Abstract

LOAICIGA-ARIAS, Julio César; MONGE-PEREZ, José Eladio  and  LORIA-COTO, Michelle. Effect of two drainage rates and a biostimulant in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) grown under greenhouse conditions. Tecnología en Marcha [online]. 2023, vol.36, n.4, pp.31-44. ISSN 0379-3982.  http://dx.doi.org/10.18845/tm.v36i4.6298.

Researchers evaluated the effect of applying two drainage rates (10 % and 30 %) and a biostimulant (foliar, root, and control treatments) on the yield and quality of cucumber cv. Modan grown under greenhouse conditions. Evaluated variables were: plant height (cm), stem diameter (mm), number of fruits per plant, fruit weight (g), yield (ton/ha), and percentage of total soluble solids (°Brix). Compared to plants with 30 % drainage rate, plants with a 10% rate showed only the following significant differences: lower height, smaller stem diameter, and higher second quality yield. The foliar application of biostimulant produced a significant increase in the following variables, compared to the root application and the control: number of fruits per plant (commercial and first quality), and yield (total, commercial and first quality). The root application of biostimulant caused a higher weight of the third quality fruit, compared to the foliar application, but it was not different from the control. The foliar application of biostimulant improved the yield and quality of cucumber, for which its use is recommended under the conditions in which the study was carried out. The use of a 10 % drainage rate is also recommended in greenhouse-grown cucumber, as it produced similar yields and quality to those obtained with a 30 % rate, thus representing an important economy of water and nutrients.

Keywords : Climate change; quality; yield; seaweed extract; leaching fraction; biostimulant.

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