F1 Balalaika — a unique partenocarpic bushy conical hybrid for both protected and open ground, combining early maturity, consistently high yield (fruiting under any temperature conditions), limited branching, and attractive green fruits resembling old Russian cucumbers. Plants are predominantly female-flowering. Under conditions of soil drought and intense heat, the number of male nodes may increase; at lower air temperatures, male nodes are virtually absent. The presence of several male nodes is not a negative trait — on the contrary, it helps to "relieve" the plants and promotes active fruit set when there are many formed green fruits on the plant. The hybrid is sun-loving. Branching is very weak, with almost no lateral shoots (instead, very short determinate cluster branches). The main stem, under heavy fruit load, tends to determinate. Internodes are short. 2-4 fruiting nodes form at each node. Green fruits are ribbed, white-stemmed, oval-cylindrical in shape with a narrowing towards the flower end, 7-9 cm long, 2.8-3.2 cm in diameter, 80-100 g in weight, dense and crunchy. The frequency of ribbing is medium. Salt and taste qualities of the green fruits are high. The hybrid is resistant to olive spot, common cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew, and tolerant to false powdery mildew.
Planting density in greenhouses: 3 plants/m2, in open ground: 4-5 plants/m2.
