Effect of Various Shading Methods on Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) Growth and Yield Production

Greenhouse shading may have a time-dependent effect on fruitproduction, water and nutrient uptake in plants. A plastic house experiment wasconducted in Jordan Valley, Jordan to discover the impact of four shadingtreatments on cucumber “189 Cultivar” growth and yield production. Thesetreatments were Green Shadow 1 (GS1), Whitewash (Calcium Carbonate), Mudand Control (no shading).Results showed that permeability was reduced by using GS1 or whitewash asshading materials. The GS1 treatment produced the highest vegetative growth,while whitewash produced the highest fruit yield. However, using GS1 improvedfruit freshness and dry weight and maintained fruit quality. Also, as the lightintensity increased, fruit freshness and dry weight increased; while the controltreatment delayed flowering, decreased the production period and increased themite infestation. Therefore, there is a need for shading the plastic houses in thisarea of Jordan during summer months.