Changes in quality indicators of different cucumber hybrid seeds during five years of aging

The aim of the research was to evaluate the effect of year and seed hybrids on the most significant indicators of the seed quality of cucumber. Testing the quality of seeds of three different hybrids of cucumber: Centauro F1, Edona F1 and Solatio F1 was carried out during a five-year period (2018 - 2022). Analysis of germination energy, seed germination, abnormal seedlings and dead seeds cucumber showed highly significant differences (r<0.01) under the influence of individual factors of the year (Y) and hybrid seed (H), as well as their interaction (Y × H). The seed germination of the examined hybrids by year slowly decreases and is the lowest at 94% in the fifth year (2022). The strongest positive correlation was established between germination energy and seed germination (r = 0.95635, p<0.001) and between abnormal seedlings and dead seeds (r = 0.92301, p<0.001). As expected, a negative and highly significant (p < 0.001) correlation was established between germination energy and: abnormal seedlings (r = -0.94535) and dead seeds (r = -0.93255). Likewise, a strongest negative (p < 0.001) correlation was found between seed germination and: abnormal seedlings (r = - 0.97497) and dead seeds (r = -0.98545). The obtained results indicate that the germination energy and seed germination of highly hybrid conventional cucumber seeds decreases significantly after the third year of aging, but only in the case of the Edona F1 hybrid.