Dose and Timing of Brushing to Control Excessive Hypocotyl Elongation in Cucumber Transplants

Abstract

Brushing is an effective method to control hypocotyl elongation in cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L. `Turbo') grown in plug trays for transplanting. The amount of daily brushing and the number of days to brush for best performance was determined. Treatment with 10 strokes per day for the 4 days of maximal hypocotyl elongation was sufficient to reduce final hypocotyl length by 25%. More brushing did not meaningfully reduce elongation further. Inhibition of dry weight gain, which is detrimental, was minor (<10%) compared with the height control achieved. Despite seasonal differences in absolute elongation, the effects of brushing were the same.