Cucumber is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family, widely cultivated in many countries around the world. The plant has climbing stems up to 3 meters long and large heart-shaped leaves covered with fine hairs. Cucumber fruits are false berries — cucurbits — varying in size and skin color, usually green, but yellow and whitish varieties also exist. In commercial production, cucumbers are classified by fruit size into pickles, cornichons, and green beans. To maintain high yield quality, fruits are harvested regularly, every 1–2 days, to stimulate new fruit set and prolong the fruiting period. Cucumbers are prized for their juiciness, crisp texture, and versatility in culinary use: they are eaten fresh, preserved, used in salads, appetizers, and various dishes. The fruit contains approximately 95% water, making it a low-calorie product — only 15 kcal per 100 grams. Cucumbers contain proteins, fats, carbohydrates, as well as B vitamins (B4, B5, B3, B2), vitamin C, and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and sodium. Special importance is given to phytosterol, which aids in the absorption of proteins and B vitamins. Due to its composition, cucumber is used in medicine to treat edema, jaundice, malaria, hemorrhoids, and trophic ulcers. When cultivating cucumbers, it is important to follow agronomic practices to prevent diseases and pests. Major diseases include powdery mildew, root rot, and downy mildew, for which crop rotation, soil moisture control, and fungicides upon first signs of infection are applied. Among cucumber pests, aphids, spider mites, and slugs are distinguished, against which insecticides, biological preparations, or folk remedies such as garlic and onion infusions are used. Following these recommendations allows obtaining a high-quality and healthy cucumber harvest.
