NITROGEN FERTILIZATION AND TEXTURE OF PARTHENOCARPIC PICKLING CUCUMBERS

A high labour input, mainly due to the frequent harvestings, is required for growing pickling cucumbers.
This was the reason for the demand for plants with the maximum fruit -set needed to produce an optimum number of properly-sized fruits for each harvesting date through the season.
This demand was met about 20 years ago by high-yielding gynoecious cultivars and additional male lines.
However, if rainy weather prevents pollinating insects from flying, the yield consequently decreases.
Such a disadvantage can be overcome by the new parthenocarpic cultivars, in which fruit-set takes place without pollination.
They develop quite uniformly throughout the season, mature early, and yields are high and reliable.
Because of the higher rate of fruit-set of parthenocarpic cultivars, growers apply higher levels of nitrogen to soils on which these cultivars are grown.

The processing industry is dissatisfied with the poor texture of pickles processed from parthenocarpic cucumbers.
Since the processing procedures have not been changed, the reason for this lack of quality must be attributed to the raw product.
Different factors may affect the texture of parthenocarpic cucumbers before processing, such as

• genetic factors (Goffinet, 1977; Jones et al., 1954; Lindner, 1983; Bohrer & Neugebohrn, 1985) changing physiological reactions of the plants, such as rate of metabolism and transpiration, sink-source-relation, etc.;

• reactions to the climatic conditions prevailing during growth (radiation intensity, temperature, air humidity, precipitation, etc.);

• agrotechnical procedures, e.g. nutrition, water supply, frequency of harvesting operations, etc.;

• postharvest handling, such as temperature, air humidity, duration of transport and storage (Cook et al., 1957; Fellers & Pflug, 1965).

A series of preliminary experiments was conducted to investigate whether there was any relation between the texture of parthenocarpic cucumbers and the nitrogen supply to the plant.

International Symposium on Fruit & Vegetables for Processing

D. Fritz, J. Weichmann

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1986.194.13