Longitudinal, Cross-Sectional, and Genotypic Variation of Fruit Texture-Related Attributes in Cucumbers ( <i>Cucumis sativus</i> L.)

Texture is a critical quality and sensory trait of cucumber fruits, but studies on its longitudinal and tissue-specific variation are limited. This study aimed to conduct a detailed instrumental analysis of cucumber texture across 10 longitudinal slices, four anatomically distinct tissue types (center, endocarp, mesocarp, and exocarp) in 20 genetically related recombinant inbred lines from the cross between two cucumber lines. Seven texture-related parameters were evaluated: “overall hardness” and “tissue-specific hardness”, brittleness, gumminess, springiness, chewiness, and cohesiveness. Results revealed significant differences in these texture parameters along the longitudinal axis, except springiness, chewiness, and cohesiveness; “overall hardness” was lowest at the blossom end (∼12.567 N) and highest at the stem end (∼20.172 N). Tissue-specific differences were also significant in all texture-related parameters except cohesiveness. Exocarp tissues exhibited the highest value, while the center and endocarp tissues exhibited the lowest. Varietal differences were significant across all seven texture-related parameters. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that tissue type is the most influential factor in texture-related attributes, followed by longitudinal variation and genotype.