Chemical Defoliation of Cucumber Vines for Simulation of Once-over Harvest in Small-plot Yield Trials

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Abstract
Chemical defoliation of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) vines was evaluated as a method for rapid screening of breeding lines. Six chemicals (dinoseb, diquat, ethephon, glufosinate, glyphosate, and paraquat) were used at one or 2 rates on one pickling and one fresh-market cucumber cultivar (‘Calypso’ and ‘Poinsett 76’, respectively) in 1983 to determine speed of vine defoliation and amount of fruit damage. Of the chemicals tested, paraquat at 0.6 kg/ha provided the most rapid defoliation (85% to 91% defoliation one day after treatment) but caused some bleaching and chlorosis of the fruit. If the fruit were rolled 180° during evaluation, the damage was not noticeable. Chemical defoliation of vines for simulated once-over harvest provided a rapid, labor-saving method, requiring only 42% of the time to evaluate each plot compared to the conventional method. The chemical defoliation method is especially useful for initial evaluation of populations and breeding lines for fruit yield and other horticultural characteristics.

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