Impact of Soilless Growing Media on Growth, Yield, Fruit Quality, and Root‐Knot Nematode Incidence of Cucumber Under Protected Cultivation

ABSTRACT

Soilless cultivation has emerged as an effective approach for improving cucumber productivity under protected cultivation by enhancing root‐zone conditions and minimizing soil‐borne constraints. However, the performance of different growing media combinations remains insufficiently understood. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of different growing media on cucumber growth, yield, fruit quality, and root‐knot nematode incidence under protected cultivation. A completely randomized design (CRD) experiment was conducted with 13 different growing media treatments, including soil, perlite, vermiculite, cocopeat, sand, and their combinations. According to the findings, the Vermiculite + Cocopeat in the ratio of 1:1 (T9) combination reduced root‐knot nematode infection while dramatically increasing vine length, fruit set, fruit retention, fruit yield (28.05 kg/m ² ), and quality metrics. Vine length and yield were found to be strongly positively correlated by correlation analysis, while productivity was negatively correlated with root‐knot infestation. Fruit set, flowering period, and fruit retention all directly increased yield, according to path analysis. Strong genetic control over these variables was shown by estimates of variance components, which showed moderate heritability for fruit set and retention and high heritability (114.18%) for days to flower initiation. However, yield‐related traits exhibited low heritability viz yield per vine (14.24%) and YPP (12.89%), highlighting the significant role of environmental factors. These findings suggest that combination of Vermiculite and Cocopeat is the most suitable growing medium for cucumber cultivation in protected conditions, optimizing yield and reducing disease susceptibility.