Correlation studies on growth, flowering and yield attributes of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cv. Malini under plant growth regulator treatments

The present study was undertaken to elucidate the interrelationships among vegetative growth, flowering behaviour, and fruit yield of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) under shade net conditions as influenced by different plant growth regulators (PGRs). Treatments comprising gibberellic acid (GA₃), Ethrel, salicylic acid at varying concentrations, and a water spray control were evaluated. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed that all major vegetative growth parameters were positively and significantly interrelated. Vine length showed strong positive correlations with number of leaves per vine (r = 0.78), leaf area (r = 0.74), internodal length (r = 0.82), and number of primary branches per vine (r = 0.70). Fruit yield exhibited highly significant positive correlations with vine length (r = 0.90), number of leaves per vine (r = 0.90), leaf area (r = 0.80), number of primary branches per vine (r = 0.87), length of primary branches (r = 0.91), number of fruits per vine (r = 0.90), and fruit weight (r = 0.85). In contrast, days to initiation of flowering (r = −0.69), days to first female flower appearance (r = −0.35*), node number of first female flower (r = −0.26), and sex ratio (male:female) (r = −0.28) were negatively associated with fruit yield, indicating the advantage of early flowering and early femaleness. The results demonstrate that cucumber yield is governed by coordinated vegetative vigour and favourable flowering behaviour, highlighting key traits for yield improvement through PGR application.