CALCIUM DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS IN GREENHOUSE CUCUMBERS

G. M. WARD
Research Stalion, Agriculture Canada, Harrow, Ontario. Received 28 Mar. j973, accepted 19 lune 1973.

Weno, G.

M. 1973. Calcium deficiency

symptoms

Can. J. Plant Sci. 53: 849-856.

in

greenhouse cucumbers.

Can. J. Plant Sci. Downloaded from pubs.aic.ca by 94.201.235.211 on 04/28/13 For personal use only.

In a sand culture experiment with seeded and seedless greenhouse cucumbers (Cucumis sativusL.), induced Ca defciency over a range of nutrient Ca applications produced characteristic foliar and piant symptoms. Severe deficiency was associated with top leaf tissue levels of O.20Vo Ca and less. Fruit symptoms were a proportionate stunting, center and stem-end constriction in Burpee hybrid, and a progressively darker green color in sporu. Mild symptoms were difficult to recognize and could only be confirmed by tissue analysis, although it was not possible to determine an exact thresbold value for incipient deficiency.
sans graines (Cucumis sativusL.),la carence en Ca provoqu6e sur I'ensemble des applications de Ca s'est traduite par des sympt6mes caract6ristiques sur la feuille et sur la plante. Aux fortes carences ont correspondu des teneurs de O.2OVo

Au cours d'une exp6rience de culture sur sable de concombres de serre avec et

et moins en Ca dans portionn6e, un 6trang Burpee, et le vert chez mineurs qui n'ont pu
possible cependant

trophie pro

de l,hybiide
s sympt6mes n,a pas 6t6 ce naissante.

de

INTRODUCTION
known that the Cucurbitaceae absorb much Ca (Wilkins 1917; Roorda van Eysinga and Smilde 1969; Ward 1967a, b). This element is taken up in larger quantities than any other nutrient, except K and occasionally N, bu,t its distribution throughout the plant is very uneven. The amounts found in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruits are relatively small. In many plants, lack of Ca
results in characteristic deficiency symptoms,

sympto,ms

in different tissues, particularly

It is well

fruits.

MATERIALS AND METIIODS

- the seedless cucumber, cult Sporu. hybrid, and

tests were made simultaneously with both types. Seedlings were grown from seed in pots of soil and transplanted after 13 days to 4-liter pots of soil or washed white sand. Uniformlv sized plants with the first true leaves just showing above the cotyledons were selected to provide four replicates per treatment and the roots were washed free of soil before transplanting. They were watered and fertilized as required with Hewitt's (1966) standard nutrient solution adjusted to produce the following treatments:

Two types of cucumber were used in this experiment the seeded cucumber, cult Burpee

All

which have been described and illustrated and associated with specific Ca concentra-

tions in some tissues (Chapman 1966; Wal-

fruit similar to blossomend rot in tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.)

cumber

lace 1951). However, there is little information on cucumbers and apparently no dramatic Ca deficiency symptom in the cu(Ward 1973) and peppers (Capsicum frutescans L.) or corky spots in apples (Malus sylvestris Mill.) and some other fruits. The

Tl:
T2: T3:

meq/liter Ca
Sand Sand t fertilizer Sand * fertilizer Sand * fertilizer Sand -F fertilizer Sand t fertilizer without Ca Soil f complete fertilizer

(Hewitt 1966)

complete fertilizer
6

present experiment was designed to determine the effects on cucumber fruits of varying degrees of Ca deficiency and to find what

Ca levels are associated with the various

Cu. J. Phnt
ScL 53: 849-E56

(Oct

T4: T5: T6: T7: T8: Soil * fertilizer without Ca T9: Sand { complete fertilizer for
then without Ca.
849

4
2

0.4
0
8

0 1 mo,

1973)

850

CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCE

The soil was a light sandy loam used regularly in greenhouse culture and it contained 500 ppm readily available Ca before fertilization. The plants were grown in a greenhouse under conditions approximating 23 C day temperature, 19 C night temperature and 65% relative humidity. Ca deficiency symptoms developed on plants in the various treatments at different times. When they became sufficiently characteristic of
the disorder, a detailed description was recorded and pictures were taken. Samples were taken for analysis from relevant treatments, on several

