Influence of Soil Conditioner Rate on Seed Germination and Growth of Cucumber Plants (Cucumis Sativus L.) PDF

Keywords

gel conditioner, dry matter, cucumber

Abstract

The effect of five levels (0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8% on dry matter basis) of gel-forming conditioner (Broad leaf P4) on seed germination and growth of cucumber, Cucumis sativus L. cv. Dina, was investigated. The experiment was carried out in greenhouse with day and night temperature of 25° and 18°C. The gel forming conditioner was added to the top 10 cm of the potts. Increasing gel conditioner rate in the growth media resulted in rapid germination. The addition of gel conditioner increased the early growth of the seedlings. Control plants had significantly lower lead number than the treated plants but significantly higher average leaf area. At the end of the experiment, 75 days after sowing, no significant treatment effects were observed on plant height, or on shoot fresh and dry matter weights. Relative water content (RWC), water use efficiency (WUE) and total yield are significantly increased with the addition of gel conditioner.