Formation of Cucumber Seedlings at Different Seeding Depths

Abstract

The cucumber, because it is an important vegetable in the table of the Brazilian consumer, needs studies with the formation of seedlings and, information regarding the depth of sowing of this vegetable is scarce. The objective of this work was to evaluate the seeding depth of the cucumber in protected environment in the region of Cassilândia-MS. Depths were tested of 1.0; 2.0; 3.0 and 4.0 cm in a completely randomized design with four replicates of eight seedlings per plot. It was used the protected environment of black screen with monofilament of 30% shading. The emergence speed index, the emergence percentage, the height of the seedlings, the diameter of the neck, the mass of the dry matter of the aerial part, the root system and total were evaluated. Data were submitted to analysis of variance and when significant were submitted to the Tukey test, both at 5% probability. There was a greater percentage of emergence in sowing at 2 cm depth, reaching up to 80% of emergence, while at 4 cm it reached only 55%. For the other growth variables, there was no difference between the seeding depths employed. In this way, the sowing is recommended to the 2 cm of depth, for promoting a uniform emergency, forming an adequate final stand.