Dry Matter Production and Light Use Efficiency at Different Developmental Stages of Japanese Cucumber

Abstract

To investigate whether dry matter production depends on the growth stage of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), different growth stage plants of two cultivars ('Project X' [PX] and 'Fresco dash' [FD]) were cultivated hydroponically, and their growth and yield were evaluated based on dry matter production during the same period. Old and young developmental stage plants (OSP; 200 d after transplanting [DAT], YSP; 43 DAT) were compared for yield components. No significant differences were observed in fruit yield obtained in FD between different developmental stages. However, OSP had a higher yield than YSP in PX. For both cultivars, there was a difference in the LAI between OSP and YSP. In contrast, total dry matter (TDM) showed a decrease in OSP in FD, whereas PX did not show a significant decrease. The fraction of fruit was significantly higher in OSP than in YSP for both cultivars. No significant differences in light use efficiency (LUE) and photosynthetic rate were observed at different developmental stages, while water use efficiency showed improvement in the old developmental stage in both cultivars.