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Abstract
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Bitter melon (Citrullus colocynthis) Schrad. is an annual plant that grows in different parts of Iran, belongs to Cucurbitaceae family which is so called Hendevaneh Abujahl in Persian. Bitter melon has important properties such as anti-diabetes, anti-virus, anti-microbe and anti-cancer effects. Different parts of the plant including seeds, fruit, root, stem, and leaves, can be used as the medicines. This medicinal plant grows abundantly in Kazerun city especially in the summer season without irrigation. Kazerun city is located in the western of Shiraz city which has the importance of ecological diversity; because it is surrounded by the Zagros mountains from the north and south with annual average rainfall of approximately 450 mm. For this reason, it is considered to be very valuable to the biodiversity of the plant. In order to determine the growth and yield of wild bitter melon grown around the city of Kazerun, 100 plants at different locations were collected from their natural habitat in end of June 2017 and then dried. The average plant height (285 cm), number of lateral branches (15 per plant), number of fruit (20 per plant), fresh and dry weight per plant 610 and 200 g were measured. The fresh and dry weight of fruits per plants, fresh and dry weight of each fruit were 2.15 kg, 365 g, 120 and 32.30 g, respectively. The results demonstrated that the number of seeds per fruit 288, 1000- seed weight 73 g, seed weight per plant 23.1 g, fruit shell weight 9.46 g were obtained. Over all, according to the results and growth of bitter melon in rainfed conditions, it can be concluded that due to the recent droughts and water scarcity in Iran, bitter melon as a medicinal plant which has resistance in drought conditions and extensive pharmacological effects, can have suitable yield and growth.
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