Articles
Enhancing greenhouse cucumber yield through efficient utilization of assimilates: manipulating source-sink relationship
Article number
1437_36
Pages
285 – 290
Language
English
Abstract
The seedless mini-cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) production in naturally ventilated polyhouse in tropical climate faces a considerable challenge.
Among which, retaining fruits on lower nodes (early growth stage) affects apical shoot growth and subsequent fruit setting due to imbalanced assimilate partitioning between developing fruits on lower nodes and growing apical shoot.
In this endeavor, source-sink ratio in soil grown greenhouse cucumber modified through defoliation and deflowering at early fruiting stage (8-10 nodes) to investigate the assimilation and its partitioning to regulate overall plant growth and fruit yield.
The plants of two cucumber cultivars (‘Fadia’ – cluster fruit setting, and ‘Gurka’ – regular setting) were subjected to four pruning treatments namely, 100% deflower, 50% defoliation,50% defoliation+100% deflower, and control (no deflowering or defoliation) up to about 1 foot plant height at about 30 days after sowing, when plants were at full blooming stage.
Results revealed that the early leaf removal at 50% alone or combined with deflowering did not exert any positive effect, whereas 100% deflower treatment at early growth stage considerably increased per plant fruit yield, associated with increased mean fruit weight and fruit length.
Yield characteristics were accredited to the record of higher specific leaf area, leaf area index, net assimilation rate and leaf dry weight of plants receiving deflowering at early stage.
The increase in overall growth and fruit yield over the control seemed to be due to increase shoot growth and fruit retention due to regular supply of assimilates to the subsequent emerging fruits.
In summary, avoiding early fruit set at lower nodes by removing flowers, but not the leaves, helps plants to grow healthier and ensure proper assimilate supply to emerging flowers and growing fruits, resulting into high plant yield under naturally ventilated greenhouse condition.
Among which, retaining fruits on lower nodes (early growth stage) affects apical shoot growth and subsequent fruit setting due to imbalanced assimilate partitioning between developing fruits on lower nodes and growing apical shoot.
In this endeavor, source-sink ratio in soil grown greenhouse cucumber modified through defoliation and deflowering at early fruiting stage (8-10 nodes) to investigate the assimilation and its partitioning to regulate overall plant growth and fruit yield.
The plants of two cucumber cultivars (‘Fadia’ – cluster fruit setting, and ‘Gurka’ – regular setting) were subjected to four pruning treatments namely, 100% deflower, 50% defoliation,50% defoliation+100% deflower, and control (no deflowering or defoliation) up to about 1 foot plant height at about 30 days after sowing, when plants were at full blooming stage.
Results revealed that the early leaf removal at 50% alone or combined with deflowering did not exert any positive effect, whereas 100% deflower treatment at early growth stage considerably increased per plant fruit yield, associated with increased mean fruit weight and fruit length.
Yield characteristics were accredited to the record of higher specific leaf area, leaf area index, net assimilation rate and leaf dry weight of plants receiving deflowering at early stage.
The increase in overall growth and fruit yield over the control seemed to be due to increase shoot growth and fruit retention due to regular supply of assimilates to the subsequent emerging fruits.
In summary, avoiding early fruit set at lower nodes by removing flowers, but not the leaves, helps plants to grow healthier and ensure proper assimilate supply to emerging flowers and growing fruits, resulting into high plant yield under naturally ventilated greenhouse condition.
Publication
Authors
M. Singh, P. Kumar
Keywords
protected cultivation, productivity, fruit set, physiological attributes
Online Articles (57)