The Influence Of Priming Two Cucumber Cultivar Seeds

J. Duhok Univ. Vol.13, No.1, (Agri. And Vet. Sciences) Pp 1-18, 2010
Company, US. Both cucumber cultivars were
purchased from Agricultural Bureau, Mosul.
A Split-Split Plot within Factorial
Randomized Complete Block Design was
adopted for this experiment. The main Plot (A)
was the cultivation methods. They represented
by (i) - Direct seeds in permanent field when
environment temperature was suitable for
optimal growth (a1) and (ii) - Seeds were sown
in plastic tea pots and kept in plastic-house until
the ambient outdoor environment being suitable
for sustaining optimal growth. Thereafter they
were planted in the permanent field (a2). The sub
main plot was seed priming (B) was done as
below:
Seeds were unprimed (b1) and others were
soaked for 24 hr. with 100% of their initial
weights in distilled water (b2), -1.5 Mpa CaCO3
(b3), -1.5 Mpa MgSO4 (b4), or -1.5 Mpa CaCO3+
MgSO4 mixture (b5). The sub sub-main plot (C)
was the cucumber cultivars where Babylon
cultivar was (c1) and Khalifa cultivar was (c2).
Then these seeds were rinsed and oven-dried at
55 o C. for 72 hrs. to retain their initial weights.
This hydrating-drying cycle was repeated three
times. Thus (2x2x5=20) treatments were
included in this experiment. Each treatment was
replicated three times and a replicate was
represented by a furrow of 1m width and 3m
length planted on one side with 35 cm plant intra
space. The very similar design was repeated in
the second growing season (2005).
Soaking solutions were prepared by
dissolving the above chemical compounds in
distilled water. The electrical conductivities of
these solutions were measured by HANA
ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY DEVICE. The
osmotic potential was calculated by the
following equation: OP Mpa = EC (dSm -1 ) x -
0.36 (Ayers and Wescot, 1976). Field soil was
clay (56.4% clay, 12.3% sand and 31.3% silt), its
field capacity, wilting point and bulk density
were 21.8%, 12.9% and 1.6 g.cm‾³, respectively.
Soil was plowed vertically and horizontally,
then, dissected to match the proposed design.
Seeds of indirect cultivation were sown in
teapots (filled with 1:1:1 peat moss: sheep
manure: sand) inside the plastic house on March
10, 2004. While in second season, seeds were
sown on March 23, 2005. In first year trail,
plants were transplanted in the permanent field
on April 3, 2004 and on April 16, 2005 in
second year trail, where plants possessed 4-6
leaves. Seeds of direct cultivation were sown
directly in the permanent field, at the date of
2
transplanting. Replanting was made on April 17,
2004, since some plants of indirect cultivation
were chilled and completely damaged. Plants
were fertilized by NPK 27:27:0 four times at
rates of 10 g.m -2 during the growing season. The
first application was done immediately after
transplanting, while the others were during
fruiting stage. Foliar spray of PhytoPhert
micronutrients were also applied three times at a
rate of 1.5 g.l -1 . The first was at flowering
commencement and the other two were during
fruiting stage. Weeds were eradicated manually
whenever required around the growing season. A
Mixture of 1 g.l -1 Benomyl fungicides and 2.5
ml.l -1 Endosulfan insecticides was sprayed first
on plants in the plastic house. This mixture was
sprayed at the permanent field when plants
possessed three actual leaves and three weeks
latter to control powdery mildew and white fly.
At any tabulated harvest fresh weight,
numbers of fruits were taken. At the end of
growing season on July 25, 2004 and July 29,
2005 plants were pulled out, then brought to
vegetable laboratory. Leaf number and branches
number were counted. Leaf areas and plant
lengths were measured. Leaves fresh weight,
stem fresh weight, and plant fresh weight were
weighed by sensitive metler balance. Samples of
fruits, leaves, stems were weighed then ovendried
at 65 o C for 72 hrs and finally reweighed.
Fruit, stem, leaves, plant dry matter percentages
besides leaf area index were calculated. Calcium
content of fruits was determined according to
procedure that recommended by Westerman
(1990).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The obtained results exhibited that indirect
cultivation was superior on direct cultivation in
2004. It substantially exceeded the latter in terms
of plant fresh weight 16.4%, leaf dry weight
41.1%, leaf fresh weight 29.2%, leaf number per
plant 18.2% and total yield 23.3% (tables, 2 and
4); fresh fruit yield at 3 rd , 4 th , 6 th , 9 th ,and 13 th ,
respectively by 600.9, 220.8, 156.5, 62.5, and
46.7% (table, 5); fruit number.m -2 at 4 th , 5 th , 6 th
, and 9 th ,respectively by 236.4, 24.3, 168.9 and
68.8% (table, 7). Like wise in 2005 indirect
cultivation was significantly exceeded its
corresponding direct cultivation in plant dry
weight 11.3%, leaf dry weight 10.8%, and leaf
fresh weight 29.7% (table, 3); fresh fruit yield
g.m -2 at 6 th , 12 th , 14 th , 16 th , 17 th , 18 , 19 th and
20 th by 96.4, 22.9, 81.4, 32.6, 77.2, 116.4, ∞ and