Bioscience Methods 2026, Vol.17, No.1, 57-66 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/bm 60 stress tolerance. For instance, the "Jingyan" series developed by the Vegetable Research Institute of Beijing Academy of Agricultural Sciences has dozens of varieties, maintaining stable yields while having reliable disease resistance; in regions with high pressure from southern blight disease, such as the "Yueshou 3" variety selected by the Agricultural Science Institute of Guangdong, it can still ensure harvest under adverse conditions. After introducing methods such as molecular markers during the breeding process, the selection efficiency has significantly improved. Coupled with the promotion of all-female and parthenocarpy types, more nutrients are used for fruiting, resulting in an increase in the number of fruits (Pan et al., 2017; Li et al., 2019). Overall, the continuous update of varieties has laid a foundation for achieving high yields of cucumbers. 3.3 Seed treatment techniques Many people only start to pay attention to yield during the seedling stage. In fact, the gap has gradually widened even before sowing. If the seeds are properly treated, the seedlings tend to emerge more uniformly and the seedlings themselves are healthier. The subsequent management will naturally be more convenient. Among the common methods, soaking the seeds in warm water is used most frequently. Place the seeds in 55–60℃warm water and stir while soaking for about ten minutes, which can reduce the risk of various diseases; some people also soak the seeds in a 0.1% carbendazim solution for one hour, wash them clean before sowing, and the effect is also good. However, not all seeds need to be treated in this way. Nowadays, many commercial seeds have been coated, containing bacteriostatic components and trace elements, and can be directly sown. In recent years, some people have also tried to add chitosan and other biological stimulants to make the germination faster and the root system stronger, laying a foundation for stable yield in the later stage (Paparella et al., 2015; Hidangmayum et al., 2019). 4 Key Technical Measures for High-Yield Cultivation of Cucumbers 4.1 Appropriate plant spacing and pruning techniques In actual cultivation, many people tend to be confused about whether to plant the plants densely or sparsely at the beginning. In fact, this is closely related to how to manage the branches later. If the plants are planted too densely in the greenhouse, they will crowd together, resulting in poor ventilation and light penetration, and flower drop and diseases will follow. However, if the spacing is too wide, it will waste light and space, and the yield per area will not increase. Therefore, the density cannot be generalized; it needs to be adjusted according to the variety and season. The common practice in greenhouses is to plant in rows of different sizes. The large row spacing is approximately 80 centimeters, and the small row spacing is 60 centimeters. The plant spacing is around 30 centimeters. About 4,000 plants per mu is relatively appropriate. After the density is determined, pruning and topping of branches are also very important. In early-maturing greenhouse cucumbers, there are many lateral branches, which consume nutrients. Generally, the lateral branches are pinched when they grow to 2–3 leaves, and then the lower 8–10 leaves of the main vine are gradually removed, and the old leaves, excessive male flowers and tendrils are also cleared. This way, the greenhouse becomes more transparent, and the nutrients are more concentrated on the fruiting (Qian et al., 2016; Marcelis et al., 2018). 4.2 Integrated water and fertilizer management and precision fertilization technology For many farmers, they believe that as long as water and fertilizer are continuously provided, the crop will grow well. However, what really makes a difference is whether the water and fertilizer are applied accurately. Now, some production areas have started to adopt integrated water and fertilizer management, using drip irrigation to directly deliver water and nutrients to the roots. This significantly reduces water usage. Compared to the previous method of flooding irrigation, this approach not only saves water but also has the potential to increase yield. The fertilizer application strategy is also changing. Instead of blindly pursuing large quantities, it now takes into account the soil conditions and the actual needs of the cucumbers. In some places, by conducting soil tests or using fertilizer plans, the amount of chemical fertilizers is appropriately reduced, yet the yield does not decrease and the cost even goes down. Research has also found that in greenhouse cucumber production, when the usage of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is reduced, the yield remains stable while the profits are higher (Zhang et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2021). Considering all these factors, proper water and fertilizer combination is more conducive to stable production and increased efficiency than simply increasing the amount of fertilizer.
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