Influence of various types of absorbent and mulching materials on the productivity and quality of the harvest of cucumbers in the Forest-steppe of Ukraine

Abstract

The article presents three year’s data on the influence of various types of absorbent and mulching materials on the productivity of Bettina hybrid cucumber for growing plants on a vertical trellis in the Forest-steppe conditions of Ukraine. The data on the passage of the main phenological phases of growth and development of cucumber plants, biometric parameters, yield and biochemical composition of fruits, correlation and variance analysis of the research results are presented. It was found that all phases of plant growth and development passed faster when the soil was mulched with black plastic wrap and black agro fbre using different types of absorbent. In comparison with the control, water-retaining granules and gel, against the background of the use of mulching materials, contributed to an increase in the height of the main stem, the formation of a larger number of leaves on the plant and the area of their assimilation surface. Among the mulching materials, the best results were obtained with the black flm, and among the types of absorbent - with the gel. The highest marketable yield was obtained from the options for mulching the soil with black plastic wrap using water-retaining granules and gel – 56,4 t/ha and 56,9 t/ha, respectively. The largest mass of the early harvest was provided by the option of mulching with a black flm and applying gel to the soil – 35,9 t/ha. Mulching materials and various types of absorbent have contributed to the increase in the marketability of the crop. However, the largest marketability was in the option of mulching with black flm and the use of water-containing granules – 99,4 %. Under the influence of mulching materials and various types of absorbent, the biochemical composition of cucumber fruits changed. The highest dry matter content was for mulching with black flm and the use of an absorbent – 5,3 %. The most sugary fruits were those with the option of mulching with a flm and using an absorbent in the form of a gel – 2,19 %. The content of nitrates in fruits did not exceed the maximum permissible level. However, their lowest content in fruits was under agro fbre without the use of an absorbent – 52,0 mg/kg. Key words: cucumber, hybrid, vertical trellis, absorbents, mulching materials, biometric indicators, yield, fruit marketability, crop quality.