right flavour
 Control:
Spray Dithane M-45 at 0.2 % once a week
 Anthracnose :
Lession on leaves and fruits , light and dark brown spots on plant parts
 Control :
Dithane M-45 at 2.5 g/l at 15 days interval
Crop rotation with non-cucurbit
 Mites :
Suck sap from the tender foliage cause white specks and patches on leaves affect growth
and vitality of plants
 Control :
Spray Malathion 50 EC 0.05% and repeat after 10 days
 Aphids :
Sucks leaf sap and tender parts , leaves and vines turn yellow , plant loose vigour and yield
 Control:
Spray Rogor 0.1-0.2% and repeat
Reference
 Vegetable crops (vol .II)
- R.S Dhaka
 Text book of vegetable culture
- Prem Singh Arya