• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.159-164
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• 2013

A white powder-like substance, so called 'bloom', is formed on the surface of fruits of many varieties of cucumber. Although it is a natural phenomenon, bloomed fruits are accepted lower in quality compared to bloomless fruits by consumers. The experiments were conducted to obtain basic informations for breeding rootstocks, and to develop promising bloomless rootstocks from basic source materials collected and selected by seed company. The surfaces of bloomless fruits were appeared on the bladder cell of glandular trichome and the epicuticular waxes. Those of bloom fruits appeared with an injured bladder cell and many particles, which were not seen on those of bloomless fruits. The chromaticity was investigated on the surface of the bloom and the bloomless fruits. The 'a' and 'b' value of the bloom and the bloomless fruits did not show any significant difference. The 'L' value was significantly different and that of bloom fruits was higher than that of bloomless fruits. Fruit Si content was conspicuously lower in the fruits of cucumber plants grafted on the bloomless rootstock than in the fruits of those grafted on general bloom rootstocks.