Effects of Moderately-Reduced Water Supply and Picking Time on the Chemical Composition of Pickling Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) in Open Field Cultivation

Abstract

As climate change evokes changing precipitation patterns, the cultivation of vegetable crops in open fields might become more difficult in the future. Nowadays, many vegetable growers are already facing relatively long unprecedented precipitation-free periods. In many growing regions, irrigation is only available to a limited extent or not at all, and the cultivated plants will suffer from moderate water stress more often. Therefore, we examined the effects of moderately-reduced water supply on the chemical composition of pickling cucumber, cultivated in an open field and in a separate greenhouse trial. In the field trial, the reduced water supply treatment (RWS) provided 85–90% of the total water amount of the well-watered control treatment (CTR), applying a randomized block design with six replications comprising two consecutive weekly harvest periods. In fruits obtained by cultivation with reduced irrigation, levels of malic acid, calcium, and magnesium significantly increased, while those of phosphate, phosphorous, nitrogen, and iron decreased based on dry matter. Fresh matter-related results additionally revealed a decrease of myo-inositol and zinc, while sugars and total phenols remained unchanged. In the greenhouse experiment, the RWS obtained 60% of the irrigation amount of the CTR. Here, single cucumber compartments (exocarp, mesocarp, and endocarp) were examined. Chemical compositions changed in a similar, but more pronounced, manner as compared to the open field trial. The levels of individual, nutritionally relevant carotenoids in the peel of pickling cucumber, like lutein and β-carotene, were affected by RWS. Regarding the nutritional quality of fresh marketable cucumber fruits, malic acid, certain minerals and trace elements, as well as the carotenoids were shown to be sensitive to moderate water reduction.

Quality and Yield of Edible Vegetables from Landscape Design

“…Literature data demonstrate the sodium content of cucumber fruits across different fertilisation versions, ranging from 1.08 ppm to 1.50 ppm [67]. Additionally, the zinc content of cucumber fruit exhibits wide variation, ranging from 0.20 ppm in mesocarp analyses to 0.43 ppm in exocarp analyses [68]. These findings provide valuable insights into the macroelement and microelement compositions of various generative organ consumption species.…”

Gypsum amendment and seasonal variability: effect on soil quality, fruit characteristics and toxicological responses of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus l.) in the Ahafo-Kenyasi Mining Area of Ghana

“…The minor rainy season presented higher mean length, number and weight of fruits than the major rainy season. This could be due to improved assimilate deposition in the sink tissues of fruits as a result of improved dissolution and transport of water, mineral and organic materials from increased precipitation during the minor rainy season [45] Schlering et al [46] found that the quality of cucumber crop could suffer if the right abiotic factors of water and soil nutrients are deficient.…”

Evaluation of Growth Parameters, Physiological Responses, and Yield during Forcing Cultivation of Cucumbers in On-farm Trials

“…Cucumber cultivation management varies depending on crop type, temperature, lighting quality, and management methods (Lee, 2012;Ashraf et al, 2020;Cui et al, 2020;Kowalczyk et al, 2020;Schlering et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2020). For example, early-morning heating is applied to raise temperatures (Kwon et al, 2004), and studies are being conducted on the effects of light conditions and inhibition of ventilation using shading and fog during high temperatures (Ashraf et al, 2020;Kim et al, 2020;Kowalczyk et al, 2020;Park et al, 2020).…”