Salad cucumber "Saladin" F1

* Bee-pollinated and parthenocarpic hybrids are grown in winter greenhouses, and there are significant differences in cultivation technology for them.
Growing parthenocarpic hybrids.
The development of industrial greenhouse vegetable growing and the construction of large greenhouse complexes have necessitated the use of “technological” varieties that ensure high productivity.
Parthenocarpic hybrids meet this requirement. They boast vigorous growth and dense foliage, allowing for 2-2.5 times fewer plants per unit area compared to bee-pollinated varieties. This results in significant savings on seeds and seedlings, reduced labor costs for plant care and harvesting, and eliminates the cost of maintaining and caring for bees.
Due to the high productivity of plants and the greater weight of the fruit (300-400 g), long-fruited “parthenocarpic” varieties produce up to 22-24 kg of fruit per plant in 4-4.5 months of fruiting.
Based on their ability to form female flowers, parthenocarpic cucumber hybrids are divided into 3 groups :
1) mixed type of flowering, i.e. forming both female and male flowers (Spore, Greenspot, Saladin);
2) predominantly female type of flowering, forming a small number of male flowers, especially in the lower part of the main stem (Toska, Brilliant, Moscow Greenhouse);
3) completely female type of flowering, not producing male flowers; they have the greatest potential for obtaining high yields (Farbio, Sandra, Biryusa, etc.),
Moreover, they can be grown during bee visits, since the absence of male flowers eliminates the possibility of pollination.
In seed production of such hybrids, plants are treated with gibberellin to produce male flowers. Hybrids with mixed and predominantly female flowering types produce more male flowers under low light and unfavorable mineral nutrition conditions.
When growing parthenocarpic varieties and hybrids in winter-spring culture, about 15-16 thousand plants are planted per 1 hectare of greenhouses, for which it is necessary to sow about 18,000 pieces, or 600-650 g of seeds.
The optimal timing for sowing and planting cucumbers is determined by both lighting conditions and the biological characteristics of the variety.
For example, for sowing the "Aprelsky" hybrid (formerly Moskovsky Teplichny) in the 3rd light zone, the optimal sowing time is December 1-5, and planting is January 2-5; in the 2nd light zone - one week later; in the 4th-5th - 7-15 days earlier, respectively.
With later sowing and planting dates, the yield of both early and total crops lags behind by 18-20 and 7-12%, respectively.
Farbio-type hybrids can be grown earlier in the season for a given light zone: by sowing in late November and planting seedlings on December 28-30, cucumber yields not only remain the same but can be significantly higher. This is of great organizational importance, as it allows for an extension of the optimal seedling planting period.
The parameters of standard seedlings of parthenocarpic hybrids are as follows: age - 30 days; plant height - 25-30 cm; hypocotyl length - no more than 5 cm; number of leaves - 5-6; leaf surface area - 6.0-7.0 dm2; raw weight of the above-ground part - about 35-40 g, dry about 2.5 g; well-developed root system.
After 33-35 days from sowing, plants begin to stretch rapidly, and the seedlings lose quality. Greenhouses must be fully prepared before planting.
In block greenhouses with a link width of 6.4 m, 4 rows are planted with 160 cm spacing between rows. This spacing is specified as optimal for parthenocarpic cucumber varieties in the block greenhouse design itself, according to which the subsoil heating and sprinkler pipes, as well as the above-ground registers, are positioned.
In hangar greenhouses, transverse rows of plants are used, which provides better conditions for plant care and uniform illumination of the plantings.
The area of plant nutrition depends on the variety, growing period (i.e. lighting conditions), and also on the level of mineral nutrition.
With an increase in the feeding area, illumination in the rows of plants improves, more leaves and lateral shoots are formed, the leaf surface area and productivity of one plant increase, but the yield per unit area (kg/m2) decreases with a certain planting density.
When the feeding area is reduced, there is another danger: dense planting leads to shading, premature death of lower leaves, stagnation of damp air and the appearance of diseases.