Agronomic performance and correlation studies in five genotypes of cucumber(Cucumissativus)

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at Ekorinim, Calabar, from April- June 2023 to study the agronomic performance and correlation between yield and yield- related traits of cucumber (Cucumis sativus). The genotypes used were; micu_1002, Market more, Marketer, Saira F1 and a landrace (Odukpani local). The experiment was laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with 3 replications. Data were collected on emergence percentage, number of leaves, number of branches, vine length, number of days to 50% flowering, days to male flower initiation, days to female flower initiation, days to first fruit maturity, number of fruits, fruit length and fruit weight. The data collected were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and significant means were separated using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 5% level of significance. The cucumber genotypes varied significantly across all the traits (P<0.05) except number of branches, first harvest fruit length, first harvest fruit weight, second harvest number of fruits and second harvest fruit weight (P>0.05). Pearson correlation coefficient was estimated to determine the association between yield and yield- related traits. Saira F1 and Micu_1002 were significantly better in number of leaves, number of branches, vine length, number of fruits per plant, fruit weight and fruit length, days to female flower initiation, days to first fruit initiation and days to first fruit maturity than the other genotypes. These genotypes are therefore recommended for further evaluation in this agro-ecology.