Effect of Maleic Hydrazide and Ethrel on Performance of Cucumber (Cucumis sativus var Kamini)

Cucumber is one of the widely cultivated crops of the Cucurbitaceae family, with a higher male: female ratio as a major problem. Exogenous application of plant growth regulators (PGR) has been widely used in cucurbit production because of its significant impact on yield attributing parameters. Therefore, an experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design using maleic hydrazide (MH) (50, 100, 150 ppm) and Ethrel (100, 200, and 300 ppm) with control replicated thrice. Results revealed that 100 ppm of MH was most effective (P<0.05) which enhanced higher number of female flowers (10.2) statistically at par with 50 ppm MH (9.2), low male: fe-male ratio (0.27) statistically similar with 200 ppm Ethrel (0.55), a greater number of fruits per plants (10.13) statistically similar with 50 ppm MH (8.26) and maximum fruit yield (18.44 t h-1) which was statistically similar with 50 ppm MH (15.36). Similarly, 50 ppm MH showed early female flower appearance (25 DAT) statistically at par with MH100 (26 DAT), while 300 ppm Ethrel took a longer time for the appearance of flowers (28 DAT). In contrast, 100 ppm Ethrel showed the lowest (P<0.05) number of female flowers (4.6), control showed highest (P<0.05) male: female ratio (7.36), 300 ppm Ethrel showed lowest number (P<0.05) of fruits per plant (2.4) and lowest (P<0.05) yield (3.29). Length and diameter of fruits were not significantly affected using any PGR. Hence, 100 ppm MH proved best for improvement of yield attributing parameters in cucumber.