Angled luffa [Luffa acutangula (L.) Roxb.]

Angled luffa is another cucurbit native to Asia cultivated since ancient times. The young 

immature fruit is also called Chinese okra, because of the okra-like shape and external 

appearance of the tender ridges. Luffas can only be eaten when young as mature fruits become 

very bitter due to the development of purgative chemicals (Heiser 1979; Yang and Walters 1992). 

The species used for vegetable production is usually a separate species from the more fibrous 

species routinely used for sponge production (L. aegyptiaca) (Davis and McCourley 1993). 

Immature fruits of Luffa acutangula are considered to be superior in flavor to immature fruits of 

High temperatures (30°-35°C) are required for reasonable (50%) seed germination and early 

growth in L. acutangula (Huyskens et al. 1993). Long days and high temperatures favored the 

development of more female flowers than short days and lower growing temperatures. Luffa are 

grown usually on trellises since trained plants are higher yielding. Each plant will yield from 10-

23 fruits (Huyskens et al. 1993). Yields are about 3500 to 5000 kg/ha with a density of 10,000 

plants/ha.  

After harvest, angled luffa are very perishable. Water loss leads to toughening of the peel, but the 

fruits are chilling sensitive and the lowest recommended temperature for 1 to 2 weeks of storage 

is 10°C. Huyskens et al. (1993) showed that luffa rapidly lost weight, sugars, and acids during 

storage at 4°, 8° and 12°C, with quality losses minimized at 4°C. However, storage at 

temperatures below 10°C probably induced symptoms of chilling injury (

Fig. 5

) as reported by 

recommended to reduce weight and quality loss.