It tolerates a wide range of soils type like sandy loam, clay, peat soils and well drained of low lying land along the river.

Plough and loosen the soils at 15 - 22 cm deep. Liming can be done when necessary, 2 weeks before planting.Prepare the beds and mixed the soils with organic manure such as chicken dung at about 3 - 5 t/ha.

Sow the seeds at 2.5 cm deep on the bed. Ensure that 2 seeds sowed in each planting hole. Recommended planting distance is 90 cm between 1 plant to another. After 2 weeks, leave only 1 healthy seedling per planting hole. For each bed with a measurement of 1.2 m x 30 m, 11 gm of the seeds needed.

Spread compound fertilizer NPK Blue Special (12:12:17:2) around the plant once in two weeks. 1 ha requires 1 tan fertiliser. 

     

Water the plants once a day afternoon) because the seedlings need plenty of water for flowering and fruit-set.

Weeding if necessary or use herbicide. Follow instruction on the label of the herbicide.

Major pests - fruit borer and bugs during fruiting stage. Use Diazinon if necessary.

Major disease - leaf spot and can be controlled using Benomyl.

The plant can be harvested:

i. 50 - 55 days after planting
ii. 5 - 6 days after flowering and pollination.
iii.10 - 12 cm lenght; the fruit is soft and crunchy

To allow a continuous yielding, the plant must be harvested at this stage. Harvest once in two days continuosly for 8 weeks. Estimated yield is 10,000 - 15,000 kg/ha.

Collected fruits are kept in a bamboo or plastic basket which covered with paper or plastic. The fruits can be kept for 2-3 days only without wrapping in plastic.The wrapped fruits can be kept for 7-8 days under 24-26 Celcius degree and 70-75% humidity.