Gherkin
Crop manual vertical indoor cultivation
Vertical indoor cultivation Young plant propagation The segment of ‘protected cultivation’ mainly
For gherkin young plant propagation it is very impor-
supplies the East European market with gherkins.
tant to use light substrate (peat or cocopeat), or a
Especially early and late sets are cultivated to
mixture of both of them. Gherkin young plant propaga-
ensure the supply with fresh gherkins for as long as
tion can be done in two ways:
possible.
• direct sowing into pots or trays;
This implies high demands on the varieties as they
• via re-transplanting from trays into pots.
have to be cultivated under low-light conditions and non-optimal temperatures.
For uniform seed germination the temperature of the
The summer sets also supply the processing
substrate should be around 24 to 25 degrees Celsius.
industry with gherkins.
For better seed germination and better seed coat opening it is good to use thin cloth or perforated plastic foil to cover the pots or trays with it. After about 20-30 percent of seeds produce hypocotyls hooks the thin cloth or foil coverage should be removed. The temperature should be than reduced to 20 degrees Celsius with a relative humidity (RH) of 80 to 90 percent and artificial lighting should be turned on. During the seed germination process we recommend to measure the temperature of the soil/substrate and not the temperature of the surrounding air.
Seeds will be sown around 1 to 2 cm below the soil/substrate surface.
Growing stage
Day temperature ºC
Night temperature ºC
Artificial light, in hours
Sowing
24-26
24-26
–
Germination
22-23
21-22
24
Transplanting
20-21
19-20
18
Young plants
20-21
18-19
16-18
Before planting in greenhouse
19-20
17-18
12-14
Planting in greenhouse
20-21
19-20
–
3 days after planting in greenhouse
19-24*
17-18
–
* During cloudy days, day temperature should be 19-20º C, however during sunny days about 24º C.
2
During winter sowings of gherkins with low light conditions it is recommend to use artificial light in form of sodium lamps which are hung up 2m above the plants to achieve a better young plant quality. Minimal artificial light intensity for gherkin young plants must be around 100 Watt/m2. Bulbs with the power of 400 or 600 Watts are normally used. The below
After emergence of the first real leaf plants start to
mentioned temperature ranges are recommended if the
use nutrients available in the root zone. Therefore we
described artificial light levels are used.
recommend to provide with each watering fertilizers
Optimal irrigation water EC for cucumbers 0,4-0,7 mS.
for the balanced plant development. In the table below the recommended amounts of fertilizer salts are given for 10 L of irrigation solution. To avoid a precipitation of calcium and phosphor it is recommended to dissolve the calcium nitrate in one tank / bucket with 5 L of
During winter gherkin young plant growing it is better
water and the rest of the nutrients in another tank /
to use pots with a minimal volume of 0,5 L. This makes
bucket with 5 L of water. Afterwards both solutions can
it possible to get young plants with 3-4 real leaves and
be mixed together.
well developed root systems. Such young plants can survive stress situations better during plantation into the greenhouse. In general, the later we sow in winter, the younger young plants can be used, with fewer amounts of real leaves and it is also possible to grow them in pots/trays with smaller substrate volumes. During young plant growing it is not only important to control the climate, but it is also important to provide proper fertilization. The EC (Electrical Conductivity) level of clean water is important because so lower it is, so more nutrients are available for uptake via the root
Use of fertilizers Fertilizers*
Irrigations 1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
Monopotassium phosphate
2
2
2
2
2
Calcium nitrate
3
3
3
4
5
Potassium nitrate
–
–
2
2
3
Magnesium nitrate
–
2
2
3
4
Total, grams
5
7
9
11
14
* In general it is possible to use other water soluble fertilizers too as soon as the irrigation solution is balanced regarding main nutrient elements and microelements.
systems of the plants. It is very important to have a proper irrigation during
Optimal irrigation water EC for cucumbers 0,4-0,7 mS.
young plants growing. The watering is done when needed, so that the roots are forced to search for the water. With a proper watering strategy the whole pot/ tray volume is filled with the root system. 3
3.2m
Planting in the greenhouse and irrigation
3.2m
Before main soil preparation it is recommended to introduce organic fertilizers. Introduction of dairy cattle manure positively affects the gherkin crop. The manure improves the soil structure in the greenhouse. During plantation of young plants into the greenhouse the temperature of the soil is important. Firstly if the soil
0.45-0.5m
temperature is lower than 14 degrees Celsius, the root
0.45-0.5m
0.45-0.5m 0.45-0.5m
system cannot develop and secondly so lower the soil temperature is it facilitates the development of root
0.4 m
0.8 m
0.8 m
0.8 m
0.4 m
0.5 0.6 m m
1.0 m
0.6 0.5 m m
fungal diseases (root rots, Fusarium) which leads in the most worse case to a dying of the young plants.
Optimal soil temperature 18-20ºC.
The single row planting Distances between the rows can be as well 1m. In this case the distance between plants is 0.3-0.35 m. Both schemes are possible.
