In order to verify the defoliation effect on yield and quality of japanese cucumber ('Hokuho' grafted over 'Excite Ikky' squash) under protected cultivation, five replicates of five plants per plot were used to evaluate six treatments in a randomized block design. Treatment 1 consisted of free growth plants; treatment 2 (standard) of disprouted plants; treatment 3, young curved fruits (<5 cm) removed; treatments 4, 5 and 6, plants removing 25%, 50% and 75% of their leaves, respectively. There were no differences in plant height, but plants of treatments 5 and 6 had greater number of nodes per plant, although they were smaller and less vigorous, presenting a smaller number of sproutings. Despite having plants with higher total yield, in treatment 1, most of them were curved and the harvest was more difficult. Plants of treatment 3 had a greater commercial yield, because all the young curved fruits were removed and the plants compensated their yield, producing other fruits with better quality and plants had better sprouting. The higher the defoliation level the greater was the yield reduction.
Cucumis sativus; defoliation