How to prevent and control short, thick zucchini fruit in winter

When zucchini fruit grows short and thick, it seriously affects the zucchini's commercial value and reduces the vegetable grower's income. It is recommended to prevent the occurrence of short, thick zucchini fruit early in winter.

In winter, the air temperature and soil temperature inside the greenhouse are relatively low, light is weak, the zucchini's photosynthetic efficiency is low, and the plant accumulates little nutrition. In addition, the zucchini root system's function declines, and the absorption, transport, and utilization of fertilizer and water are hindered, so zucchini flower bud differentiation is poor, leading to an increase in short, thick fruit. In addition, if the concentration of the fruit-smearing solution used by vegetable growers is too high, or the fruit-smearing time is too early, it can also easily cause abnormal fruit development and form short, thick fruit; keeping too many fruit and not thinning fruit means the nutrition needed for fruit growth and development is insufficient, which hinders normal fruit growth and forms short, thick fruit.

Measures to prevent short, thick zucchini fruit: First, improve the environmental conditions inside the greenhouse. Once zucchini enters the fruiting stage, it is necessary to maintain the fruit under high temperature, keeping the greenhouse temperature at about 25°C during the day to enhance photosynthesis and accumulate photosynthetic products, and keeping the temperature at 12°C-14°C at night to help photosynthetic products be transported to the fruit and promote fruit growth. At the same time, remove leaves in time to improve ventilation and light transmission between plants and rows and reduce nutrient consumption.

Second, pay attention to topdressing. Apply functional fertilizers together with fully water-soluble fertilizers to nourish roots, promote vines, and improve plant growth. Also supplement foliar fertilizer to improve leaf photosynthetic efficiency and delay senescence.

Third, note that the concentration of the fruit-smearing solution should not be too high. Test it first before applying it. The best time for smearing fruit is the day before the female flower opens or the morning of the day it opens.

Liang Dongmei, Agriculture Bureau of Xin'an County, Henan Province