Plants in T3 and T4 demonstrated that with decreasing supplies of Ca, deficiency symptoms appeared sooner and became more severe. Decrease in plant height and number of leaves was a characteristic feature. Symptoms tended to appear mainly at
the top of the plant unless the deficiency was extremely severe. Plants in T7 and T8 growing in soil maintained normal healthy foliage throughout the experiment, but after 49 days the fruit developing on the upper parts of T8 plants (no added nutrient Ca) remained small and abnormal. Plants in T9, which were given adequate Ca for I mo after transplanting, developed normally and produced normal fruit during that period, but when Ca was withdrawn, they responded quickly by developing foliar symptoms near the top of the plant. Any fruit that had set remained small and deformed and further fruit-set was completely stopped. The analysis of a complete plant of each

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different dates. Selected tissues from two or four plants were composited, dried in an oven at 80 C, and ground. Fruit tissues were prepared on an individual fruit basis and freeze-dried. All samples were analyzed for Ca, K, and Mg by atomic absorption spectrophotometry on a dry ash extract. At the end of the growing period the total fruit yields were measured and
recorded.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Whereas plants that received an adequate

I

supply of Ca developed normally and reached a height of 66 cm in 35 days (Table

those that were completely deprived of Ca after the 13-day seedling period (T6)

),

cultivar from T6 illustrates the plant response to complete lack of Ca (Table 2). These figures and those in Table 3 may be

quickly developed deflciency

symptoms,

which in 35 days had the degree of severity described in Table 1, illustrated in Fig. I

compared with previously published data from this laboratory (Ward 1967a) showing the distribution of Ca, K, and Mg in a normal healthy cucumber plant where Ca varied from 13.1lVo in the bottom leaf to l.O6Vo in the top leaf. Bottom and top leaves from

and 2, and reflected in the analyses in Table 2. These plants continued growing for an-

form of successive decreases in height and number of leaves in T3 and T4. Plants in T5 showed serious deficiency symptoms although the growing tips were still viable and expanding and a few fruit had developed. In 41 days the tops were seriously afiected (Fig. a) and by 49 days had completely aborted. The plants still remained alive rvith a number of deformed fruit until the termination of the experiment at 67 days. Burpee plants in T2 remained completely normal in appearance throughout the elperiment and the effect of reduced Ca in nutrient application was apparent only in the chemical analysis of various tissues. Sporu plants in T2 began to show mild foliar symptoms of deficiency aftet 49 days (Table 1).

other 6 days but became almost completely necrotic and were discarded. Plants in T2, T3, and T4 had no visible foliar symptoms of deficiency in 35 days but a depression in growth was observed in the

Tl in this experiment were also analyzed (Table 2) and Ca levels are shown to be

9.3lVo and l.8lVo for Burpee and' lO.O27o and l.63Vo for Sporu. There was, therefore, a drastic reduction of Ca in all tissues of T6 plants but the gradient from bottom to top was still maintained. The total quantity

of Ca in the whole plant was only 26 mg in Burpee ar,d 2l mg in Sporu. The source of this Ca was the seed and the soil in which
the seedling was grown before being transplanted to sand. Plants from T5 (Table 3) showed the

top parts of the plant fell to the same low levels found in T6. The total quantity of Ca in T5 plants was 46 mg in Burpee and 65 mg in Sporu. Nutrient application for

of Ca distribution and gradient as those from T6. They were larger, however, and the Ca levels in the lower leaves were higher, although percentages in the
same pattern

