Cucumber holds a distinct place among pumpkin crops. Cucumber is the most popular product for salads with meals. As a result, cucumbers are grown all throughout the country. Cucumber is in high demand throughout the summer. It is often consumed raw in the form of a salad with meals. It cools the body from the heat and replenishes the body's water supply. As a result, ingesting it in the heat is thought to be quite healthy. Given the market need for cucumbers in the summer, planting it during the Zaid season might result in significant earnings.
Cucumber's botanical name is Cucumis Steeves. It is a plant that resembles a vine. The cucumber plant is huge, with vine-like, triangular leaves and yellow blossoms. Cucumber contains 96% water, which is useful throughout the hot season. Cucumber is high in molybdenum (MB) and vitamins. Cucumber is used to cure heart, skin, and renal ailments, as well as to alkalize the body.
Some of the advanced Indian cucumber types include Punjab Selection, Pusa Sanyog, Pusa Barkha, Cucumber 90, Kalyanpur Green Cucumber, Kalyanpur Medium, Swarna Ageti, Swarna Purnima, Pusa Uday, Poona Cucumber, and Cucumber 75, among others.
The latest varieties of cucumber are PCUH-1, Pusa Uday, Swarna Purna and Swarna Shital etc.
Hybrid varieties of cucumber – Pant Hybrid Cucumber-1, Priya, Hybrid-1 and Hybrid-2 etc. are important.
Major foreign varieties of cucumber are Japanese Clove Green, Chayan, Straight-8 and Poinsett etc.
Cucumber is grown mostly on sandy loam and thick soil. However, sandy and loamy soils with good drainage are ideal for agriculture. For cucumber growing, the soil pH should be between 6-7. Because it cannot withstand freezing. It grows well in hot temperatures. As a result, cultivating it throughout the Zaid season is beneficial.