Detailed Explanation of Control Methods and Technical Key Points for Gourd Loofah Stem Blight

Gourd loofah, namely Trichosanthes kirilowii, also known as bitter gourd (Yueqing), diaogua (Wenzhou Wencheng), laoyagua (Wenzhou). Its root (traditional Chinese medicine name Tianhuafen), fruit (traditional Chinese medicine name Gualoushi), fruit peel (traditional Chinese medicine name Gualoupi), and seeds (traditional Chinese medicine name Gualouren) belong to the Cucurbitaceae family, Trichosanthes genus, a perennial climbing herb that can grow up to 10 m long. The rhizome is thick and cylindrical, with a yellow outer bark. The stem is much branched and hairless; the leaves are alternate, nearly round or heart-shaped, and the species is dioecious; the male flowers are several in a raceme, rarely solitary, with obovate corolla lobes, while the female flowers are solitary with an ovate ovary; the fruit is nearly spherical and orange-red when ripe, with the flowering and fruiting period from July to November. Trichosanthes kirilowii has effects such as relieving fever and quenching thirst, promoting diuresis, and relieving cough and phlegm. The seeds contain fatty oil; the fruit contains triterpenoid saponins, organic acids, resins, sugars, and pigments; the root contains proteins, saponins, and acids. It is distributed in most areas of China.

Gourd loofah is cultivated in warm and humid climates. It is relatively cold-tolerant but not drought-tolerant. It is best to choose sunny, deep, loose, and fertile sandy loam plots for cultivation. It is not suitable for cultivation in low-lying land and saline-alkali land. It often grows at altitudes of 200-1800 m under mountain slopes and forests, in shrubs, grasslands, and beside village fields, and is widely cultivated in its natural distribution area.

What is gourd loofah stem blight?

Gourd loofah stem blight is one of the important factors restricting the development of gourd loofah. It mainly damages the base of the stem, and secondarily damages the fruit. In the early stage, brown oil-soaked spots appear, slightly sunken, with yellowish-white gummosis, and later after drying they become reddish-brown, the diseased part dries up, and small black dots are scattered on the surface, while the vascular bundles do not change color. According to systematic observation: long periods of low temperature and rainy weather are conducive to the occurrence of this disease, especially in continuously cropped fields, where there is a trend of increasing severity year by year.

How to control gourd loofah stem blight:

Focus on control at the seedling emergence stage. Spray the stem base with 40% DuPont Fuxing emulsifiable concentrate at 800 times dilution, or drench the roots with 5% Junduqing at 300-500 times dilution or spray the whole field, then treat again after 4-5 days, and thereafter depending on the disease condition.