Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Fruit of wild cucumber	Fruit of cultivated forms	Cucumber plants

Distribution, Yield, Use:

Production (1000t) Yield (dt/ha)

Country	1979-81	1992	1979-81	1992
China	2660	4315	124	168
ex-USSR	1530	1300	79.4	72.2
Japan	1060	870	418	457
Turkey	500	1050	159	190
USA	830	580	123	132
Poland	415	395	123	122
World	11920	14540	129	149

• Distribution:
  Grown world-wide from tropical to temperate zones. High warmth and humidity requirements; needs humus, loose soil, salt sensitive.
• Use:
  Foodstuff
  - raw as salad
  - conserved as accompaniament
  The cucumber contains 97% water, 0.5-1% protein, 1.5% carbohydrate, 0.5% minerals.

Region of origin: Region of cultivation:

• Cultivation and Breeding:
  The cucumber has been cultivated in India and Egypt for over 3000 years. Its origins lie in the sub-tropical Himalayas, where the probable wild form, Cumis hardwickii, with small, bitter fruits and hairy skin, is found. The first step in the domestication was achieved by selection of fruits lacking bitterness. The cucumber was introduced to Northern Europe by the Greco-Roman culture. Today, distinctions are made according to the type of cultivation (greenhouse or field), and by purpose (salad or conserve). Quick growing and heavy cropping hybrid varieties predominate.
• Breeding aims:
  In general, non-bitter, high-yielding varieties resistant to fungal and viral diseases are required. Breeding of salad cucumbers is concentrated on the achievement of purely female flowering varieties with uniform seedless fruits. Suitability for low temperatures and drought, as well as uniform ripening and the facilitation of mechanical harvesting are further breeding aims.

Text by Dr. Wolfgang Schuchert
Adapted to HTML by R.Saedler