Crossbreeding Ability between Chinese and Thai Bitter Gourd (Momordica charantia L.)

Abstract

The possibility of cross-breeding between Thai and Chinese bitter gourds was investigated using a Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD) with four-replications. The experiment included four cross combinations as follows: Treatment 1: Chinese bitter gourd × Chinese bitter gourd, Treatment: 2 Thai bitter gourd × Thai bitter gourd, Treatment 3: Chinese bitter gourd × Thai bitter gourd, and Treatment 4: Thai bitter gourd × Chinese bitter gourd. The results showed that for the Chinese bitter gourd × Thai bitter gourd combination, the fruit set percentage, average fruit age, average number of seeds per fruit, filled seeds percentage, and germination percentage were 58.62%, 18.00 days after flowering, 28.69 seeds/fruit, 83.99%, and 80.00%, respectively. For the Thai bitter gourd × Chinese bitter gourd combination, the respective values were 85.71%, 10.00 days after flowering, 16.96 seeds/fruit, 95.87%, and 83.00%. The findings preliminarily demonstrate the potential for crossbreeding between Thai and Chinese bitter gourds. The cross of Thai bitter gourd × Chinese bitter gourd exhibited higher percentages of fruit set, filled seeds, and germination compared to the reciprocal cross of Chinese bitter gourd × Thai bitter gourd. This information serves as a foundational basis for future bitter gourd breeding programs.