Effects of Different Leggy Extent Seedlings on Cucumber Growth，Yield and Quality
MING Cun-hao, JIANG Fang-ling, HU Hong-min, ZHOU Xue-chao, ZHAN Feng-hua, WU Zhen*
Key Laboratory of Southern Vegetable Crop Genetic Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, Jiangsu, China
Abstract：Using 2 different ecotypes of cucumber（Cucumis sativus L.）variety‘Jinchun No.4’and ‘Daiduoxing’as materials to obtain a couple of cucumber seedlings with different leggy extent by shading, the effects of seedlings leggy extent on cucumber plant growth, fruit yield and quality were studied. The results showed that different degrees of cucumber seedlings leggy growth occurred under shading conditions, and planting had significant impact on plant growth, fruit yield and quality. The plant height and hypocotyl length of leggy seedlings were significantly higher than that of the control, but the stem diameter, leaf area, dry weight, dry matter content, root/shoot ratio and seedling index all displayed opposite changing trend. After planting, the plant height，stem diameter, leaf number and leaf area of leggy seedlings were significantly differed from those of the control seedlings. Compared with the control, the leggy seedlings delayed its early blooming period; the node of its first female flower was higher; while the average pod number per plant, fruit weight, and early yield per plant and per unit area were all significantly decreased; its fruit soluble solids, soluble sugar, soluble protein and VC contents were also significantly reduced. This suggested that after planting cucumber leggy seedlings had significant negative effects on plant growth, fruit yield and quality.
