What are the varieties of loofah

What are the excellent varieties of loofah? This knowledge should be familiar to some rural friends.

Loofah

Sponge gourd is a vegetable grown in courtyards or corner vegetable plots. It is not very demanding on fertilizer and water conditions and is less susceptible to diseases. Its harvest period is during the off-season from August to September, so it is very popular. Currently, there are two cultivated varieties of sponge gourd: ordinary sponge gourd and ribbed sponge gourd. Here are some of the main representative varieties:

(1) Loofah with a hammer

It is cultivated in various places. The plant is a vine with strong growth. The leaves are palmately lobed, dark green on the front and gray-green on the back. The melon is stick-shaped, round at the base, tapering at the tip, about 40 cm long and 3-4 cm thick. The melon skin is green with 10 light green linear protrusions on the surface. The melon flesh is thick, white-green, tender and of medium quality. A single melon weighs about 250 grams. This variety produces many melons and has a high yield.

(2) Thread gourd

This variety was introduced from the south to the north many years ago. The plant has strong growth potential and is a vine. The leaves are palmately lobed. The melon is slender and stick-shaped, gradually thickening in the middle and lower parts. The melon is 75 to 95 cm long and the horizontal diameter is about 3 cm on average. A single melon weighs about 250 grams. The melon skin is green with wrinkles and vertical stripes. The melon flesh is green and white, tender, with less fiber and good quality. The thread melon matures late, is heat-resistant, and has strong resistance to diseases and insect pests. The melon strips grow fast.

(3) Angular loofah

The plant grows vigorously. The stem is vine-like, with the first female flower at the 6th to 7th node, and the side vines produce fruits early. The leaves are dark green, palm-shaped pentagonal, and smooth without hair. The fruit is long and stick-shaped, thin at the base and thick at the tip. The fruit has a green skin, hard cortex, and 8 to 10 vertical angular edges. The fruit is white, tender and juicy, with a fresh fragrance and good quality. The angular loofah is heat-resistant and moisture-resistant, but poorly cold-resistant, and is suitable for cultivation in summer and autumn.