MSc

A field experiment was conducted at the College of Agriculture,
Vellayani to study the influence of harvest and growth regulator on seed
yield, quality and vigour and also to standardise the physiological stage of
maturity in cucumber.
Growth characters such as length of vine, number of branches and leaf
area index were significantly influenced by vegetable harvests and these
characters increased with increase in number of vegetable harvests. The
bearing capacity of the plant is improved by frequent picking of green fruits,
but the mature fruit yield and seed yield were significantly reduced. Highest
seed yield was obtained when the plants were left for seed collection without
green fruit picking. Seed quality is not influenced by number of harvests.
But when the economics is considered highest net return and B : C ratio were
obtained for two vegetable harvest. So to obtain maximum returns we can
combine seed production along with two vegetable harvests which gives some
vegetable yield and reasonably good yield of quality seeds.
Growth regulator caused reduction in vine length. Number of branches
was not influenced by growth regulator. But LA! showed a significant
Increase. Growth regulator caused significant increase in green and mature
fruit yields and seed yield. Fruit yield, seed yield and net return were highest
at 200 ppm of ethephon. Seed quality was not affected by the application of
growth regulator except for] 000 seed weight.

Seed quality is significantly influenced by stages of harvest. Weight of
seeds per fruit and quality were highest for seeds when fruits were harvested
45 days after flowering which was on par with that at 30 days after flowering.
Storage of fruits intact before seed extraction also had significant effect on
increasing seed quality. Seed quality was highest when the seeds were
extracted after storing the fruits for nine days. Even when the fruits were
harvested at immature stage (15 days after flowering) the seed weight per
fruit and seed quality parameters can be increased by storing the fruits intact
before seed extraction for nine days. But when the fruits were harvested at 30
and 45 days after flowering there was not much variation in seed quality by
post harvest storage of fruit before seed extraction.