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

The Darina F1 cucumber seed is a hybrid seed produced by Mosanto. Darina F1 hybrid cucumber seeds are some of the highest yielding cucumber varieties in the world. This US slicer variety is very productive in Nigeria; the fruits are well accepted by the Nigerian populace.

Darina F1 hybrid seeds produce cucumber fruits that are dark green and cylindrical in shape. It has a pathernocarpic growing habit. That is, this variety produces a lot of female flowers. It does not really need bees for pollination.

The price of this variety ranges from N2,800– N3,600. The price of 10 grams and 25 grams of Darina F1 seeds can vary according to demand and other factors.

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 inra-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 Hybrid Cucumber Seeds

The following are the characteristics of Darina F1 seeds:

Darina F1 variety produces big leaves which make the process of photosynthesis very effective and efficient. This also positively impacts its yield.

The cucumber fruits produced by Darina F1 hybrid seeds are usually big and about 20 – 23cm in length. The diameter of the average cucumber fruit from this variety is 4 – 5cm.

Plants produced from Darina F1 hybrid cucumber seeds are often very tall. They can grow as high as 11 feet.

Darina F1 cucumber variety yields very well when it is trained to grow on stakes.

It produces dark green colour cucumber fruits which are preferred by the Nigerian populace.

Darina F1 cucumber variety matures within 45 days. First harvest can come as early as 40 days.

Cucumber plants emanating from Darina F1 hybrid cucumber seeds are resistant and tolerant to cucumber yellow vein virus, cucumber scab disease, cucumber mosaic virus and powdery mildew.

Advantages of planting Darina F1 cucumber seeds

Darina F1 seeds can produce a lot of cucumber fruits. The variety produces fruits profusely unlike other varieties. There are farmers in Nigeria who have harvested up to 800 bags (45kg) of fresh cucumbers from just one acre of farmland.

The dark green colour of the fruits produced by Darina F1 hybrid seeds makes the fruits very marketable. The fruits are well accepted in all Nigerian markets. The dark green colour of the cucumber fruits makes this variety command better price in Nigerian markets.

The fruits produced from Darina seeds can be kept for a long time. It can be kept for over 10 days without getting bad.

Darina variety matures very early. The first harvest can be done as early as 40 days. This makes it possible for a farmer to plant this variety several times in a year.

Darina seeds can grow in all the towns and cities in Nigeria. It can also be grown in both the dry season and the wet season.

Darina F1 cucumber seeds have good tolerances to a lot of pests and diseases.

Disadvantages of planting Darina F1 cucumber seeds

The cost of buying Darina hybrid seeds is higher than that of open pollinated seeds. The high yield can compensate for the high price of the seeds.

Where can I buy Darina F1 hybrid seeds?

You can purchase Darina F1 hybrid seeds from Veggie Concept by calling 08025141924 or email us through sales@veggieconcept.ng.  You can also visit our offices.

Darina hybrid cucumber seeds come in 10g and 25g packs.

Our reflections on planting Darina seeds

At Veggie Concept, we have cultivated Darina F1 hybrid seeds on our farm on several occasions. Our experience has been pleasant.

At some points, we harvested about 720 bags of cucumber fruits from one acre of farmland. The lowest yield we had was 400 bags of cucumber fruits from one acre. Each bag of cucumbers weighs about 42kg.

A lot of our customers also have good stories about Darina F1 hybrid seeds. Some of our customers make millions of naira from their cucumber farm.

You can purchase Darina F1 hybrid seeds from Veggie Concept by calling 08025141924 or email us through sales@veggieconcept.ng.  You can also visit our offices.