Growing greenhouse cucumber in farmyard and chicken manure media in combination with foliar application of zinc, manganese and boron

摘要

Under greenhouse conditions, cucumber plants cv. Nouvo were cultured in different growing media i.e., 1- Farmyard manure (FYM), 2- Chicken manure (CM), 3- FYM + CM (1:1 v/v), 4- FYM + Sand (1:1 v/v), 5- CM + Sand (1:1 v/v), 6- FYM + CM + Sand (1:1:1v/v/v), and 7- Sand media (control). Plants were sprayed by chelated forms of zinc, manganese and boron three times during plant growth i.e., at the beginning of flowering stage and then at two weeks intervals. The experiments were carried out during two successive winter seasons of 1995/1996 and 1996/1997. The manure-containing media significantly increased plant height, leaves and stems fresh weight and dry matter content, and induced early flowering. Growing media of FYM + CM followed by Sand + FYMproduced the highest early and total yields and average fruit weight of cucumber fruits. The increase in total yield ranged from 48.1 - 55.8 percent over control, in the first and second seasons, respectively. On the other hand, neither growing media normicronutrient treatments had significant effect on fruit length, diameter and TSS. However, applying Mn or Zn at 1g/L gave positive results in plant growth (height, fresh weight and dry matter content). These nutrients also increased the productivity ofcucumber plants grown in a mixture of FYM + CM as compared with those sprayed by B at 0.5 g/L. The results indicate that such organic media can be used successfully for cucumber production in combination with foliar spray of micronutrients in the new reclaimed soils.