WARD----CREENHOUSE CUCUMBERS CALCIUM DEFICIENCY

851

Table

1. Description of calcium deficiency

symptoms on plants of two cucumber cultivars at suc-

cessive stases of develooment

Description of plant Treatment

no. Burpee 35 Days .from seed.ing

Sporu

T1

Normal, healthy dark green ht 66 cm, 10 leaves

Same as T1 Same as T1 except

foliage,

Normal, healthy, dark green foliage, ht 51 cm, 10 leaves

T2
T3

Can. J. Plant Sci. Downloaded from pubs.aic.ca by 94.201.235.211 on 04/28/13 For personal use only.

ht

50 cm

T4
T5

T6

Foliage normal, ht 31 cm, 7 leaves Stunted plants, chlorotic spotting, and interveinal chlorosis on bottom leaves, severe downward curling on top leaves, small tops Plants severely stunted, short internodes, all leaves chlorotic, top leaves severely curled, tops

ht 42 cm Foliage normal, ht 25 cm, 8 leaves Same as Burpee

Same as T1 Same as T1 except

Same as Burpee

aborting T7, T8, T9

Same as T1 Same as T1 41 Doys Jrom seeding 122 cm, 16 leaves, normal male and female blossoms

't1, T2
T3 T4

Ht

Slight leaf curling at top

Upper leaves curling,

ht
T5

81 cm, 13 leaves

84 cm, 14 leaves, normal male and female blossoms Very slight leaf curling at top Severe curling of upper leaves and sucker leaves, marginal chlorosis, fruit on suckers,

Ht

Three bottom leaves normal, remainder chlorotic and curled, small embryo fruit, tops aborting,

ht 71 cm, 12 leaves Same as Burpee except ht 70 cm, 11 leaves

Same as Burpee

ht

80 cm, 12 leaves

T6 T7, T8, T9
T1 T2 T3

Tops necrotic, foliage hard and dying, plants discarded Similar to T1

49 Days from seeiling

Similar to T1 Normal foliage and fruit Slight leaf curling and marginal chlorosis near top, normal fruit Leaf symptoms less severe than
Burpee, fruit more normal
Severe plant symptoms, plant

Normal foliage and fruit Normal foliage and fruit Leaf symptoms on top third of plant,
few small fruit
Severe plant symptoms,

T4 T5 T7 T8 T9

fruit small and deformed

Severe symptoms, stunting, aborted

slightly stunted, fruit slightly

affected Severe symptoms, stunting,

tips, fruit small and deformed Normal foliage and fruit Normal foliage, upper fruits

aborted tips, fruit small Normal foliage and fruit Normal foliage, some small fruits Symptoms appearing near top of plant, fruit deformed and small

small and abnormal Symptoms appearing near top of plant, fruit small

852
Table

cANADIAN JoURNAL

oF PLANT scIENcE

2. Ca, K, and Mg content of some tissues of two

cucumber cultivars showing severe Ca deficiency symptoms after 35 days from seeding (treatment T6)

Analysis (7o of dry wt)

Burpee

Sporu

Description of sample

Ca

K
1.56
.93
1

Mg
.86 .36

Ca
6. 09

Mg

T6 cotyledons T6 leaf I (bottom)

a
A

3.98 2.34
1

3.20

Can. J. Plant Sci. Downloaded from pubs.aic.ca by 94.201.235.211 on 04/28/13 For personal use only.

.59 1i .43

.90
J. JJ

t.L2
I. IJ .91

r.42
.54
.31 .11

3.12

.25
6
7

T6 T6 T6 T1

Tl

top stem f petioles, bottom half stem * petioles, top half leaf 1 (bottom)
leaf 9

.12 .21 .12 .4.)

3.24 2.88 3.64 4.25 4.53

6. 39

.87 .65
.91

.lo
.06
.49

.14 9.31
1.81

.86 .66 .49

1. 78

2.19 | .77 4.01 4.38 3.96 4.31 2.88 2.63 3.94

.J-.)6 3.

l.4r
2

.21

r.73
1.33
.

