Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report 12:16-17 (article 7) 1989
Todd C. Wehner and Rufus R. Horton, Jr.
Department of Horticultural Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7609
It is useful to know the weight of cucumber seeds for cultivars being grown for research and production, since many operations are done by weight even though it is number that is of interest. For example, to achieve the proper stand, Knott’s Handbook for Vegetable Growers recommends planting 2 to 3 lb/A of seed (1). The handbook bases that recommendation on its published value of 1100 seeds/ounce for the typical cucumber cultivar.
We have observed differences in seed weight among cultivars, and were interested to know how our measurements compared with the published estimates. The objective of this study was to compare seed weights for cucumber cultivars commonly used for field production in the U.S.A.
Methods. Seeds of 9 different breeding lines and cultivars (collectively referred to as cultigens hereafter) were obtained from seeds companies and the N.C. State Univ. breeding program. The cultigens were chosen to represent pickling and slicing fruit types, northern and southern adaptation, and compact, determinate and little leaf plant types. Seeds were divided into 4 lots of 500 seeds to provide replication for the measurement of seed weight. Seed weight was then converted into number of seeds per gram, ounce and pound for use by those who use those measures.
Results. There was a large range in number of seeds per ounce among the 9 cultigens and 4 samples counted (Table 1). Cultivars had between 904 and 1291 seeds per ounce in the sample counted, ranging 18% below to 17% above the figure of 1100 seeds per ounce published by Lorenz and Maynard (1).
The only cultigen that did not fit the general trend for seed size was the compact (cp cp) type. In addition to small vine size, that gene results in plants with small, deformed seeds, and a low percentage of germination. There are more than twice as many seeds per ounce (approx. 2600) of the compact type compared to the other cultigens (approx. 1100).
In summary, the published number of seeds is very close to the value we measured for the cultigens here (excluding the small-seeded compact type). However, the specific cultigen being used can diverge significantly from the general value of 1100 seeds per ounce.
Table 1. Seed number per gram, ounce, and pound for 9 cucumber cultigens of 5 different types.z
Cultigen |
Type |
Seeds/g |
Seeds/oz |
Seeds/lb |
|||
Mean |
Range |
Mean |
Range |
Mean |
Range |
||
| Sprint 440 | Slicer | 32 | 32-33 | 921 | 904-929 | 14731 | 14464-14872 |
| Pioneer | Pickle | 34 | 34-34 | 955 | 953-958 | 15283 | 15252-15324 |
| Calypso | Pickle | 35 | 33-36 | 991 | 947-1027 | 15851 | 15150-16434 |
| Sumter | Pickle | 36 | 35-36 | 1018 | 1002-1029 | 16291 | 16028-16458 |
| Dasher II | Slicer | 37 | 36-37 | 1037 | 1035-1042 | 16600 | 16554-16676 |
| M 21 | de de | 39 | 37-39 | 1098 | 1050-1118 | 17562 | 16799-17886 |
| Poinsett 76 | Slicer | 45 | 45-46 | 1278 | 1268-1291 | 20541 | 20286-20655 |
| Little John | ll ll | 46 | 46-47 | 1313 | 1303-1323 | 21005 | 20845-21176 |
| Compact | cp cp | 92 | 86-98 | 2611 | 2444-2790 | 41784 | 39102-44644 |
| LSD (5%) | 2 | – | 72 | – | 1146 | – | |
| CV (%) | 4 | – | 4 | – | 4 | – | |
| Mean (all cultigens) | 44 | – | 1247 | – | 19951 | – | |
| Mean (compact excluded) | 38 | – | 1076 | – | 17222 | – | |
z Data are from 4 replications of 500 seeds each. Cultigens are pickling, slicing, compact (cp), determine (de) or little leaf (ll) types.
Literature Cited
- Lorenz, O.A. and D.N. Maynard. 1980. Knott’s Handbook for Vegetable Growers, 2nd edition. John Wiley and Sons, New York. p. 57.