Assessing Water Stress Impact on Greenhouse Cucumber Growth and Yield

Abstract

Efficient irrigation is crucial for vegetable production, impacting growth and yield. In this study, conducted under greenhouse conditions on sandy soil, we examined the effects of different irrigation frequencies on cucumber growth and yield. Results revealed that the five-times-a-day irrigation treatment (T5) exhibited superior outcomes across various parameters, including days to flower development (30.385), fruit setting (9.055), and maturity (6.178), as well as producing the highest number of fruits per plant (33.746), longest fruit (17.812 cm), heaviest fruit (131.977 g), longest vine (2.73 m), and highest fruit yield (57.644 tons ha-1). Conversely, the once-a-day irrigation treatment (T1) yielded inadequate results. Our findings underscore the efficacy of a five-times-a-day irrigation schedule, with five-minute intervals, for optimal cucumber growth and yield using drip irrigation in greenhouse settings.