The double row planting. The distance between rows can be changed according to the growing conditions. The planting density however should be maintained.
In spring plantings the plants density is about 2,5-3,0 pl/m2 whereas the plant density in autumn plantings should be only 2-2,5 pl/m2. Plants in the greenhouse are planted in a single row or a double row. In single row plantings the plants are ‘V’ wired, onto two wires whereas in the double row plantings the plants are planted in a staggered order. All the measures are intended to provide maximal light penetration into the plant canopy. Below the two described planting types are depicted. The greenhouse climate after plantation is important. Factors as air temperature, light levels, air humidity etc. are all used to describe the climate. The main goal is to create optimal conditions for growth and development of gherkin the plants.
4
In early winter plantings in the greenhouse it is difficult to hold the right climate such as temperature and the relative humidity due to many dull days. Taking into consideration the above conditions, we have to apply a proper irrigation strategy and fertilization. With 95 percent and more relative humidity in the greenhouse it is not recommended to irrigate, since in these circumstances almost no
Irrigation should stop at about 2-3 hours before sunset
transpiration takes place.
after a sunny day and before 4-5 hours after a dull day.
Optimal relative humidity in the greenhouse for
The daily water demand of a cucumber plant can
growing ranges between 80-85 percent. The watering
range from 0,2 till 2,5 L. The amounts are dependent
of plants after planting should be done on demand and
on soil type, plant growing stage, the temperature and
especially on sunny days.
humidity in the greenhouse. The irrigation should be
Optimal temperature of irrigation water is 18-20ºC.
divided into 3-4 cycles in a single day. However 70 percent of the daily water should be given from 11 am till 3 pm i.e. in the period of high water uptake due to evapotranspiration.
The plants do not need frequent irrigations and big water volumes before fruits start to grow. In this period it is important to get a good root system established by forcing the roots to search for water. In the early spring the start of irrigation should not be earlier than 2-3 hours after sunrise and in addition the irrigation should not be done unless it has been warm enough in the greenhouse (+20ºC) for at least two hours so that the plants are heated. If the above mentioned conditions are not met the plants are not ready to get water and therefore can lose roots which can lead to fruit abortion.
First transpiration, then irrigation. 5
We first build a ‘factory’ then get production.
Fertilization Gherkin plants are regarded as a fast growing crop
Elements
Young plants propagation
Intensive growing period
Harvesting period
N
160 - 170
190 - 220
200 - 240
which quickly uses its nutrients in the root zone.
K
180 - 220
250 - 290
280 - 330
Therefore it is important to provide nutrients
P
40 - 60
40 - 45
40
throughout the whole growing period.
Ca
160 - 190
170 - 180
160 - 170
During the calculation of the fertilizer recipe it is
Mg
30
30 - 40
35 - 45
important to have clean water analysis results.
pH drip
5,0 - 5,5
5,0 - 5,5
5,2 - 5,7
EC drip
1,6 - 1,8
2,1
2,1
The rule of thumb is that:
* In general it is possible to use other water soluble fertilizers too as soon as the irrigation solution is balanced regarding main nutrient elements and microelements.
1mS = 1 gram fertilizers dissolved in 1 liter of distilled water.
Fertilizer recipe During the intensive growing and harvesting periods
E.g. the clean irrigation water has an EC of 0.5 mS. In order to water
it is possible to use the following fertilizer recipe:
plants with an EC of 1.8 mS, we can dissolve 1.3 gr. of fertilizers in 1 L
For 1,000 L irrigation solution for gherkins:
of that water.
• Potassium nitrate
550 gr.
• Magnesium nitrate
400 gr.
For fertilizer calculations it is better to use amounts of
• Calcium nitrate
400 gr.
fertilizers per water volume (ex. 1,000 L or 1m ) rather
• Monopotassium phosphate
150 gr.
than amounts per m2 greenhouse area. By applying
• Ammonium nitrate
100 gr.
fertilizers via drip irrigation we reach the root zone
• Total fertilizers
1,600 gr.
3
immediately where fertilizers are readily available to the plants. On the other hand by controlling irrigation
The properly prepared irrigation solution should be
we also can control applied fertilizer amounts which is
opaque and with no precipitates. To reach that in praxis
important in the early phases of growing.
usually two irrigation tanks are utilized; one tank to dissolve calcium, potassium, nitrates, magnesium, iron
However, by calculating fertilizer amounts per m we
and microelements and another tank to dissolve sulfates,
apply them in solid form and thus cannot spread them
nitrates, phosphates and micronutrients. Both solutions
even. This can lead to the increased salinity of the soil. In
will be than mixed during the irrigation process.
the table below the optimal concentrations of elements
All nitrates can be mixed with each other. Only the
in the irrigation solution are given for different growing
monopotassium phosphate (MKP) should be dissolved
periods together with irrigation solution properties
separately in warm water and then added to the irrigation
(mg/L).
tank which should be filled already two third with water.
