Abstract

In the machine-harvested pickling cucumber system, parthenocarpic (parth) varieties make up about 50% of the market, and is growing. The seed cost is higher, but this is offset by not needing to contract or truck bees and an increased yield when planted at half the population of standard varieties. Additionally, they hold their shape and size better when moisture and temperatures fluctuate, reducing docked payments from graders. In pickling cucumbers, a breakeven yield is approximately 250 bushels per acre with a plant population of 30,000 plants per acre. Plant populations can play a strong role in economic viability, as demonstrated in pickling cucumbers, but a rule-of-thumb like this has not been established for hand-harvested parth slicing cucumbers in the United States. Parth varieties are the majority of the Mexican production market, and they are grown on trellises as a way to increase the number of No. 1 fruit to offset the increased seed cost. However, trellising is a significant cost in itself. In this trial, some parth cucumber varieties outyielded standard varieties from a trial in 2023, but not enough to offset their added seed cost. Trellising did improve yield, but not enough to offset the cost of trellising.

Keywords

cucumber, slice, slicing, varieties, variety, trial, michigan, yield, quality, seedless, parthenocarpic, parth, trellis, population, breakeven, partial budget

Date of this Version

1-13-2026

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