95

.95 .67 .85 .68

.J'

.15
10.02

3.08
3. 59

.60

1.63

16 2.88

1.73 .45

28 days with a solution containing 8 ppm Ca (.4 meq/liter) supplied apProximately 44 mg. If the seedlings had the same Ca content as those in T6, tben the total supply would amount to 70 mg for Burpee and 65 mg for Sporu. These plants, therefore, used almost all the available Ca. A normal plant at this stage of growth contains apProximately 500 mg Ca (Ward 1967b). After 4l and 55 days, representative leaf samples from all treatments were analyzed (Table 4). Response to treatment is apparent in both bottom and top leaves. Severe deficiency symptoms were associated with tissues with a Ca content of less than .207o but it did not seem to be possible to define a clear threshold value as with Mg (Ward and Miller 1969) or with Ca in tomatoes (Ward 1973) because the symptoms developed gradually and were not strikingly dramatic until they became severe. Calcium deficiency in cucumber was therefore difficult to diagnose without a chemical analysis of an indicator tissue. The analysis of top leaf tissue of Burpee plants from T9 re-

flected the rapid development of Ca deficiency in these plants. Ca was withdrawn 43 days after seeding and in 12 days the Ca content of top leaves had dropped frorn

1.54% to .267o.It is apparent that when the supply of Ca through the roots was sud-

denly cut off, there was no further input into the new small leaves at the top. There was no mobilization of Ca from other parts
under deficiency conditions.

of the plant similar to the translocation of K

After 55 days from seeding, plants in all treatments had fruits at various stages of development and with a variety of deformities. Representative samples that were judged to be in a condition equivalent to maturity were picked, photographed (Fig. 5, 6)' described (Table 5), and analyzed (Table 6). The successive restriction in length and weight with decreasing supplies of Ca from T1 to T5 is apparent. Decreasing Ca concentration in the fruit was also found. The blossom-end striping and stippling seen on the Burpee fruit in Fig. 5 is a normal genetic characteristic, not to be confused with de-

1. Severe Ca deficiency with necrotic growing tip. T6, 35 days. Fig. 2. Normal plant Tl (pesticide spray residue on leaves) and T6 plant 35 days. Fig. 3. Normal plants T1' 4l days. Flg. 4. Seveie Ca deficiency. T5, 4l days. Fig. 5. Burpee hybrid fruit. T1-T5, 55 days. Fig.
Fig.
6. Sporu

fruit.

T1-T5, 55 days.

Can. J. Plant Sci. Downloaded from pubs.aic.ca by 94.201.235.211 on 04/28/13 For personal use only.

WARD----GREENHOUSE CUCUMBERS CALCIUM DEFICIENCY

854

CANADIAN JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCE

Table

3. Ca, K, and Mg content of some tissues of two cucumber cultivars showing deficiency symptoms after 4l days from seeding (treatment T5)
Analysis (/6 of dry wt)
Burpee Sporu

severe Ca

Description of sample

Ca

Mg
1. 53
. ,J

Ca

Mg
1

T5 cotyledons T5 leaf 1 (bottom)

L

5.80

1.03
1.81

.).50

4.r7
3.59 1.88 1.26 .77 .49
.23

4.26

1.99
J.IJ

Can. J. Plant Sci. Downloaded from pubs.aic.ca by 94.201.235.211 on 04/28/13 For personal use only.

J
A

2.22 1.62
1.ZJ .93

r.72
1.36
.93

3.62
3. 55 3. 70

.59
.36 .25

6
7

.o,
.49
.+7 .43 .51

+.76
+.LJ

.t4
.11 .11 .12

9
10
11

3.62 2.87

.18 .10
.09 -Lt

s.07
4.52

l2
13

.ut
.11
. /J

T5 T5 T5 T5 T5

top small suckers male flowers & embryo fruit stem * petioles, bottom half stem f petioles, top half

.18 .2+ .27

.41

3.16
+.39 3.92

.46

.14 .19
.19

.ot
.41

.rl

n 1'

.37
.12

.29

.76 .61 .86 1. 10 2.00 1. r0 2.60 2,65 3.77 2.55 2.38 2.95 2.87 3.09 4.50 3.13 4.16 3.98 4.14
|

