Relationship between the Occurrence of Bitter Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Kagafutokyuri) and Total Nitrogen, Nitrate-N, Amino Acid-N and Protein Contents in the Leaf and Peel

Abstract

The occurrence of bitter cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Kagafutokyuri) was higher in the bitter line than in the non-bitter line. Total-N, nitrate-N, amino acid-N and protein contents in the leaf were higher in the former, which received twice the nitrogenous fertilizers than the latter. The occurrence of bitter fruit was higher in the application of twice as much nitrogenous fertilizers as usual, and total-N and amino acid-N contents in the leaf were higher in the former case than in the latter. Protein content also tended to be higher in the former than in the latter. Amino acid-N and protein contents tended to be higher in the peel of the bitter fruit than in that of the non-bitter one.