Fruit quality of glasshouse cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) as influenced by cultural factors

Keeping quality is the most important quality aspect of cucumber. Keeping quality of a cucumber fruit should be at least 14 days, enabling consumers to keep the fruit for a week at home. In Dutch glasshouse industry until now guarantees for a certain keeping quality cannot be given yet, but it is expected soon that this will be normal practice. In the past decade many experiments were conducted at the Research Station for Floriculture and Glasshouse Vegetables (PBG), in which the relations between cultural factors and keeping quality of cucumber fruits were studied. From all factors studied, variety choice had the largest impact. Air temperature, humidity, plant density and leaf area index had a negative effect, and light intensity, feeding concentration and feeding composition as well as growing medium had a positive effect on keeping quality. Combining these factors improves fruit quality substantially, but is not enough for giving quality guarantees to buyers. However, recent research data on a new growing system, High Wire System (HWS) show that almost yearround a high production of excellent fruit quality (keeping quality) can be obtained. Prediction of harvest time, harvest quantity and minimum guarantee for keeping quality becomes realistic with this system within a few years. It is expected that within 5 years many Dutch cucumber growers will use HWS. Research and practical results with this new promising growing system will be shown.