Cucumber Relay

No vegetable garden is complete without cucumbers, as are the counters of grocery stores. The highest popularity of the culture explains the huge assortment of varieties and hybrids, and the latter are in increasing demand. It is easy to explain this - hybrids have higher immunity, productivity, and marketability. The hybrid variety Relay is intended for cultivation in film and glazed greenhouses, as well as in the open field.

The authorship of the first generation hybrid F1 relay belongs to the breeders of the vegetable experimental station. V. I. Edelstein of the Moscow Agricultural Academy - A. V. Borisov, G. I. Tarakanov, V. S. Krylov and T. P. Banshchikova. The hybrid was approved for use in 1983.

The non-parthenocarpic cucumber Relay, as mentioned above, refers to the hybrid varieties of the first generation, which means the inability of the seed material to inherit parental qualities. The fruits of the hybrid are high:

• marketability;
• productivity;
• stress resistance;
• excellent immunity;
• shade tolerance and fruiting.
• the ability to long-term storage and transportability.

The hybrid needs pollination, therefore cultivation in greenhouses is characterized by higher labor costs, which in any case pays off with effective fruiting.

Of the shortcomings, three factors can be named.

• The need for pollination by bees. Because of this, employees of large greenhouses, where cucumber is grown on an industrial scale, must take care of artificially replacing bee and bumblebee families.
• Low resistance to powdery mildew, which forces owners to resort to mandatory prophylactic antibacterial plantings.
• The need to follow a certain sequence in the formation of a plant.

Weak or medium-branched bushes have long lashes with a characteristic self-regulation of the growth of stepchildren. The shoots are covered with medium to large, classic rich green foliage. The leaf plate has a weak dissection into 5 lobes; yellow flowers are small in size.

Zelentsy, whose length varies from 14 to 23 cm, are covered with a thin but dense skin. The average weight of fruits is 141-228 g, the shape is fusiform, large tubercles with a rare arrangement have white thorns and light pubescence.

Salad fruits are used in practice as universal. Plucked as gherkins or pickles, they are great for whole fruit canning. The sweetish refreshing taste of the crispy pulp makes them a welcome companion in vegetable cuts, summer and winter salads. The Relay is characterized by a complete lack of bitterness.

The hybrid belongs to the mid-ripening category - 53–66 days pass from the first shoots to the first zelents.

The high-yielding Relay gives an average of 24.4–35.8 kilograms of tasty fruit per square meter when grown in summer. With early spring plantings, the yield is slightly lower: 18.2–34.6 kg / sq. m.

The most favorable regions for growing a hybrid are the northern, Northwestern, Central, Volgo-Vyatka, TsChO, North Caucasian, Middle Volga districts.

The optimal planting scheme is 100x40 cm between the roots, which gives 2-3 plants per square meter.

Despite the high shade tolerance, it is the abundance of light that is one of the key factors for good fruiting. The cucumber is grown in both seedling and non-seedling methods. For sowing seeds for seedlings, the most suitable dates are from March to the end of April. For seedless cultivation, seeds are sown in the ground in late April - early June. More specific figures depend on the climatic conditions of the region of cultivation.

If the seedling method is chosen, then it should be remembered: transplanting for a cucumber is a great stress, sometimes destructive. It is only necessary to grow seedlings with a closed root system in separate containers.

Young seedlings are transferred to a permanent place when 2-4 true leaves appear. Immediately after planting, the plants are tied to a trellis thread and subsequently carefully monitor the growth of the shoots, guiding and pinching them as needed.

The whole process of growing the Relay is practically no different from the cultivation of other varieties of cucumbers - all methods are standard. These are watering, weeding, hilling, mineral fertilizing, timely harvesting.

To get the most out of a hybrid, plant it in well-lit, elevated areas. The soil should be fertile with a full range of minerals and trace elements. For such purposes, chernozem or sandy loam soils enriched with organic matter are ideal.

The acidity level should be close to neutral, strongly acidic or alkaline soils must be deoxidized with dolomite flour, gypsum, lime or chalk.

The relay has a high resistance to stress against sudden changes in weather, sudden cold snaps or prolonged heat.

Cucumber Relay is quite resistant to the cucumber mosaic virus, ascochitosis and root rot, but very weakly resists powdery mildew. The resistance of the hybrid to pests is at the proper level. Preventive treatments with insecticides and fungicides are beneficial to avoid risks.