Darina F1 Cucumber Seed – (10g/25g Packs of Hybrid Seeds)

Darina F1 cucumber seed is one of the most productive slicing cucumber seeds available in the market. This variety of hybrid cucumber seed can support a lot of big cucumber fruits at a time if well fed with nutrients.

The fruits of Darina F1 are deep green in colour, cylindrical in shape and big. This variety is pathernocarpic in nature, that is, it has predominantly female flowers and may not necessarily need bees for pollination.

Darina F1 seeds can be planted all year round in Nigeria and in any other location with tropical conditions. You can plant this variety in the rainy season and in the dry season.

This variety of cucumber seed is also tolerant and resistant to a number of diseases and pest. To make money in your cucumber business, you are advised to cultivate this type of seed.

You can buy this seed by contacting Veggie Grow through sales@veggiegrow.ng or call 08025141924.

How to Plant Darina F1 Hybrid Cucumber Seeds

Below is the step to take while cultivating Darina F1 variety:

Planting

• The farmland should be ploughed, harrowed and ridged. The soil should be loose enough. All hardpans must be broken.
• Chicken manure and compost can improve the soil. It can also lead to higher yield. Manure should be spread on the soil.
• If you are using drip irrigation, there should be an intra-row spacing of between 30 and 40 cm. Two rows can be created on a 1 metre bed.
• Ensure that your soil pH is within 5.5 – 6.9. The optimal pH is 6.0.
• 10,000 – 13,333 seeds can be used on one acre of farmland.

Staking

• Bamboos and ropes can be used to stake the cucumber plants. This enhances aeration. It also prevents fruits spoilage and diseases.
• Wooden stakes and binding wires can also be used for staking.

Irrigation

• I strongly advise you use drip irrigation for cucumber seeds planting. Drip irrigation ensures uniform growing and can also increase the yield of crops significantly.

Fertilization

During planting of the seeds, diammonium phosphate fertilizer should be buried beside each seed hole. If this fertilizer is not available, NPK fertilizer can be used.

NPK fertilizer, potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate and urea should be used weekly as directed by your agronomist.

High potassium and calcium fertilizer should be used during flowering and fruiting.

During harvesting, weekly application of NPK fertilizer, potassium fertilizer and calcium nitrate should be used.

Fertigation can also be done daily as advised by your agronomist.

Pests and diseases

Some diseases that can affect Darina F1 variety include downy mildew, powdery mildew, pythium root rot and gummy stem blight. The variety has resistance to some diseases too.

Major pests are leaf miners, melon flies, whiteflies, aphids, thrips, and mites.

Control

• Appropriate fungicides, insecticides, nematicides and acaricides etc can be used to control diseases and pests that can attack cucumber plants.

Harvesting

• Darina F1 variety produces fruits profusely. Harvesting should be done every 2-3 days. It is better if harvesting is done early in the day.

Characteristics of Darina F1 Cucumber Seed

• Just like Murano F1, Darina F1 presents with very large leaves. The large leaves make the variety very
  efficient in the use of sunlight for photosynthesis. Efficient photosynthesis makes plant manufacture more food and lead to better yield and revenue for the farmer.
• Darina F1 has a vigorous growing habit. The plant can grow as high as 12 feet if staked.
• The length of the fruit of Darina F1cucumber fruit is between 20 – 23cm
• The diameter of this cucumber fruit is about 4-5cm
• The fruits produced by Darina F1 are super dark green. In most parts of Nigeria, dark green cucumber fruits command better prices.
• This variety has a crawling habit. It yields better when staked
• Maturity time of Darina F1 is between 40 – 50 days. It matures faster in hot climate
• Resistance to cucumber vein yellow virus
• Resistance to cucumber scab disease
• Resistance to cucumber mosaic virus
• Resistance to powdery mildew

Advantages of planting Darina F1 cucumber seeds

There are instances of farmers who harvested 500-800 bags of cucumbers from one acre of farmland (4,000 square meters) using Darina F1 variety. A bag of cucumber weighs 40-45kg.  This is one of the merits of planting Darina F1 seeds.

