BITTER MELON (karavela) CONTENTS OF PIGMENTS, VITAMIN C, yield AND MINERALS UNDER EL-MANSOURA CONDITIONS.

This investigation was aiming of the determination of the east Asian bitter
melon plant (Momardica charantia) chemical composition including pigments, vitamin
C and mineral N, P, K in plant and soil after harvesting, was carried out in open field
conditions for two consecutive seasons using two compound fertilizer (20% N, 20% P,
20% K and 19% N, 29% P, 11 % K) applied at ambient and control treatment.
The study was completed at the Agriculture College Farm of Mansoura
University. The values of plant height, dry I fresh weight percentage, number of leaves
I plant, number of flower and fruits I plant, shape index of fruits length and width of
fruit, total fruit yield, N, P and K% of bitter melon plant and soil and trace elements(Fe,
Cu, Zn and Mn ,and ascorbic acid were evaluated under the different fertilization
treatments.
The data showed that using the application of (19% N, 29% P, 11 % K)
fertilizers significantly increased the vegetative growth and yield of bitter melon plants.
The best values for dry I fresh weight percentage, number of leaves I plant, shape
index were obtained with using (20% N, 20% P, 20% K) fertilizer, while using (19% N,
29% P, 11 % K) fertilizer caused increasing of length and width of fruits, average fruit
weight, No. of flower and chorophyll a, b , total chlorophyll and ascorbic acid ,total
yield and NPK in plants and soil and trace elements(Fe-Cu-Zn-Mn). Thus, it is implied
that types of NPK fertilizers impose different effects on the vegetative growth, yield
quantity and quality of bitter melon grown in Mansoura area are possibly obtained
when fertilized with either of these NPK fertilizers at the rate of 1 gm I plant daily, yet
the 19:29:11 NPK fertilizer is most suggested.