Yield Response In Cucumber (Cucumis Sativum L.) As Affected By Deficit Irrigation And Staking In Northern Guinea Savanna Of Nigeria

An experiment was conducted during the 2020 and 2021 dry seasons at Federal College of Forestry, Research Farm Jos to determine the response of cucumber (Cucumis sativum L) cultivars to deficit irrigation and staking. Treatments consisted of two cucumber cultivars (marketer and poinsett), three deficit irrigation stages (4-6, 5-7, 7-9 weeks and control) and staking (staked and non-staked). These were laid in a split plot design and replicated three times. The results of the study showed that cucumber cultivars did not differ in emergence count, days to first flowering, number of leaves, vine length, residual moisture, fruit diameter and fruit length. These were however different in terms of yield where Marketer produces the highest fruit yield. Staking also had no significant effect on most of the characters measured except that the staked plants produced significantly higher yield than the non-staked plants in both seasons. The result of this investigation indicated that cucumber will perform even if water is withdrawn at vegetative and fruiting stage as there were no significant response to deficit irrigation at these stages. As marketer outperformed the other cultivar (poinsett) tested in this experiment, it is thus recommended for cultivation under staking in the study area.