b'THE CUCUMBER: NOT SO SIMPLEFROM PICKLING TO SLICING, THERES A CUCUMBER FOR EVERY NEED AND WANT. BUT BREEDING THEM ISNT SO EASY. BY: MARCEL BRUINST he period in a country when there is little news (often theTHE BREEDERSperiod when its government is on holiday) is called the silly season and in many countries this time period carries a reference to cucumbers, like komkommertijd in Dutch, agur-ketid in Danish, grkut in Icelandic, agurktid in Norwegian, Sauregurkenzeit in German and many other languages, all mean- JESUS ABAD, ing "cucumber time" or "cucumber season".cucumber global breeding lead, SyngentaWell, have we got news for you: cucumbers arent silly at all. Theyre amazingly healthy! They are refreshing, nutritious and an incredibly versatile addition to any diet. They are low in calories, contain many important vitamins and minerals, as well as high water content. In addition, the fruit contains several beneficial compounds such as lignans, cucurbitacins, flavonoidsRADEK AUST, and terpenoids, all associated with potential health benefits,executive manager, Moravo Seedincluding weight loss, balanced hydration, digestive regularity and lower blood sugar levels.But did you know that cucumbers come in many types? For example, there are pickling, slicing, and even burpless cucum-bers. European Seed wanted to know more about this interest-ing crop and spoke with a number of experts for their insights. ERIC BAL, BREEDING EFFORTS breeding manager cucumber, Rijk Zwaan Cucumber is being bred in many different forms, as noted above. For each type, dedicated teams are working, says Jos Suelmann, lead breeder slicing cucumbers, BASF Vegetable Seeds. An important difference between all of these types is the way they are cultivated. Pickling cucumbers are grown inJOS MARA GONZLEZ-CABEZUELO, the open field, while other types are grown in plastic tunnels inbreeding manager, Meridiem Seedsmost countries in the world, and in high-tech greenhouses in Western Europe and Canada. Another big difference is the way they are harvested. In the U.S., pickling cucumbers are harvested only once, while pickling cucumbers in other parts of the world are harvested multiple times, adds Suelmann. PETER KRAAN, Jos Mara Gonzlez-Cabezuelo, breeding manager,R&D coordinator cucumbers,Meridiem Seeds says his company is a young one that was bornBASF Vegetable Seedsto meet the needs of producers in the nearest areas. Thus, the main effort in cucumber research is focused on the Dutch or greenhouse typology, with greater presence in the Almeria field. However, year after year we have a greater international presence, which means that we are expanding the focus on theJOS SUELMANN, breeding of other types grown in the countries of our custom- lead breeder slicing cucumbers,ers, he says. BASF Vegetable SeedsIt basically depends on the number of markets and differ-entiation that has to be covered, says Jesus Abad, cucumber 6IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'