.25

1.82

r.32 r.20
.62 .42 .51 .31

t.t4
.86

.33 .46
.55

.64
.73

.55 .58
.42 .22

flciency symptoms. The center and end constrictions were caused by Ca deficiency in this instance, but these expressions are not specific for Ca alone. They may be produced by other nutrient deficiencies or by factors that disturb the water balance of the

Burpee, probably because

thinner skin. However, the Sporu fruit from T4 and T5 showed a definite darkening in the green color towards the blossom end. In both cultivars under extreme deficiency the percentage of Ca reached a very low
level in Burpee, .O5Vo, and in Sporu, .06%. In normal fruit (Tl, T7) the Ca levels ap-

of the softer

fruit. The seedless cucumber fruit, Sporu, did not show any constriction similar to
Table

4.

Ca content of selected sample leaves of two cucumber cultivars af.ter

seedine

4l and 55 days

from

Ca as /s of drY wt

Bottom leaf Treatment

T1 T2
IJ

Top leaf
Burpee 41 days

Burpee 41 days

Sporu
41 days 12.02

Sporu
41 days

Burpee 55 days

11.40
8. 08 6. 65

9.41
8. 08
J.A'

1.73 1.35
.83

r.74
l.J,

1.45 1.48
I. JJ

.88
.51

T4 T5 T7 T8 T9

3.95 2.77

4.26
11.84
12.63

tt.82

1r.77

11.38

tt.07

.58 .10 1.84 1.58 1.54

.69
.11

.rt
2.24
1.41 1.61

4.09
2.62 .26

WARD----GREENHOUSE CUCUMBERS CALCIUM DEFICIENCY

855

Table

5. Description of calciurn

deficiency symptoms on fruit of two cucumber cultivars after 55 days from seeding Description of fruit

Treatment
no. Burpee

Sporu

T1 T2 T3

Normal green color, slight striping at blossom end, straight Slightly constricted stem end Constricted center to stem end. lighter color, more striping
Center severely constricted, very small fruit Stunted undeveloped fruit with constricted blossom end

Light green color, straight or

slightly curved Slightty curved; smaller fruit Curved and shorter than normal
Curved fruit, stunted, much darker green Severely stunted, curved, and

Can. J. Plant Sci. Downloaded from pubs.aic.ca by 94.201.235.211 on 04/28/13 For personal use only.

T4 T5

very dark green parison with previous data and by inspeotion of the Tl leaf sample data in Table 2 that

proximated those reported

and Miller l97O). All fruits in T7 were normal and only slight abnormalities occurred on some fruits in T8. In T9 no fruit had developed on the upper portion of the Burpee plants at the sampling date. The formed and had a Ca content as low
those from T5.

study of developing cucumber fruits (Ward

in a previous

when Ca is deficient, the Mg content increases. This does not hold for fruit tissues. There is no apparent pattern of relationship
between

Sporu fruits on the upper parts were de-

as

The interrelationships of K, Ca, and Mg in plant nutrition have been discussed in a previous paper (Ward 1973). As an additional contribution to this subject the K and

Mg contents of some tissue samples are shown in Tables 2,3, and 6. The decreasing

The final assessment of fruit yield after 67 days from seeding (Table 7) indicated that in this period there was no restriction in yield of Burpee in the first three treat, ments but a gradual decrease in the yield of Sporu. The severe effect of Ca deficiency can be seen in the greatly reduced yields from T4 and T5. However, ,these plants set as many fruits as those in other treatments,
except T5 Sporu, but none of these fruits were developing. The effect of the diminishing supply of Ca in T8 can be seen in the

K and Ca.

gradient of Mg from leaf 1 to the top of the plant as reported previously (Ward 1967a) can be seen here. It is also apparent by comTable

small number

of

additional

fruit set prior

55 days

6.