2
6
Main features for visual crop understanding Vegetative growth
Crop management
Generative growth
Stem
Robust
Thin
Leaf
Big, fragile
Short
Flowers
Big
Small
First flower
Much below point of growth
Close to point of growth
Fruit growth
Slow
Quick
Side shoots
Fast growth
Slow growth
Plant
Light green
Dark green
The main goal is to get a strong cucumber plant, which
Depending on the crop condition in the greenhouse by
can support the later fruit load.
implementing the actions in the table below we can steer the crop either to vegetative or generative
After wiring newly planted plants it is necessary to
direction.
prune. i.e. removal of flowers together with the ovary below. Depending on circumstances and light conditions the pruning is done until the 3rd to 8th leaf axil of the stem. This is done in order to let the root system develop itself. Later on all stem fruits are left. However all side shoots are removed until the wire. As soon as the single stem reaches the wire the stem is wired 2-3 times over the wire and the head is removed. At the same time it is recommended to decrease night temperature until 16ºC for 5-7 days in order to stimulate side shoots. 2-3 side shoots are than left on the stem part which is under the wire. Later it is better to remove
Actions
Causal of Causal of vegetative growth generative growth
Start of irrigation
Early
Later
Stop of irrigation
Later
Early
Irrigation frequency/duration
Frequent/short
Less frequent/long
Salt concentration in irrig. solution Low
High
Humidity in the soil
High
Low
Temp difference day/night
Small
Big
24 hour average temperature
Low
High
Leaf amount on the plant
Many
Less
those side shoots after they have produced fruits. For achieving high yields the multisided approach as For better fruit quality and better growth of side shoots
well as a good management of all mentioned factors is
it is important to let light enter inside the plant canopy.
needed.
Therefore it is sometimes needed to remove leaves on
Variety Overview
the top.
Variety
Spined
Harvesting should be done daily to ‘unload’ the plants.
Smooth Earliness
This is important in the early stage when the stems have not reached the wire. For getting stable early and stable harvest in general it is necessary to keep the crop balanced between vegetative and generative growth. In the tables below the main features are described which can be used to understand the crop and help us to make proper decisions for the crop management.
Lenara Chaikovskiy Kybria Gravina
• • • •
Trilogy
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12-306
• •
Karaoke
– – – –
• – –
••• • ••• • •• •• •
Recommended size <9 cm
• • ••• • ••• • ••
9-12 cm
Vigour Added value
> 12 cm
••• •• •• ••• •• • ••• •• ••• •• ••• •• ••• ••
Multifruit
• • •• •• •• •• •••
High regeneration
•• •• ••• • ••• •• •
– –
• –
• • • 7
Our gherkin specialists
Specialists according
Further gherkin specialists
to culture method
according to country
Crop coordinator international
Vertical outdoor temperate
Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia
Russia
Gerald Krischke
Hungary
Djurdje Spasojevic
Gennady Sudenko
g.krischke@rijkzwaan.de
Laszlo Ragyak
djurdje.spasojevic@rz-agro.rs
g.sudenko@rijkzwaan.ru
Brazil
Turkey
Vertical outdoor subtropical
Marcelo Sartori
Erkut Baç
India
m.sartori@rijkzwaan.com
erkut.bac@rijkzwaan.com.tr
Central Asia
Ukraine
Nasredin Sharipov
Stanislav Ovcharyk
n.sharipov@rijkzwaan.de
s.ovcharyk@rijkzwaan.ua
Andriy Galagurja
Poland and the Baltic States
Vietnam
a.galaguria@rijkzwaan.ua
Marcin Pawlak
Gerard Hulisz
m.pawlak@rijkzwaan.pl
g.hulisz@rijkzwaan.nl
l.ragyak@rijkzwaan.hu
Prasanna D.G. p.damdahalli@rijkzwaan.com Vertical indoor Ukraine
Flat manual Germany, Austria, Czech
Romania
Republic
George Puican
Gerald Krischke
george.puican@hollandfarming.ro
g.krischke@rijkzwaan.de Flat mechanical USA, Canada Georg Pape g.pape@rijkzwaan.com
Rijk Zwaanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s descriptions, illustrations, growing advices and any other information in whatever form for example on expiry, sowing, planting and harvesting dates are based as precisely as possible on experiences in trials and in practice. However, Rijk Zwaan does not accept in any case liability for damages resulting from the use of such descriptions, illustrations, growing advices and information. The buyer/user itself is responsible for proper storage of the seeds and will be deemed to determine whether the products and growing advices are suitable to be used for the intended cultivations and under the local conditions. Inclusion of a variety in this edition does not automatically imply that such a variety is available for purposes of exploitation; it might be available for testing only. For more information, please contact Rijk Zwaan (www.rijkzwaan.com). The pictures in this edition show the types to which the varieties as mentioned belong and not all varieties as such. These pictures do not constitute any warrranty, expressly or implied, of crop performance.
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