Cultivation of Cucumber (Complete Guide)
Introduction
in this article, I’m going to tell you about the Cultivation of Cucumber
- Botanical name: Cucumis Satires
- Family: Cucurbitaceae
Botanical Features
- Leaf type – simple hairy leaves
- Leaf arrangement- Alternate
- Flower petal colour – yellow
- Stamen number – 03
- Fruit type – flesh
- Tendrils – stem bears branch
Cultivation
Soil requirements
- Well rain soil rich in organic matter
- pH 5.4 – 7.5
- Crop is sensitive for water lagging conditions
Field establishment and cultural practices
Seed requirement – 1Kg/ha
Land Preparation
- Plough the land to a depth of 20 -30cm
- Work to a Medium tilth
- Make planting holes
Spacing
- Mono cropping 1*1m
- Mix cropping with okra – 120 * 90cm
- Incorporate well-decomposed organic matter – 3Kg/ha
- Add basal fertilizer mixture 2 – 3 days before sowing seeds
- Mix with soil and the heap to about 10cm above ground
Field establishment
Saw the seeds (3-4 seeds/hole) in 2-3cm, water properly
Other cultural practices
Irrigation
Irrigate daily until germination complete. thereafter irrigate based on the environmental conditions and crop water need. Use a straw mulch to suppress weeds as well as for quality fruits. take care to not submerge vines. It cause rotting of fruits and vines
Fertilizer application
| UREA | TSP | MOP | |
| BD | 75 | 200 | 60 |
| TD1(4WAP) | 75 | 60 | |
| TD2(8WAP) | 75 | 60 |
Trellising
Although trellising gives quality fruits, better shape and cleaner fruits. LY58 is usually allowed to trail on the ground. Inverted“ V” shape trellis can be used
Thinning out
Two weeks after germinating remove excess plants while keeping two healthy plants per hole
Weed management
weeding is necessary until crop cover the ground. Do hand weeding. Use straw mulch to suppress weeds as well as for quality fruits
Pollination
Pollination is done by bees. Male flowers appear first. High temperature and long day period suppress appearing of female flowers
Mulching
Conserve soil moisture, increase fruit size and quality, weed management
Pest and Diseases
Pest control
Cucurbit fly (fruit fly) – Larvae damage to the fruit
Control – use pheromone traps, covering of fruits with straw, affected pods, use recommended insecticides – Fenthion 50%, protein bait
Aulacophora – Adult has done damage to the flowers and leaves. Larva is damage to the roots at seeding stage. Reduce photosynthetic area
Control – sphingoid
Epilagna – adult and larvae damaged to the leaves
Control – remove by hand
Aphids and whitefly – act as a vector for CMV
Control – imidacloprid 70% WG
Red mite – reduce leaf colour due to sucking of sap
Control – Abamectin
Disease control
Powdery mildew and Downey mildew – defoliate leaves when damage is high
Control – Mancozeb
Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) – leaves get curly appearance. Reduce flowering, deformed fruits
Anthracnose – damage to all parts of the plant. yellow colour watery spots appear on the leaves. Later patches will enlarge with a small hole in the centre. Sunken watery patches on the fruits
Soft rot – rotting of fruits which touch the soil
Harvesting and Post Harvest operations
Harvesting indices
- Immature fruits. Seed should not be matured, fruits reach into characteristic colour. Harvesting can be done 45 -55 days after planting
- Method – Cut the fruit stalk by using a sharp knife
- Potential yield – 20 25 t/ha
- Harvesting times by reducing harvesting interval can be obtained high yield
Post Harvest Handling
After harvesting can keep 10-14 days without reducing the equality
check out my other article:How To Grow Passion Fruit