Vol. 9, Issue 7, Part T (2025)

A study was conducted during the Rabi seasons of 2022-23 and 2023-24 at the Precision Farming Development Centre (PFDC), near Ram Dhan Seed Farm, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar (29°09′14.28″ N, 75°43′02.84″ E; 215 m amsl), situated in a semi-arid, subtropical climate. The experiment utilized a split-plot design with three replications. Main plots featured two cucumber varieties: Pusa Parthenocarpic Cucumber-6 (PPC-6) and Punjab Kheera-1 (PK-1). Sub-plots involved two plant spacings (60 × 60 cm and 60 × 45 cm), while sub-sub plots included treatments with plant growth regulators (PGRs): NAA (25 & 50 ppm), GA₃ (10 & 20 ppm), ethrel (100 & 200 ppm), combinations of ethrel + GA₃, NAA + GA₃, NAA + ethrel and a water-spray as control. PGRs were applied as foliar sprays at the two and four true leaf stages. Post-harvest losses of fruits were assessed under ambient conditions. PPC‑6 demonstrated consistently lower post‑harvest losses than Punjab Kheera‑1 (PK‑1) under both 60 × 60 cm and 60 × 45 cm spacing. Under the wider spacing, PPC‑6 registered PLW of 10.87-11.05%, decay of 11.78-12.15%, and total loss of 22.65-23.20%, whereas PK‑1 recorded slightly higher losses (PLW 10.95-11.14%, decay 11.91-12.26%, total 22.86-23.40%) during 2022-23 and 2023-24, respectively. Similar trends were observed at closer spacing. The combination treatment of NAA 20 ppm + GA₃ 10 ppm delivered the lowest losses across all treatments. In contrast, the control (water spray) exhibited the highest losses (PLW 11.13-11.34%, decay 12.08-12.46%, total 23.21-23.79%). Storage duration exerted a marked effect: by day 12, PLW had doubled (~23.3%), decay surged to ~36.5%, and cumulative losses approached ~59% under both spacing regimes. Notably, interaction effects among variety, spacing and PGRs were largely non‑significant. In conclusion, the integration of PPC‑6 with foliar application of NAA 20 ppm + GA₃ 10 ppm, especially at 60 × 60 cm spacing, is identified as the optimal strategy for minimizing post‑harvest losses in polyhouse‑grown cucumbers.