Comparison of Gibberellin A4/A7 and Silver Nitrate for Induction of Staminate Flowers in a Gynoecious Cucumber Line1

Abstract

Abstract Silver nitrate and gibberellin A 4 /A 7 (GA 4/7 ) were compared for induction of staminate flower production on an inbred gynoecious cucumber ( Cucumis sativus L.) line grown in the field at Madison, Wisconsin. Foliar sprays of silver nitrate at 100, 200, and 400 ppm induced significantly more staminate flowers per plant than did GA 4/7 at the standard, widely-used rate of 50 ppm, making gynoecious x gynoecious hybrid seed production commercially feasible. The strong induction all plants treated with silver nitrate should minimize the genetic shift toward maleness observed from one generation to the next when GA is used to increase seed of gynoecious parental lines.