Crop Guide: Nutritional recommendations for Cucumber - Haifa-Group

Contents:
Nutritional recommendations for:
CUCUMBER
in open fields, tunnels and greenhouse
Botanical name: Cucumis sativus L.
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Common names: cucumber, pepino, cetriolo, gherkin, gurke, krastavac, concombre,
huanggua, kiukaba, kukama (Tuvalu), khira, kiukamupa, Kukamba, cetriolo
1. General information ..................................................................................................................................................... 4
1.1 The origin of cucumbers ..................................................................................................................................... 4
1.2 Botanical taxonomy ............................................................................................................................................. 4
1.3 Nutritional and health values of the cucumber fruit ................................................................................ 5
1.4 Plant description ................................................................................................................................................... 5
1.5 Growth stages ........................................................................................................................................................ 6
1.5.1 Vegetative growth ..................................................................................................................................... 6
1.5.2 Flowers and fruits ...................................................................................................................................... 7
1.5.3 Pollination .................................................................................................................................................... 9
1.5.4 Cucumbers types sorted by final usage, morphology and culture practice ........................ 9
2. Growing cucumbers .................................................................................................................................................. 12
2.1 Growing requirements and habits of the plant ...................................................................................... 12
2.2 Important growing parameters .................................................................................................................... 12
2.2.1 Temperature, general and with special reference to greenhouses ...................................... 12
2.2.2 Light, with special reference to greenhouses............................................................................... 13
2.2.3 Relative humidity, with special reference to greenhouses ...................................................... 13
2.2.4 Carbon dioxide in greenhouses ........................................................................................................ 13
2.2.5 Seed germination ................................................................................................................................... 14
2.2.6 Planting ...................................................................................................................................................... 14
2.2.7 Soils .............................................................................................................................................................. 15
2.2.8 Trellising ..................................................................................................................................................... 16
2.2.9 Greenhouse cucumbers ....................................................................................................................... 17
2.2.10 Specific sensitivities ............................................................................................................................. 21
2.2.11 Yields ......................................................................................................................................................... 23
2.2.12 Harvesting ............................................................................................................................................... 23
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