Momordica Gosha

Momordica «GOA» variety – the result of breeding work carried out at the Central Siberian Botanical Garden of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This light- and heat-loving plant grows successfully in unheated film greenhouses in Western Siberia and can also be cultivated in garden conditions. The plant reaches a height of 2 m and more, so support is required for the liana stem.

The fruits of the «GOA» variety have an elongated-oval shape, up to 34 cm long, and change color from light green at technical maturity to bright yellow-orange at biological maturity. Fruit weight ranges from 0.38 kg (average) to 0.89 kg, with a yield of 1.3–3.4 kg/m². The taste of the fruits is piquant with a slight bitterness; the flesh retains a pleasant aromatic note when fried, boiled, or pickled.

The variety is characterized by a high content of useful substances: dry matter 6.3–6.5 %, vitamin C – 32–36 mg/100 g, pectin – 1.9–2.2 %. The catechin content (898 mg) is particularly notable, which is eight times higher than that of tomato. The mineral profile of the fruits is rich in magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper, which are at 1.2–9.6 times higher levels than in tomato and cucumber.

Momordica «GOA» is resistant to damage by spider mites and aphids, but may be partially affected by greenhouse whiteflies. Fruits and young leaves are used as food, as a spice, and in traditional medicine: they help with diabetes, hypertension, herpes, eczema, infectious diseases, and tumors. Plant extracts possess antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, antihepatotoxic, and antiulcer effects, as well as lower blood sugar levels.

For cultivation, seeds are treated with a potassium permanganate solution, then sown in peat-perlite pots to a depth of 1.5 cm. The optimal temperature for seedlings is 20–22 °C. Plants are introduced into the greenhouse after acclimatization and supports are provided in mid-May. Watering is done with warm water, and feeding with liquid organic fertilizer is performed once every ten days. The vegetative period of the «GOA» variety is 67–78 days.