Polyploidy in the glasshouse cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Summary An autotetraploid form of the parthenocarpic variety Butchers Disease Resisting was produced by colchicine treatment. Immersing the seeds in water before treatment in 0.2% colchicine for 24 hours gave the highest percentage of vigorous tetraploids. The yield of fruit from tetraploids was better than the diploids at first but it declined later in the cropping period owing to slow sideshoot production.Self-fertility of autotetraploids was lower than diploids. When crossed with diploids, triploid plants were obtained. These were self-sterile but they could be crossed with diploids to give trisomic plants. Aneuploids with one additional chromosome were found amongst tetraploids and triploids.