A hybrid cucumber variety developed by Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) brings a lot of hope for farmers.
T. Pradeepkumar, a professor at the KAU, has indigenously developed the cucumber hybrid KPCH-1.
For poly houses
Cucumber being the most adaptable and productive crop in poly houses, it has been successfully grown by many farmers not only in Kerala but also in the neighbouring States, say KAU sources.
T.K. Suresh Babu of Peringottukara, a small hamlet in Thrissur, is a pioneer vegetable farmer, who has been successful in cultivating chilli and cucumber in poly houses for the past six years, even before the government announced freebies for popularising poly house cultivation in the State.
“I tried the imported cucumber hybrid ‘Socrates’ for some of my poly houses. But it failed to give the expected yield. On the other hand, the poly houses in which I grew KPCH-1 hybrid from the KAU gave excellent results.” The success has inspired Mr. Suresh Babu to popularise the KAU hybrid and he voluntarily distributes the seeds to friends and relatives.
On a recent visit to the seed production unit of KPCH-1, Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunilkumar lauded the efforts of the university in developing the cucumber hybrid and promised support from the government in scaling up the production of its seeds.
Development of fruit without pollination makes cucumber a versatile crop inside poly houses. Apart from the high yield, KPCH-1 exhibits tolerance to downy mildew, a dreaded disease affecting cucumber in humid tropics.
It yields long, dark green fruit weighing 240 g, and can be stored up to one week at room temperature without loss in quality, say KAU sources. Ten cents of poly house can yield five tonnes of fruit in three months, they add.
The seeds are now available for sale at a much cheaper rate at Department of Olericulture, KAU, Vellanikkara. Ph. 0487-2438482.
