Growth and production of cucumber plants as affected by colored shade nets and soil covering under Sharm El-Sheikh conditions

The experiment was conducted on a private farm in Sharm El Sheikh City, South Sinai Governorate, Egypt during the summer seasons of 2020 and 2021 to examine the effects of four different colors of shade nets (green, blue, grey, and black shading net) and four soil mulch materials (organic mulch and both black and silver plastic mulches, as well as without soil mulch) on shielding cucumber plants from high temperatures, improving microclimate as well as growth, quality, and fruit yield. The results demonstrated that the use of colored shade nets altered the microclimate around cucumber plants, resulting in a drop in average monthly both air temperature and light intensity as well as an increase in air relative humidity when compared to un-shaded treatment. Furthermore, the temperature of the soil was higher without mulch than it was with mulch. The findings showed that cucumber plants covered in green nets combined with organic soil mulch had the highest values of vegetative development features, such as root length, plant height, number of leaves, and both fresh and dry weight of plants, followed by black shade nets with organic soil mulch. Also, the outcomes revealed the highest values of yield per fed. were attained by green shade nets and/or black nets interacting with soil organic and/or black soil mulch. The results analysis indicate that P-fruit content created the most significant effect from the combination of grey shade nets with organic soil mulch. In terms of N-fruit content, cucumbers covered by green shade nets with organic soil mulch or/and black soil mulch had the greatest values.