Plant Gene and Trait 2025, Vol.16, No.3, 123-132 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/pgt 123 Feature Review Open Access Plant Density and Vertical Trellis Configuration Affect Cucumber Pollination Efficiency and Marketable Yield Wenzhong Huang , Zhongmei Hong CRO Service Station, Sanya Tihitar SciTech Breeding Service Inc., Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China Corresponding email: wenzhong.huang@hitar.org Plant Gene and Trait, 2025, Vol.16, No.3 doi: 10.5376/pgt.2025.16.0014 Received: 10 May, 2025 Accepted: 13 Jun., 2025 Published: 22 Jun., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Huang and Hong, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Huang W.Z., and Hong Z.M., 2025, Plant density and vertical trellis configuration affect cucumber pollination efficiency and marketable yield, Plant Gene and Trait, 16(3): 123-132 (doi: 10.5376/pgt.2025.16.0014) Abstract In current cucumber cultivation, how to arrange the appropriate planting density and trellis configuration is of great significance for improving pollination effect and yield. This study collated the latest research on the relationship between cucumber planting space and flowering and fruiting, analyzed the impact of vertical trellis configuration at different densities on flower visibility, pollinating insect activity and fruiting conditions, and discussed how to balance leaf growth and fruit output through planting management to improve cucumber quality. This study hopes to provide practical suggestions for cucumber cultivation, helping farmers grow more and better cucumbers, and also protecting the ecological environment. Keywords Cucumber cultivation; Plant density; Vertical trellis configuration; Pollination efficiency; Marketable yield 1 Introduction Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is a common vegetable worldwide with a large planting area. Whether eaten fresh or processed, the market demand is very high (Sharma et al., 2020; Kaur and Sharma, 2021). It has brought considerable income to farmers and agricultural enterprises. The output and quality of cucumbers directly affect the income of farmers and the supply capacity of the market. Therefore, improving the planting methods of cucumbers is very important for enhancing agricultural benefits (Shah et al., 2015; Tscharntke et al., 2015). Cucumbers are monoecious and need to be pollinated by insects and other means to produce good fruits. Research has found that the quality of pollination directly affects the yield and fruit quality of cucumbers. When the pollination efficiency is high, there are more and heavier fruits, more ideal fruit growth and seed number, and better appearance and nutrition (Shah et al., 2015; Chauhan and Singh, 2022; Kika et al., 2022; Kariuki et al., 2023; Patel and Pastagia, 2023). If pollination is insufficient, even if fertilizers and pesticides are used, it is difficult to make up for the loss of yield (Tscharntke et al., 2015). Therefore, improving pollination efficiency is the key to achieving high yields, good quality and good sales of cucumbers. This study mainly investigated the effects of different planting densities and trellving methods (vertical trellis) on cucumber pollination and yield, and analyzed how planting densities and trellving methods affect the activities of pollinating insects, the accessibility of flowers, and the final fruit quantity. This study aims to provide a basis for more scientific cultivation methods of cucumbers, help farmers improve pollination efficiency, and also increase the yield and quality of cucumbers. 2 Cucumber Floral Biology and Pollination Requirements 2.1 Flower morphology and reproductive structures Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is mostly an annual vine plant. Its flowers are unisexual, that is to say, there will be both male and female flowers on one plant. Some varieties may have all female flowers or bisexual flowers (Kaur et al., 2021). Male flowers are used to produce pollen, and female flowers have ovaries that can develop into fruits. Flowers usually bloom between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. At this time, the pollen vitality of male flowers is the strongest, and the stigma fertilization ability of female flowers is also the best (Kaur et al., 2021). The proportion of female flowers varies among different varieties, and the nutrient conditions in the soil can affect the number of female flowers (Li et al., 2021).
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