Ca, K, and Mg content of

fruit of two cucumber cultivars frorn all treatments after

from seeding
Sporu

Burpee

Analysis (/6 dty wt)

Analysis (0/6 dry wt)

Size,

Treatment
T1 T2 T3

Size,

g fresh wt
502 184 155
l1

Ca

Mg 3.58 2.80 s.25 2.90 3.40 2.38 2.60

J.+J

g fresh wt 52r

Ca

Mg .18
. 18

T4
T5
ll

T8 (lower) T8 (upper)
T9

60 766 196
19

.45 .16 .16 .20 .05

.53 .42

.20 .14 .18 .30 .24

.21

23r
368 312 109

428
431 264

.24
.32

.68

.43 .2r .18 .10 .06 . 54 .40 .06

2.55 2.85 2.55 2.43 2.83 2.90 2.58 2.35

.18 .18 .23 .20 .23

.r7

856
Table

CANADTAN JoTJRNAL

oF pLANT

scrENcE

7. Total yield of fruit from four plants of two cultivars

Total
no.

after 67 days from seeding

Treatment
T1

Total

Avg

wt

(g)

wt (g)

Avg

length Additional (.-) fruit set

19
7 n

Total

fruit l4
10

set

Burpee
I

Can. J. Plant Sci. Downloaded from pubs.aic.ca by 94.201.235.211 on 04/28/13 For personal use only.

T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9
T1 T2

8
8 10

2345 2424 2493

335 303

20

312
193

20
15 10

t926
124
5089
553
1

8 4

t6

l4
t4
20 25

62 391 263 370

l2

0
13

20
18

2l
6

2220

20

I
8
2

8 8
a

T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9

1l
J
0
13 18
11

3874 3572 3462 2802

885 5473 8164

Sporu 484
447

36
JJ

t6
10
15

495 255
177

32

8
J

28

l4
5 L7

2l
30
JJ

421

4
2
1

454
392

20

4309

30

l2

to the harvest date, rather than in the yield. And the effect of the sudden stopping of Ca
supply in T9 is also apparent through the appearance of only one additional fruit in both cultivars. Characteristic Ca deficiency symptoms were produced in this experiment. The interveinal chlorosis and chlorotic spotting, the downward curling or hooking of leaves, the severe plant stunting and aborted growing tips are similar to the symptoms found in

ROORDA van EYSINGA, J. P. W. L. and SMILDE. K. W. 1969. Nutritional disorders in cucumbers and gherkins under glass. Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation, Wageningen, Netherlands. pp. 18-f9. WALLACE, T. 1951. The diagnosis of mineral deficiencies in plants by visual symptoms. H.M.
Stationery Oftice, London.

2nd ed. Commonwealth Agr. Bur. Tech. Commun.22,

WARD. G.

other species (Wallace 1951;

Chapman

1966). No specific symptoms were found on

fruits other than a proportionate stunting, some constrictions on Burpee, and a progressively darkening green color on Sporu. Extreme deficiency is related to a Ca percentage in the top leaves below .2OVo, bttt no specific percentage can be related to the onset of the disorder. LITERATURE CITED CHAPMAN, H. D. 1966. Diagnostic criteria for plants and soils. Univ. of California Div.
Agr. Sci., Riverside, Calif.

nutrition a growth analysis study. Plant Soil 26: 324-332. WARD, G.M. 1967b. Growth and nutrient absorption in greenhouse tomato and cucumber. Proc. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 90: f35-341.

M.

1967a. Greenhouse cucumber

WARD, G.

rot of

WARD, G. M. and MILLER, M.

M. 1973. Causes of blossom-end tomatoes based on tissue analysis. Can. J. Plant Sci. 53: 169-174
Magnesium deficiency in greenhouse tomatoes. Can. J. Plant Sci. 49: 5f-59. WARD, G. M. and MILLER, M. J. 1970. Relationship between fruit sizes and nutrient content of greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers. Can. J. Plant Sci. 50: 451-455. WILKINS, L. K. 1917. The high calcium content of some cucurbit vines. New Jersey Agr. Exp. Sta. Bull. 310: 5-19.

J.

1969.

HEWITT. E. J. 1966. Sand and water culture methods used in the study of plant nutrition.