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Every summer resident or owner of a personal plot tries to grow cucumbers, since it is difficult to imagine any summer salad without this refreshing vegetable. As for winter preparations, here, in terms of popularity, he has no equal. Cucumbers are delicious both in salted and pickled form, and in a variety of vegetable platters. But for cucumbers, to some extent deservedly, the opinion was fixed as a rather capricious culture, demanding both for feeding, and for watering, and, of course, for the amount of heat. Even in the southern regions, in order to get good yields, they are often grown in greenhouses. And in most other regions of Our Country, a good return can be expected from a cucumber only when plants are planted in greenhouses or greenhouses.
Recently, with the advent of parthenocarpic hybrids, growing cucumbers in greenhouses has ceased to be a problem. After all, the fruits of such hybrids are formed without pollination at all, which means that the need for insects, which are not very numerous in greenhouses, disappears. Mamluk cucumber is a typical representative of parthenocarpic hybrids, and even with a female type of flowering. All the characteristics in the description of the hybrid Mamluk cucumber variety indicate its promise, therefore, despite its relative youth, this hybrid has every chance of gaining great popularity among gardeners and farmers.
Features of parthenocarpic hybrids
For some reason, many even experienced gardeners are sure that one can safely put an equal sign between parthenocarpic and self-pollinating cucumbers. But this is not at all the case, and, in fact, and in terms of their features of fruit setting. Self-pollinating cucumbers, and plants in general, have both a pistil and stamens on one flower, and it is able to pollinate itself to produce an ovary. Moreover, accidentally flying by bees and other insects will also pollinate these cucumbers without any problems. And, of course, self-pollinating cucumbers produce seeds.
But parthenocarpic species do not require pollination at all to form fruits. And often when planted in open ground and pollinated by insects, they grow ugly, bent fruits. Therefore, these cucumbers are specially designed for growth and development in greenhouses. During normal development, they do not form full-fledged seeds or the plants are completely devoid of seeds.
Parthenocarpic hybrids were especially appreciated by agricultural producers who grow cucumbers on an industrial scale. Indeed, in addition to the fact that they do not require insects to form fruits, they also have the following advantages over conventional bee-pollinated varieties of cucumbers:
- Good tolerance to most adverse weather conditions.
- Fast growing cucumbers.
- Easy portability of various kinds of diseases, and even immunity to some of them.
- When overripe, they never acquire a yellow tint.
- They have a pleasant taste and high commercial qualities.
- The ability to relatively long-term storage and the ability to transport them over long distances.
Hybrid description
Cucumber Mamluk f1 was obtained by specialists of the Research Institute of Protected Ground Vegetable Growing, which works together with the selection company Gavrish. In 2012, this hybrid was registered in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Our Country and recommended for cultivation in greenhouse conditions. The originator was the breeding company Gavrish, in the packaging of which you can find the seeds of the Mamluk cucumber for sale.
Due to the excellent adaptation of this hybrid to low light conditions, Mamluk cucumber plants are well suited for growing not only in summer-autumn, but also in winter-spring in heated greenhouses.
The hybrid can be attributed to early ripening, since cucumbers begin to ripen already 35-37 days after planting germinated seeds. Moreover, such a ripening period is more typical for winter-spring plantings. And in the summer-autumn period of cultivation, Mamluk cucumbers can ripen even after 30-32 days after germination.
Therefore, the plants of this hybrid are tall, the main stem grows especially actively, while the degree of branching of the shoots is below average. Plants of this hybrid are usually classified as indeterminate, they have unlimited growth and require mandatory shaping.
The Mamluk cucumber is characterized by a female type of flowering, in one node it lays only 1-2 ovaries, therefore it does not need to be rationed. Of course, cucumbers with a bouquet type of ovaries, when up to 10-15 fruits are formed in one node, have a great yield potential. But on the other hand, such species are very demanding on the observance of agricultural technology and, at the slightest adverse weather disasters, they easily drop ovaries, which is not observed in the Mamluk hybrid. In addition, it is characterized by a uniform filling of cucumbers, so the yield of marketable products is higher.
In terms of yield, this hybrid is able to overtake even such famous cucumber hybrids as German or Courage. At least during testing, he managed to demonstrate a commercial yield of up to 13,7 kg per square meter of plantings.
In film and polycarbonate greenhouses, rather specific conditions develop that dictate the selection of hybrids that are stable and unpretentious in cultivation.
Mamluk cucumber is characterized by resistance to olive blotch, powdery mildew and various root rots. The hybrid is also quite tolerant to ascochitosis and downy mildew. Among the diseases of cucumbers against which there is no genetic resistance, the green speckled mosaic virus can be noted. Nevertheless, according to the official observations of the originator, for at least two years, the Mamluk cucumber hybrid was affected by this virus to a lesser extent than other hybrids.
Fruit Characteristics
Tuberculous short-fruited cucumbers are the most popular on the market, especially in summer and autumn. Since they are equally good for eating both fresh and for various preparations.
Mamluk hybrid cucumbers are the most typical representatives of this variety.
- The fruits are dark green with small light stripes.
- The shape of cucumbers is even, cylindrical with a slight run-off.
- Tubercles of medium size or larger, evenly dispersed over the surface of the fruit. Spikes are white. There are practically no seeds.
- On average, the length of cucumbers reaches 14-16 cm, the weight of one fruit is 130-155 grams.
- The taste of cucumbers is excellent, they have no bitterness at the genetic level.
- The use of cucumbers is universal – they can be crunched to your heart’s content, plucked directly from the garden, used in salads, as well as in various preparations for the winter.
- Mamluk cucumber fruits are well stored and perfectly endure transportation over long distances.
Peculiarities of growing
The technology for growing Mamluk f1 cucumbers in open or closed ground conditions in summer and autumn differs little from ordinary varieties. Seeds are sown in the ground not earlier than the soil warms up to + 10 ° + 12 ° С.
The sowing depth is on average about 3-4 cm. The most optimal layout for cucumber plants is 50×50 cm with a mandatory tie to the trellis.
Agrotechnics for growing Mamluk cucumbers in winter-spring time in heated greenhouses has the following features. The seeds of this cucumber hybrid can be sown for seedlings already in December – January, so that in February it will be possible to plant 30-day-old seedlings in the greenhouse soil. For germination, seeds need a temperature of about + 27 ° C. After the appearance of sprouts, the temperature of the content can be reduced to + 23 ° + 24 ° С, and for the first 2-3 days its additional round-the-clock illumination is applied.
In this case, it is desirable to maintain the relative humidity of the air at a level of 70-75%.
Mamluk cucumber plants are planted in a permanent place every 40-50 cm, tying them to a vertical trellis.
Despite the fact that a small number of ovaries are formed at the nodes of this hybrid, the method of forming plants into one stem is also suitable for it. In this case, the four lower leaves with ovaries are completely removed, and the next 15-16 nodes are left with one ovary and one leaf. In the upper part of the bush, where the cucumber grows above the trellis, 2-3 leaves and ovaries are left at each node.
When cucumbers begin fruiting, the temperature on a sunny day should not be less than +24°+26°C, and at night +18°+20°C.
Watering cucumbers should be regular and fairly plentiful. At least 2-3 liters of warm water should be consumed per square meter of plantings.
Testimonials from truck drivers
The excellent characteristics of the Mamluk cucumber were appreciated, first of all, by professional agricultural producers and farmers. But even for ordinary summer residents, the Mamluk cucumber hybrid seemed interesting, although not everyone manages to achieve maximum results in its cultivation.
Conclusion
Mamluk cucumber is able to show the best results when grown in closed ground conditions, but in open ridges you can also get a good harvest from it.
