This presentation is done by Export Agriculture students of 2010/11 batch of Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka as a requirement for the subject which is “Fruit & Vegetable Cultivation”. Note that the information included here is relevant to Sri Lankan condition

1. Export Agriculture
Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka

2. CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• MORPHOLOGY
• RECOMMENDED VARIETIES
• SOIL & CLIMATIC REQUIREMENT
• FIELD ESTABLISHMENT
• HARVESTING
• STORAGE & POST- HARVEST
• USES
• PEST & DISEASES
• REFERANCES
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3. INTRODUCTION
Family : Cucurbitaceae
Genus : Cucumis
Species : Cucumis sativus
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4. • The cucumber is a warm season crop
• Originated from Northern India
• In Sri Lanka, best eaten sliced as a salad
• Appetizer with other vegetables because of its
distinct flavor and texture
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5. Major growing areas
• Throughout the year in the wet-zone
• During Maha season in the dry-zone
Identified districts
• Kurunegala
• Matale
• Hambantota
Potential districts
• Puttlum, Colombo, Matara, Badulla,
Moneragala, Polonnaruwa ,Anuradhapura
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6. MORPHOLOGY
• Cucumber is a monoecious annual vegetable
• It is a sprawling vine with large leaves and curling
tendrils
• The leaves are arranged alternately on the vines
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7. • Plant produces yellow colour flowers
• The fruits are usually cylindrical
• Many-seeded berries
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8. RECOMMENDED VARIETIES
• Champion
• Kalpitiya white
• LY58
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9. • Special features of
• Champion
•Salad cucumber
• Kalpitiya white
•Local selection
•Salad cucumber
• LY58
•Yield potential 25Mt/ha
•Recommended for Dry and Wet zones
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10. In 2012 release New hybrid variety HORDI
Green F1
• Fruit taste-Crispy
• Moisture- 96.2%
• External skin colour -Yellow green
• Internal skin colour -Green white
• Reaction to pests- No serious pest infestation
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11. SOIL & CLIMATIC REQUIREMENT
• Rainfall
Wet zone 2500 mm
Dry zone1200 - 1900 mm
• Soil – Any soil
high water-holding capacity
good drainage
• pH range
5.5 to 7.0
• Temperature
25–30˚С
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12. FIELD ESTABLISHMENT
Land preparation
• Prepare the field at least one month before
planting
• Follow each plowing with harrowing
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13. • For wet season cropping, prepare raised beds
• One week before planting, make holes 30 cm
apart
• Apply well-decomposed animal manure
• Mix the manure thoroughly with soil
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14. Planting
• Sow 3-4 seeds/hills and cover with a thin layer
of soil
• About 2-3 kg of seeds are required for one
hectare
• Irrigate the field right after sowing
• 5 to 7 days after germination, rogue excess
seedlings and maintain only two plants/hill
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15. Trellising
• Ipil-ipil posts spaced 3-4 m apart are laid out
in the field
• Wires can be used to connect the poles along
each furrow
• synthetic straw can be used for vine training
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16. Spacing
I m x 1 m 3-4 seeds per planting hole
Fertilizer application
Urea TSP MOH
Basal 75 200 60
Top
dressing-1
75 - 60
Top
dressing-2
75 60 60
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17. Irrigation
• During the dry season, water regularly every
10-14 days
• Depending on the soil type and weather
condition
• watering in the morning hours
• Avoid too much water
• Use drip irrigation system
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18. Weed control
• The beds should be kept free of weeds,
especially in the early stages
• Later on, rapidly spreading vines suppress the
weeds
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19. HARVESTING
• Most cucumber varieties will produce fruit
ready for harvest in 50 to 60 days
• The peak cucumber production months during
the Maha season
• Check vines daily as the fruit starts to appear
• pick cucumbers whenever it big enough to use
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20. STORAGE & POST- HARVEST
• Cucumber has over 90 % water
• Wrap tightly by a plastic wrap to retain
moisture
• They can keep for a week to 10 days when
stored properly in the refrigerate
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21. USES
• As a fresh vegetable
• Consumed fresh in salads
• Pickling
• Cosmetics products
• Anti bacterial regents
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22. PEST & DISEASES
Cucumber plants are susceptible to pests
• Cucumber Beetles
• Aphids
• Crickets
• Leafhoppers
• Thrips
• Grasshoppers
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23. Insects
Aphids
• Turn leaves yellow and stunt shoots
• transmit viruses from plant to plant
Control
• Monitoring
• Use natural enemies
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24. Cucumber beetles
• feed on the leaves
• spread cucumber mosaic virus or wilts in
cucurbits
Control
• Management of cucumber beetles is difficult.
• Use cover crops
• Remove crop residues
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25. Diseases
• The most important diseases are
• Powdery mildew
• Mosaic
• Downy mildew
• Anthracnose
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26. Mosaic
• Causal Organism-
-Cucumber mosaic virus & squash
mosaic virus
• Symptoms
-Leaves are small & puckered & plant become
stunted
-Edged of the leaves are turn down
-Knobs on the fruits are light yellow
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27. Powdery mildew
• Causal Organism -Erysiphe cichoracearum
• Symptoms
-Spot develop on the upper surface of on the
older leaf
-It causes the leaves to turn yellow & whiter
-Fruits are not infected
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28. Control
• Used fungicide sprays
• Cultural control- using good quality seed
• Remove alternate of host aphids
• Don’t plant cucurbits near to wood
• Control weeds
• Use insecticide
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29. REFERANCES
• http://www.semena.org/agro/Cucumber-e.htm
• http://www.agridept.gov.lk/index.php/en/crop-
recommendations/984
• http://www.backyard-vegetable-
gardening.com/cucumber-diseases.html
• http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/PE
STS/cucumberbeet.html
• https://www.plantvillage.com/topics/cucumber/infos
• http://www.darfu4b.da.gov.ph/cucumber.html
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30. GROUP MEMBERS
• B.M.S.K. Ekanayake UWU/EAG/11/0004
• K.A.M.Y.C. Jayathissa UWU/EAG/11/0010
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31. THANK YOU !
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