Tropical and subtropical vegetables (2+1)

Climate

• It can be grown under both tropical and sub-tropical climates but warm climate is considered best. It is a warm season crop but has a wide range of adaptability and can be grown in regions with comparatively low temperatures. At temperature between 25°- 30°C, the growth is normal and yield is high.
• When the temperature is less than 18°C, the growth is slow leading to poor yield. When temperature is above 36°C there is poor production of female flowers resulting in poor yield. It is reported that short day treatment slightly reduced the production of staminate flowers and increased the number of pistillate flowers and lowered the node number at which the first pistillate flower appeared.
• Long-day treatment significantly increased the production of staminate flowers and suppressed the development of pistillate flowers. The production of female flowers was increased by low temperature treatment (20°C) under short-day.