Division of Vegetable Crops and Floriculture, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110 012
Among all the eight lines, S. 98 (medium long and green fruit) and Pusa Do Mausami (medium long and green fruit) were observed to be the richest in iron S. 144 (long and white fruit) in zinc and S. 113 (very small and dark qrun fruit) in calcium contents. No correlation was observed in size or colour of fruits with the nutritive values of these four elements. This preliminary investigation has dispelled a general thinking that small and green fruited bitter gourds are richer in nutritive value than large and white fruited ones. Results have shown distinct variation in mineral contents in different lines suggesting the possibilities of evolving cultivars of higher nutritive value.
