Cucumber
The plant has large, prickly, hairy triangular leaves that form a canopy over the fruit, and yellow flowers which aremostly either male or female. The female flowers are recognized by the swollen ovary at the base, which will become the edible fruit. The cucumber plant is a coarse, prostrate annual creeping vine that grows on any other supporting frames, wrapping around with thin, spiraling tendrils.
General Information About Cucumber
- The optimum time to introduce hives into the field is when approximately 25% of the plants are beginning to flower.
- The cucumber grows best under conditions of high temperature, humidity, and light intensity and with an uninterrupted supply of water and nutrients.
- Air temperature is the main environmental component influencing vegetative growth, flower initiation, fruit growth, and fruit quality.
- Close spacing increases yields, provides more uniform maturity, and reduces weed problems. It also results in shorter fruit with a lighter color.
- Numerous studies have showed a linear decrease in the yields of cucumbers as the salt concentration of the irrigation water increased.
- Crop yields are highly dependent on N availability to the plant.
- It has been shown clearly the positive effect of potassium fertilization on cucumber yields.
- Potassium has a well-known effect of both enhancing plant resistance to pathogens and of reducing the impact of the infection.
Growth Stages
Vegetative growth consists of 2 Stages:
Stage I – Upright growth is the initial stage that starts when first true leaves emerge and it ends after 5-6 nodes.
Stage II – Vining - starts after 6 nodes. Then, side shoots begin to emerge from leaf axils, while main leader continues to grow. Side shoots are also growing, causing the plant to flop over. Leaves are simple and develop at each node. Each flower/fruit is borne on its own stem attached to the main stem at a node.
Depending on variety and environmental conditions, flowers may begin developing at the first few nodes.
