Performance and growth conduction of Japanese cucumber in protected environment

The production of the Japanese cucumber Tsuyataro was evaluated using methods of stems growth conduction, controlling the lateral buds and number of stems per plant, through pruning. The research was carried out from October to December 2010, in a protected environment in Tangara da Serra, Mato Grosso state, Brazil, using a randomized blocks design, with five replications, in a factorial scheme (2x3). The first factor was the pruning, i.e., removal or not of lateral stems and the second factor was constituted of the control of number of stems: one, two and three stems per plant, with five replications. We evaluated the following characteristics: total and marketable number of fruits, commercial fruits rate, fruit length, fruit diameter, fruit length/diameter ratio, total and marketable yield of fruit per plant and fruit average weight. The treatment with conduction of the main stem without removal of lateral buds had better performance on total and marketable number of fruits per plant (19.4 and 16.0) and higher total and marketable yield of fruits (4,235.8 and 3,438.3 g per plant). The pruning of lateral buds provided increase in length, diameter and average mass of cucumber fruits of 24.5 to 25.1 cm; 3.4 to 3.5 cm and 212.1 to 228.3 g per fruit, respectively.