Cucumber variety Bettina (F1)
Bettina is an early ripe gherkin type cucumber hybrid obtained by employees of the Dutch branch of the Nunhems B.V. seed breeding company in 2007. It is intended for cultivation in open ground (it is advisable to cover it with a film at the first stages of the growing season) in private garden plots. It is also successfully grown on windowsills by lovers of indoor gardening. In 2010, the variety was included in the state register of breeding achievements of the Russian Federation in all regions.
The variety is parthenocarpic (does not require pollination by bees), generative type - forms the bulk of the crop on the central stem. Suitable for the first and second turnover, and can also be used in the winter-spring turnover for early cultivation in film greenhouses. The period from germination to the beginning of fruiting is 38 - 42 days.
Plants are indeterminate, compact, of medium vigor, medium branched, exclusively with female flowers. The leaves are dark green in color and have an average leaf size. The recommended planting density is 2.8 - 3.5 plants / sq. meter.
The formation of bushes is practically not required. This is due to the fact that at a height of 1 - 1.5 meters from the ground, stepchildren of the vegetative type stop growing, and only generative stepchildren grow higher, on which fruits are formed - they do not need to be removed. Cucumber Bettina responds well to increased doses of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers and requires abundant watering.
Cucumbers are smooth and uniform, cylindrical in shape, with large tubercles, short, weighing 60 - 80 grams. The skin is dark green with short white stripes. Pubescence is of medium density. The thorns are brown. Pulp without bitterness, without voids. In the open field, the yield of marketable fruits is 5 kg / square meter. The plant gives most of the harvest in the first month of fruiting.
The hybrid is characterized by resistance to poor lighting and low temperatures. Highly resistant to powdery mildew, moderately resistant to cladosporia, cucumber mosaic virus and downy mildew.
The variety is universal - suitable for canning and fresh consumption. It has good taste, but is inferior in taste to salad varieties such as Zozulya.
Advantages of Bettina cucumber: very early ripening of fruits, the ability to collect gherkins and pickles, excellent transportability and marketability.
The main disadvantage is the high price of seeds.
In general, I really like the seeds of the Nunems company. Although more expensive than domestic ones, the quality is worth it.
For five years now, I have definitely assigned part of the garden to this hybrid - and I am always with cucumbers. There is even a stable surplus of fruit that can be sold on the market.