Influence of varied concentrations of salicylic acid and ethrel treated at different stages on morphological, phenological and economic traits of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Abstract

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) stands as a globally significant vegetable, valued for its adaptability, nutritional richness, and economic importance. This study focused on three replications with thirteen treatments, and the experimental design used was Randomized block design (RBD) which was conducted at the Experimental Field, Department of Horticulture, College of Agriculture, Indore (MP) India, during the kharif season 2023. The objectives were to find out the response of varied concentrations of salicylic acid and ethrel applied at different stages on morphology, phenology and analyse the economics of cucumber. The results indicated significant variability among the treatments for various morphological, phenological, and economic traits. The treatments with ethrel at the 2-4 leaf stage showed significant results for all morphological traits, as it reduced the vine length and internode length with an increased number of branches and leaves. The treatments with Ethrel also had a significantly positive response to phenological traits, as it showed the minimum days taken to first fruit set, days taken to first picking, and sex ratio among the treatments. Economically, ethrel @ 250 ppm at 2-4 leaf stage demonstrated the highest cost-benefit ratio, emphasizing its potential for profitable cultivation. The findings provide valuable insights for the application of ethrel and salicylic acid in the production of cucumber crops for enhanced productivity and economic returns.