The dark green colour of the Darina F1 cucumber fruits appeals to buyers in the Nigerian market. The colour also makes it to command a very high price as compared to other varieties.

Darina F1 has a thick fruit wall. This makes it to stay fresh for a very long time. Darina F1 fruits can stay fresh for more than 7 days if well kept.

The maturity time of this variety of cucumber is short. You can start harvesting at 40 days. This can enable you to recoup your investment in no time.

You can grow this variety in all towns and regions in Nigeria. Be it in southern Nigeria or northern Nigeria.

It has a good resistance and tolerance to a lot of diseases and pests.

Disadvantages of planting Darina F1 cucumber

The price of Darina seeds is higher than the price of open pollinated seeds.
Though, the yield will compensate for the price differential.

You may harvest too much cucumber seeds and not be able to sell them if you do not have a good marketing plan.

Growth Pattern and Behaviour of Darina F1 Variety

Darina F1 has a vigorous growth pattern. It presents large leaves, often bigger than other cucumber varieties in Nigeria.

Darina F1 starts flowering from the 28^th – 32^nd day, fruiting follows immediately after flowering. Fruits can get to maturity as early as 36 days. Harvest should be done immediately the cucumber fruits are big enough.

The cucumber fruits harvested from Darina F1 hybrid seed variety can be as long as 30cm. The fruits are also deep green in colour.

Under greenhouse conditions, Darina F1 variety can be harvested for 4 – 6 months. However, in open field conditions, harvest may not go longer than 30 – 45 days.

Darina F1 versus Murano F1

Darina F1 and Murano F1 have similar traits, behavior and characteristics. The similarities include the following:

• They are both hybrid cucumber variety
• They reach maturity within 35 – 45 days
• They have relatively higher yields than most cucumber varieties in Nigeria
• They present more female flowers
• The fruits from both varieties are deep green in colour
• They can be planted in greenhouses and open field

The differences between the two varieties are:

• Darina F1 variety produces all female flowers while Murano F1 produces both male and female flowers
• Darina F1 fruits mature faster than Murano F1 cucumber fruits
• Darina F1 cucumber fruits are slightly smaller than Murano f1 cucumber fruits
• Darina F1 seeds are produced by Mosanto (Seminis) while Murano F1 seeds are produced by Technisem

Darina F1 versus Greengo F1

• Darina F1 and Greengo F1 are similar in the following ways:
• They are both hybrid cucumber seeds
• They have shorter time to maturity unlike open pollinated cucumber seeds
• The fruits of both varieties can mature as early as 36 days

The differences between Darina F1 and Greengo F1 are:

• Darina F1 seeds are produced by Mosanto (Seminis) while Greengo F1 seeds are produced by East West Seeds Company
• Darina F1 variety only produces female flowers while Greengo F1 produces both male and female flowers

Where can I buy Darina F1 cucumber?

You can buy Darina F1 cucumber seeds from Veggie Grow by sending an email to sales@veggiegrow.ng or call
08025141924. You can also visit our offices.

Experiences of those that planted Darina F1 cucumber

We have planted Darina F1 cucumber seeds for over 5 years. It is one of the most high yielding slicing cucumber varieties we have planted in Nigeria.

We often harvest over 600 bags of cucumbers from every acre we cultivate. Please note that a bag of cucumber is 40-45kg. Planting this variety is one of our most profitable cucumber farming ventures.

We also surveyed a lot of farmers who planted Darina F1 cucumber, they all confirmed that the variety is high yielding and very profitable. We have customers making up to N3 million from this variety.

Price of Darina F1 Cucumber seed

The price of this variety ranges from N6,000 – N8,000 per 50 grams sachet. The sachets of the seeds also come in 5g, 10g and 20g.

Do you want to plant Darina F1 cucumber seeds, why not contact us through sales@veggiegrow.ng or
call 08025141924 and begin your journey to making good profit from farming.