Momordica charantia, popularly known as bitter melon, bitter gourd or balsamic pear is a tropical and subtropical climbing plant belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. The high content of bioactive compounds has given the species a special importance in traditional medicine, being used in the fight against diabetes, cancer and also as a powerful antioxidant. The continuous growth of the global population requires an intensification of plant food production to meet the ever-expanding demand. Biostimulants are substances or microorganisms that, when applied in small amounts, stimulate natural plant processes such as nutrient uptake, growth and stress resistance. The present work aims to identify the role of an algae-based biostimulator in the germination and growth of bitter cucumber. To carry out the experiment, five genotypes of Momordica charantia were used, of which two Romanian varieties (Brâncusi and Rodeo) and three experimental lines (Line 1, Line 3 and Line 4) were treated with the Algevit biostimulator during the germination period and until the emergence the first two true leaves (Phenophase 102 BBCH). It was found that the germination rate increased in the treated variants by up to 15% in the genotype Line 4 and in the case of the vitamin C content it had very significant increases of over 50% in the case of Line 3 and Line 1.

Momordica charantia, biostimulator, germination, vitamin C

agronomy

Presentation: poster