IMPROVING THE FRUIT YIELD AND QUALITY OF CUCUMBER BY GRAFTING ONTO DIFFERENT ROOTSTOCKS UNDER SALINE CONDITIONS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Protected Cultivation Dept., Hort. Res. Inst., Agric. Res. Center, Giza, Egypt

2 Horticultural Dept., Fac. of Agric., Ain Shams Univ., P.O. Box 68, Hadyek Shoubra, 11241 Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Two experiments were carried out under low polyethylene tunnels which furnished with drip irrigation during the two successive winter seasons of 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 at Elbrollous area which represents the circumstance and conditions of coastal zone of north Nile Delta kafr Elsheikh Governorate. The objective of the investigation was to find out the effect of grafting by different cucurbita rootstocks on cucumber hybrid "ESHRAK" (Cucumis sativus, L.) on vegetative growth, flowering, yield and fruit characteristics, beside nutrient contents of cucumber plants. Results showed that grafted cucumber plants on Super Shintoza led to significant increase in vegetative growth,i.e., stem length, number of leaves, number of branches and leaf area,fruit fresh weight (g), number of fruits, total yield were greater with grafted cucumber plants on Super Shintoza followed by grafted cucumber plants on cv. Ferro. However grafting had no significant effect on potassium % of fruit on both seasons. The highest total yield was obtained by grafting cucumber plants on Super Shintoza rootstock followed by grafting on cv. Ferro rootstock by 130 % and 73 %, respectively in the first season and 160% and 147 %, in the second season respectively as compared with ungrafted cucumber plants. Accordingly, this study ensured that the use of rootstocks were more beneficial than ungrafted cucumber in both tested seasons.  
 

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