Horticulture :: Vegetables:: Cucumber

Horticulture :: Vegetables:: Cucumber

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Cucurbitaceae Varieties Co 1, Japanese Long Green, Straight Eight and Poinsettee are mainly cultivated. Soil Sandy loam rich in organic matter with good drainage and pH range from 6.5-7.5 are ideal for cucumber cultivation. This crop requires a moderate warm temperature. Season Sow the seeds during June or January to April Seed rate About 2.5 kg of seeds are required for a hectare. Seed treatment Treat the seeds with Trichoderma viride 4 g/kg or Pseudomonas fluorescens 10 g/kg or Carbendazim 2 g/kg of seeds before sowing. Preparation of field Plough the field four times and form long channels at 1.5 m apart. Sowing Sow the seeds on one side of channel giving a spacing of 0.6 m between hills. Thin the seedlings to two/hill at 15 days after planting. Irrigation Irrigate the field before dibbling the seeds and thereafter once a week. Application of fertilizers Apply FYM 40 t/ha as basal and 35 kg of N/ha at 30 days after sowing.Apply Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria 2 kg/ha and Pseudomonoas 2.5 kg/ha along with FYM 50 kg and neem cake @ 100 kg before last ploughing. Drip irrigation Install drip system with main and sub-main pipes and place the inline lateral tubes at an interval of 1.5m. Place the drippers in lateral tubes at an interval of 60 cm and 50 cm spacing with 4 LPH and 3.5 LPH capacities respectively. Field preparation Form raised beds of 120 cm width at an interval of 30 cm and the laterals are placed at the centre of each bed. Sowing Sow the seeds at an interval of 60 cm distance at the centre of the bed along the laterals. Sow the seeds in polybags @ one per bag for gap filling. Spray pre emergence weedicide like fluchloralin 1 kg a.i. or metalachlor 0.75 kg a.i./ha on third day of sowing. Fertigation Apply a dose of 150:75:75 kg NPK/ha throughout the cropping period through split application for F1 hybrid. In respect of phosphorous, 75% has to be applied as a basal dose. Fertigation Schedule - Cucumber (Hybrid) Recommended Dose: 150:75:75 Kg/ha Stage Crop stage Duration in days Fertilizer grade Total Fertilizer (kg/ha) Nutrient applied % of requirement N P K N P K 1 Crop establishment stage 10 19:19:19 + MN 13-0-45 Urea 19.72 8.24 22.11 3.75 1.07 10.19 3.75 - - 3.75 3.75 - 10.00 5.00 10.00 Subtotal 15.01 3.75 7.50 2 Vegetative stage 20 12-61-0 13-0-45 Urea 9.21 49.49 95.27 1.09 - 43.91 5.63 - - - 22.49 - 30.00 7.50 30.00 Subtotal 45.00 5.63 22.49 3 Flower initiation to first picking 20 19:19:19 + MN 13-0-45 Urea 29.61 20.61 80.00 5.62 2.62 36.71 5.63 - - 5.63 9.37 - 30.00 7.50 20.00 Subtotal 45.00 5.63 15.00 4 Harvesting stage 40 19:19:19 + MN 13-0-45 Urea 6.13 66.00 77.47 0.73 8.57 35.69 3.75 - - - 30 - 30.00 5.00 40.00 Total duration 90 days Subtotal 44.99 3.75 30.00 Total 150.00 18.75 75.00 100 25 100 *75% RD of Phosphorus applied as superphosphate = 352 Kg/ha 1. 19:19:19 = 55 kg/ha 2. 13:0:45 = 144 kg/ha 3. 12:61:0 = 9 kg/ha 4. Urea = 275 kg/ha After cultivation Hoe and weed twice or thrice. Plant protection Pest Fruit fly 1. Collect the affected fruits and destroy. 2. The fly population is low in hot day conditions and it is peak in rainy season.  Hence adjust the sowing time accordingly. 3. Expose the pupae by ploughing. 4. Use polythene bags, fish meal trap with 5 g of wet fish meal and 1 g of Dichlorvos in cotton, 50 traps are required per hectare. Fish meal and Dichlorvos impregnated cotton are to be renewed once in 20 and 7 days respectively. 5.Neem oil  @ 3.0 %  as foliar spray as need based Do not use copper and sulphur dust, as these are phytotoxic. Disease Downy mildew Downy mildew can be controlled by spraying Mancozeb or Chlorothalonil 2 g/lit twice at 10 days interval. Do not use DDT, lindane 1.3% dust, copper and sulphur dust, as these are phytotoxic. Harvest Harvest can be done 45 days after sowing. On an average 8 – 10 harvests can be done. Yield 8 - 10 t/ha in 80 to 90 days for salad. Market Information Crop Growing districts Kanyakumari, Dindigul, Tirunelveli,Theni Major markets in Tamil Nadu Periyar Vegetable Market Koyambedu, Chennai Gandhi Market, Oddanchathiram Natchipalayam vegetable market, Coimbatore