I just received an order of seeds, and one of the cucumber varieties is labeled as parthenocarpic.
For anyone unfamiliar with the word, that means it can get fruit without being pollinated, so the fruit is seedless.
My question is should I include it? Pros and cons, ideas and opinions. Personally, I lean away from anything that won’t produce seeds for a landrace. Once established parthenocarpy might have a place.
The favorite cucumber of the woman who lives here is a variety called Arkansas Littleleaf. I haven’t bought seeds for years but as I recall it was described that way. It makes seeds like any other even when grown by itself. And I do grow it by itself because it is the only cucumber she really likes, I’m not a big fan of any cucumber.
If it’s gynoecious, which most parthenocarpic varieties are, parthenocarpy won’t spread to any other plants in your landrace unless you save seeds from that one.
Most parthenocarpic plants still make seeds when they’re pollinated. They just happen to still set fruit when they don’t.
Parthenocarpy is extremely valuable for a plant you want to grow in a greenhouse, or an unheated hoophouse, in order to extend your growing season for a few extra weeks.
So since it’s of the most value late in the season, and you probably want to save seeds from your earliest fruits, why not plant the parthenocarpic variety two months later than everything else? If you don’t like it, it won’t contribute pollen to any fruits you plan to save seeds from, and if you do like it, there ought to be plenty of male flowers around to pollinate a mature fruit for you.
It may not be parthenocarpic, just seems like I remember the original seed packet saying that. If it is though it still makes seeds on its own. It’s not mixed into a landrace it’s the only one I’ve grown for a long time. I’ve never looked into the mating habits of cucumbers or even paid any attention to their flowers.
If it’s parthenocarpic and not gynoecious, and there are pollinators around, I can easily see it producing seeds on its own!
Early in the season I’ve tended to rely on parthenocarpic zukes and cukes early in the season here. I think it’s too cool for proper pollen behaviour. So if I were working on something here I might include them.
Oh, interesting! I could see them being valuable in the early season for similar reasons as being valuable in late season.
Or you could always grow a parthenocarpic one as a houseplant, if you were happy having a huge bush zucchini inside your house. 