Tinda farming in India is done in farms, gardens and containers. The estimated profit from 1 acre is nearly Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 after deducting other expenses.
Tinda farming in India
Tinda vegetable grows on 4.5 to 5.5 feet long vine. This vegetable belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family grown in very few countries. It is majorly grown in India and some Asian countries. It is one of the unique summer vegetable crops that is rarely found in every place. Tinda farming is popular in India, Pakistan and South Asia. It is native to India and widely grown in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
Other names of vegetable
Indian baby pumpkin Apple gourd, Round gourd, Indian Apple gourd, Indian squash.
Tinda vegetable
Tinda is also called a small gourd. It is good for health rich in vitamin A and often recommended by doctors as a daily meal. This vegetable grows on vines and reaches up to a height of 1 to 2 meters. The vegetable is widely used in North Indian kitchens and has a soft flavour. Generally, it is used in stuffing, stews and curries. The vegetable is green in colour and has a spherical shape with a 5 to 8 cm diameter.
Varieties of vegetable
Arka, Bikanar green, Punjabi, Anamalai and Mahyco tinda
Arka variety – This is an early variety and it is a high-yielding crop. Arka variety is light green in colour, round in shape with small soft hairs at the time of harvesting. This variety can be harvested in 5 days after pollination.
Bikanar green – This variety is green in colour and large in shape in comparison to other varieties. The Bikaner variety gets ready for harvesting after 60 days of the sowing period.
Punjab variety – Punjab variety is a medium-sized fruit known for its shine and appearance. Punjab tinda’s flesh is white in colour and it has lesser seeds. Eight to ten fruits are produced per plant and 4.5 to 5 tonnes of yield per hectare can be obtained in 60 days.
Annamalai variety – This variety is mostly grown in South India. Annamalai variety is light green in colour and smaller in size.
Swati variety – Swati is F1 hybrid variety with 180 to 225 cm vine length. This variety is dark green in colour and can be harvested after two months of the sowing period.
Farming best practices
Soil required
Sandy loamy soil rich in organic matter with a good drainage system. Farmers used to grow this vegetable in fertile soil or sandy soil. Fertile soil is good for the root development of plants.
Soil pH
6.5 to 7.5 ph is idle for tinda growing. Catch Drum Stick Project Report here.
Growing climate conditions
Tinda plant needs full sunlight with a minimum temperature of 60F. To plant this vegetable sunny location is considered. It thrives well in long hot weather in tropical and subtropical climate conditions.
Temperature required
The ideal temperature is 25°C to 32°C.
Tinda sowing season – January, February.
How to plant tinda seeds?
While planting seeds one should follow the seed spacing that is given below:
Bed width – 1.5 meters, seeds are sown both sides of the beds.
Bed spacing – 45 cm.
Distance between seeds -18 inches.
Seed frequency – 2 seeds in a hole.
Seeds in line spacing – 48 inches to 70 inches.
Seed spacing in a row – 120 cm to 180 cm.
Seed preparation
Seeds soaking is necessary before planting for healthy germination. Soak the seeds in water for at least 12 hours before planting the seeds. One must sow two seeds in one place.
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Water requirement
Irrigation is important and this green vegetable needs sufficient water. Control irrigation is necessary for tinda farming for proper germination and fruit set sufficient water is required for these plants. Light irrigation is required immediately after sowing the seeds whereas 4 to 5 days of interval irrigation is required in the summer season. Nine to ten irrigation cycles at the interval of 8 to 10 days are considered after light irrigation is completed. On monsoon or rainy days, irrigation can be done with rainwater.
Growing in containers, pots
- January and February are tinda growing seasons in India.
- Tinda plant is easy to grow in gardens and due to long vines, it occupies less space.
- 10 to 12 inch wide seedling tray or flat container can be used for growing seeds.
- However, you can use ground soil to fill the container but mix sandy soil, coco peat and manure to reduce the heaviness of your garden soil.
- Make holes at a distance of 3 cm each in your container soil then place one or two seeds in each hole and cover the soil with topsoil mix.
- Remember, do not put more than two seeds in one hole for proper germination.
- Humidity is necessary for the plant so wet the container and then place it in a warm sunlight area.
- Tinda plant will sprout after 11 days.
- After January and February cold passes away you can transplant the mature plants to the ground or in your garden backyard.
Planting methods
While planting the seeds in a row there should be 12-inch spacing. Put 1 to 2 seeds in each dig at a 1-inch depth. For proper light and air, there should be three feet distance in tinda plantation.
Vertical planting
Vertical planting is capable of saving space. Vertical planting is beneficial in two ways; firstly it saves ground space and also provides good exposure to air and sunlight to the plants resulting in better thriving. You can use a 6 ft taller strong sturdy trellis moreover, you should use twine, garden ties or wire to secure the vine.
Propagation of plant
Generally, tinda plantation is practised by seeds and the correct time for planting seeds is January to February month.
Seed rate per acre – The seed rate for cultivation is between 500 grams to 700 grams per acre.
Seed treatment
You can treat the seeds with Trichoderma viride at 4 grams or Pseudomonas @ fluorescent 10 gram or carbendazim at 2g/kg seed. You should thin the seedling after 15 days in order to maintain two per pit 0.9-meter spacing.
Whitefly spray – Neem seed kernel extract 5%.
Plant care
Use 20×15 cm poly bags with trap fish meal of about 5 gram, 1 gram dichlorvos in cotton. 50 traps are required per hectare of land. Fish meal and dichlorvos should be renewed once in 20 days and 7 days.
You can use 3.0% neem oil as a foliar spray.
Due to phytotoxic content copper and sulphur dust should be prohibited.
Harvesting time
This tiny vegetable takes nearly 2 months to get ready for harvesting. Tinda fruit grows on a vine of about 4.5 to 5.5 feet in length. Harvesting takes place when it reaches the maturity level and seeds are still soft inside the fruit. The diameter of the fruit shall be 10 to 12 cm during harvesting. Four to five fruits can be harvested per plant.
Tinda Yield per acre
Three to four tonnes tinda’s can be obtained in 60 to 90 days from 1 acre. Tinda’s price per kg varies between Rs 30 to Rs 150 according to variety, season and location.
Tinda farming yield per acre is 3 tonnes = 3000 kg then
Profit = 3000 kg tinda x Rs 30 = Rs 90,000. After deducting costs and other expenses one can earn nearly Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 per acre.
FAQ
How to grow tinda in pots?
Tinda plants in pots can be planted easily and you can put the container inside the home during winter. Must sow only 2 seeds in one hole and your container should consist of sandy loam soil with a good drainage system.
How to grow tinda at home?
To grow it at home first arrange sandy loam soil in your garden backyard or in a large container. Then dig some holes and the distance between seeds should be nearly 18 inches.
How long tinda take to get ready for harvesting?
Harvesting is done after 2 months.
How to kill pests in tinda cultivation?
For beetles spray malathion 50 EC 1ml/l at weekly intervals is recommended.
What is the tinda yield per hectare?
In India, 10 tonnes yield per hectare can be achieved in 90 days.
What is tinda farming profit per acre?
3 to 4 tonnes tinda yield per acre can be obtained in 60 to 90 days.
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