Gordon Johnson, Extension Vegetable & Fruit Specialist;gcjohn@udel.edu
Parthenocarpy is the ability of a plant to set fruit without pollination. Parthenocarpic cucumbers have been available for many years and include many types used in protected culture (greenhouse cucumbers). Parthenocarpy has an advantage in that there is improved fruit set under what would be a poor pollination environment. Parthenocarpic pickle varieties also produce more fruits per vine for once-over harvest and therefore can be planted at half the stand of gynoecious types. Parthenocarpic pickles have no need for bee pollination and no need for a pollinizer which also increases yield potential.
Pickle breeders have been working on parthenocarpic pickles for decades. One issue has been that parthenocarpic pickles in the past tended to be less firm when processed. Another issue is that parthenocarpic types had shorter length to diameter ratios (L:D).
Recently, a number of new parthenocarpic pickle varieties with improved quality traits have been introduced to the processing pickle market and have gained some acreage in major pickle producing states. We are testing 17 different parthenocarpic pickles in small plot trials in Delaware and will have 8 parthenocarpic varieties in large plot trials on-farm.
Nunhems has two parthenocarpic varieties that have commercial potential for our area: NQ5007 and NUN53014. Rijk Zwaan released Puccini a number of years ago and more recently Stravinsky and Gershwin. Stravinsky has looked very good in small plot trials in Delaware. Bejo Seeds and Seminis also have parthenocarpic varieties that are being tested in our region.