New Bulgarian cucumber variety "Tereza"

The newest salad cucumber cultivar Tereza was developed at the Maritsa Vegetable Crops Research Institute – Plovdiv through hybridization between the downy and powdery mildew resistant line A11/12 and the cultivar Gergana, followed by repeated individual selection. The objective of the breeding programme was to preserve the morphological characteristics and taste qualities of the fruits of cultivar Gergana and to increase resistance and productivity.

Cultivar Tereza has a monoecious flowering type (it forms male and female flowers). The plants have a strongly developed habit and numerous branches. The fruits are 26–28 cm long, the skin is dark green, with bloom, covered with sparse delicate warts and white spines.

The fruits possess very good taste qualities, a pleasant cucumber aroma, tender texture and an attractive appearance. The dry matter content is 4.5%, measured refractometrically.

It is suitable for open-field and greenhouse cultivation. Cultivation: on a trellis system 90–100/25–30 cm; without support on the soil surface 100–120/25–30 cm. Yield 7–8 t/da. The yield is formed mainly on the branches. When grown on a trellis system, pruning is carried out to increase the yield. Up to the 5th–6th node, the branches from the main stem are removed, after which, at every other node, first-order branches are left and pinched at 2–3 leaves. The fruits are harvested daily upon reaching optimal size. Good resistance to downy and powdery mildew.

Authors: Assoc. Prof. Nikolay Velkov, PhD, Prof. Galina Pevicharova, PhD, Venera Timareva, Tereza Kacheva

Cultivar Tereza was awarded a Diploma in the Innovation Competition, section „Seed and Planting Material of Varieties” during the International Agricultural Exhibition AGRA – 2022.