The 2012 ASHS Annual Conference

Among the vegetables, the gourd group of crops belonging to family Cucurbitaceae, form one of the large groups with its wide adaptation from arid to the humid tropics. In Asia, about 20 edible major and minor gourds are grown and consumed. Although the data on gourds alone are not easily available, they are grown in all Asian countries and are  the most common food of a common man. Some of the common gourds are specific to Asia only. Cucurbits demonstrate wide adaptability, allowing the crops to grow in varied agro-climatic conditions. Among food crops, gourds are among the largest producers of biological water and are easily digestible. Gourds contain 80% to 90% water and also contain nutritive elements such as carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, calcium, lycopene, phosphorus, potassium, and other properties, in addition to medicinal values. They are common crops in rural, urban, and peri-urban areas accessible to both rich and poor. Even with the gradual increase in production and consumption, the production of gourds is plagued by the occurrence of diseases and insect pests, inadequate availability of quality seeds, lack of maintenance of genetic varieties and of naturally occurring bio-diversities, and lack of knowledge on the international standard of quality production and postharvest handling. The thrust areas of development as identified are improvement in crop production, diversification in cropping pattern, utilization of available genetic diversities, reversal of postharvest losses, and value addition in food products. Gourds hold promise as supplementary food for common people.