On February 20, 2025, a Field Day on Ridge Gourd var. Arka Prasan was organized by ICAR-IIHR at Panasachoudanahalli village, Chintamani Taluk, Chikkaballapura District, under the DST Project titled “Enhancing Livelihood Security of Small-Holder Farm Women of Karnataka through Horticultural Interventions using Pluralistic Extension Approaches.”. The beneficiary farmers received high-yielding and resilient crop varieties. Farmers Manjula and Gopal Nayak from Panasachoudanahalli village showcased their ridge gourd crop, highlighting its high yield, superior quality, and ease of management.
Mrs. Manjula and Mr. Gopal Nayak shared their experiences, emphasizing several advantages of Arka Prasan including lower input costs compared to traditional varieties, ease of cultivation with minimal management efforts, higher yield potential, ensuring better profitability, uniform fruit size and extended shelf life, making it suitable for market-oriented farming and enhanced disease resistance, reducing the need for chemical inputs and promoting eco-friendly cultivation. Notably, Mrs. Manjula was the first farmer in her village to adopt this variety, inspiring many fellow farmers to explore ridge gourd cultivation as a profitable venture.
As part of the Field Day, an interactive session was conducted by Dr. Ramya H. R., Scientist and PI of the project and Dr. Balakrishna B., Principal Scientist, ICAR-IIHR, where farmers received guidance on Scientific cultivation practices for ridge gourd, nutrient and pest management to maximize productivity and organic and sustainable farming techniques to enhance soil health and reduce dependency on synthetic inputs.
