Growth and yield traits of pickling cucumber plants to measure the impact of different irrigation management practices

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L) is mostly cultivated by family-based farmers worldwide and processed to pickles by small to mid-sized industries generating employment and income. But irrigation management needs better investigation for adapting adequate sustainable practices. The rational use of irrigation water still has been neglected nowadays, but can improve cucumber production. The objective was to evaluate different irrigation levels on growth and yield parameters of the Amour F1 cucumber hybrid through time under greenhouse. Treatments consisted of five irrigation levels (amounts of water applied of 62, 93, 124, 155 and 186 mm), ranging from water stress to excess water. The experimental design was randomized blocks, with four replications. Vegetative growth and yield showed different responses to the irrigation levels. Plant height and internode length were less influenced by the irrigation levels, throughout the time, than stem diameter and root length. Cucumber yield was low with 62 mm and 93 mm, higher with 124 mm irrigation, and delayed in time at 155 mm and 186 mm. Water excess (186 mm) was not beneficial for pickling cucumber plants, and the amount of 124 mm was satisfactory for their development and yield. The results of this study may allow adoption of sustainable irrigation practices with no waste of agricultural water, a scarce resource worldwide

Effects of Moderately-Reduced Water Supply and Picking Time on the Chemical Composition of Pickling Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) in Open Field Cultivation

As climate change evokes changing precipitation patterns, the cultivation of vegetable crops in open fields might become more difficult in the future. Nowadays, many vegetable growers are already facing relatively long unprecedented precipitation-free periods. In many growing regions, irrigation is only available to a limited extent or not at all, and the cultivated plants will suffer from moderate water stress more often. Therefore, we examined the effects of moderately-reduced water supply on the chemical composition of pickling cucumber, cultivated in an open field and in a separate greenhouse trial. In the field trial, the reduced water supply treatment (RWS) provided 85–90% of the total water amount of the well-watered control treatment (CTR), applying a randomized block design with six replications comprising two consecutive weekly harvest periods. In fruits obtained by cultivation with reduced irrigation, levels of malic acid, calcium, and magnesium significantly increased, while those of phosphate, phosphorous, nitrogen, and iron decreased based on dry matter. Fresh matter-related results additionally revealed a decrease of myo-inositol and zinc, while sugars and total phenols remained unchanged. In the greenhouse experiment, the RWS obtained 60% of the irrigation amount of the CTR. Here, single cucumber compartments (exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp) were examined. Chemical compositions changed in a similar, but more pronounced, manner as compared to the open field trial. The levels of individual, nutritionally relevant carotenoids in the peel of pickling cucumber, like lutein and β-carotene, were affected by RWS. Regarding the nutritional quality of fresh marketable cucumber fruits, malic acid, certain minerals and trace elements, as well as the carotenoids were shown to be sensitive to moderate water reduction.

Fungicides for Control of Downy Mildew on Pickling Cucumber in Michigan

Michigan growers rely on fungicides to limit cucurbit downy mildew (CDM), incited by Pseudoperonospora cubensis; resistance of the pathogen to fungicides is a concern. We evaluated fungicides against CDM in Michigan field studies from 2015 to 2017. According to the relative area under the disease progress curve (rAUDPC), in 2015, mandipropamid, propamocarb, fluxapyroxad/pyraclostrobin, copper octanoate, and dimethomorph resulted in disease levels similar to the control. These treatments, along with cymoxanil, were similar to the control in 2016. Fungicides that were ineffective during 2015 and 2016 did not limit CDM in 2017. Famoxadone/cymoxanil and fluopicolide did not limit CDM in 2017. Each year, the following treatments were similar for disease based on rAUDPC data: oxathiapiprolin applied alone or premixed with chlorothalonil or mandipropamid, ametoctradin/dimethomorph, fluazinam, mancozeb/zoxamide, cyazofamid, and ethaboxam. An exception occurred in 2017, when ethaboxam was less effective than fluazinam, oxathiapiprolin/chlorothalonil, and oxathiapiprolin/mandipropamid. Mancozeb and chlorothalonil treatments were similar in 2015 and 2017, according to rAUDPC data. In 2017, yields were increased for oxathiapiprolin/chlorothalonil, oxathiapiprolin/mandipropamid, mancozeb, ametoctradin/dimethomorph, mancozeb/zoxamide, ethaboxam, cyazofamid, chlorothalonil, and fluazinam compared with the untreated control.

Экологическое испытание гибрида огурца F1 Энеж 21 в открытом грунте

Приведены результаты испытания нового перспективного партенокарпического гибрида огурца корнишонного типа F1 Энеж 21, созданного селекционерами агрохолдинга «Поиск», в условиях открытого грунта в Северо-Западном, Центральном и Волго-Вятском регионах Российской Федерации: Костромская, Ярославская, Московская, Рязанская, Тульская область и Чувашская Республика. Высокие потенциальные возможности и адаптационные свойства гибрида F1 Энеж 21 наиболее значимо проявляются в Московской области (63,8 т/га), Чувашской Республике (39,4 т/га) и Рязанской области (31,2 т/га).The article presents the results of testing a new promising parthenocarpic pickling cucumber hybrid F1 Enezh 21, selected by the breedrs of the Agricultural holding «Poisk» in conditions of open ground in the North-West, Central and Volga-Vyatka regions of the Russian Federation: Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Moscow, Ryazan, Tula regions and the Chuvash Republic. The high potential and adaptation characteristic of the F1 Enezh 21 hybrid are most significantly presented in condition of the Moscow region (63.8 t / ha), the Chuvash Republic (39.4 t / ha) and the Ryazan region (31.2 t / ha).

Critical Period for Palmer Amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri) Control in Pickling Cucumber

Field studies were conducted in North Carolina to determine the critical period for Palmer amaranth control (CPPAC) in pickling cucumber. In removal treatments (REM), emerged Palmer amaranth were allowed to compete with cucumber for 14, 21, 28, or 35 d after sowing (DAS) in 2014 and 14, 21, 35, or 42 DAS in 2015, and cucumber was kept weed-free for the remainder of the season. In the establishment treatments (EST), cucumber was maintained free of Palmer amaranth by hand removal until 14, 21, 28, or 35 DAS in 2014 and until 14, 21, 35, or 42 DAS in 2015; after this, Palmer amaranth was allowed to establish and compete with the cucumber for the remainder of the season. The beginning and end of the CPPAC, based on 5% loss of marketable yield, was determined by fitting log-logistic and Gompertz equations to the relative yield data representing REM and EST, respectively. Season-long competition by Palmer amaranth reduced pickling cucumber yield by 45% to 98% and 88% to 98% during 2014 and 2015, respectively. When cucumber was planted on April 25, 2015, the CPPAC ranged from 570 to 1,002 heat units (HU), which corresponded to 32 to 49 DAS. However, when cucumber planting was delayed 2 to 4 wk (May 7 and May 21, 2014 and May 4, 2015), the CPPAC lasted from 100 to 918 HU (7 to 44 DAS). This research suggested that planting pickling cucumber as early as possible during the season may help to reduce competition by Palmer amaranth and delay the beginning of the CPPAC.