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Vlasstar Pickling Cucumber

Growing Tips:

Main Features: This hybrid is one of the most successful products of Seminis which is having excellent processing quality with an L:D ratio of 3.0:1. The fruits are dark green in color and suitable for both vertical and horizontal cultivation for multiple hand pick situations. Vlasstar is having very good vigor and tolerance to Downy mildew and CMV.

Soil: Well drained loamy to sandy loam soil having a pH of 6.5 to 7.5
Sowing Season: As per the regional practices and timings.
Optimum temp. for Germination: 20-35°C
For ground cultivation: Row-row; 135cm and Plant-plant; 20cm
Spacing: For trellised crop; Row to row-105cm and Plant to plant 20 cm.
Seed Rate: 500 – 600 gm /acre.

Main field preparation: Deep plowing and harrowing till fine tilth.

  • Add FYM 8 -10 tons/acre
  • Apply neem cake @ 200 Kg/acre
  • Open ridges & furrows at required spacing (Apply basal dose of fertilizer as recommended)
  • Irrigate the field one day before sowing
  • Sow one seed per hill
  • Sowing should be done in east – west direction for better light percolation.
  • Provide light irrigation for every alternate day but never flood the field.

Cultural Operations:

  • Give good earth up at 20-25 DAS for ground cultivation and train the vines at one side properly. If staked, provide medium height staking at 20 DAS.
  • Grow maize in 3-4 rows in the border to protect the gherkin crop against wind (Maize sowing should be done one week earlier than gherkin sowing)
  • Good and narrow irrigation channel should be prepared, which helps in drainage.

Chemical Fertilizers: Fertilizer application varies with soil fertility.
Total requirement of the crop is 90:50:100 Kg NPK /acre.

  • Basal dose before sowing: 30:35:30 NPK Kg/acre, add 20 -25 kg Mg.So4
  • 20-25days after sowing: 15:15:30 NPK Kg/acre
  • 40 days after sowing: 15:00:15 NPK Kg/acre
  • 50 days after sowing: 10:00:15 NPK Kg/acre
  • 60 days after sowing: 10:00:10 NPK Kg/acre
  • 70 days after sowing: 10:00:00 NPK Kg/acre

Spray Calcium nitrate OR Potassium nitrate @ 2g per liter of water after 35th, 45th, 55th and 65 days after sowing.

Plant Protection: Follow the plant protection measures as per the recommendation of Buyers or pickling cucumber industries protocol.

Major Diseases / Insect Pests:

  • Downy Mildew: Good earth up and remove lower leaves touching the ground, which helps in minimizing the humidity. Use prophylactic spray. Give light irrigation but never flood the field to avoid developing the humidity.
  • Powdery Mildew: Use recommended chemicals.
  • Fusarium Wilt: Avoid continuous gherkin / cucumber cultivation in the same field. Drench the plant with recommended chemical.
  • Virus complex (CMV,PRSV,ZYMV): Follow management practices : Control insect vectors (Aphids, thrips) by spraying insecticides. Collect and destroy the virus infected plant.
  • Leaf miner, Fruit flies, Thrips, Aphids, Mites: Spray recommended chemicals as per your processing company spray schedule.

Special Note: The varietal characters & information given here is based on observations recorded at our trial station. Change in place, season, cultural practice may results in variation.