Cucumber Productivity and Soil Degradation in Recropping System in Greenhouse

Soil degradation resulting from recropping of greenhouse-cultivated cucumber (Cucumis statirus L.) has become a serious problem for production. The objective was to determine the soil degradation processes and make suggestions for prevention. Experiments were conducted in a solar greenhouse 4.0 m long and 0.7 m wide during 2001–2005 in northern China. In 2001, every fourth plot was filled with continuously cropped typical sandy soils from the winter–spring cucumber season for 0, 1, 4, or 8 years, respectively. Soil particle composition, nutrient content, and species of soil microbes were analyzed. A grafted cucumber with squash root was transplanted to the continuously cropped soil. Results indicated that cucumber fruit productivity increased with increases of recropping year up to the fourth year and then decreased thereafter with continuous cropping. Soil particle percentages did not change significantly as recropping years increased. Soil nutrients were not the main factor for decreased productivity. As the number of recropping years increased, the soil available nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), available potassium (K), and organic content increased. The soil bacteria and fungi increased after 3 or 5 years of recropping, and soil actinomycetes decreased significantly after 5 years of recropping. The ratio of bacteria–fungi–actinomycetes changed, populations of fungi and bacteria increased, and the ratio of actinomycetes decreased, which led to an increase in the occurrence of pathogenic and soil-borne microbes and a decrease in fruit productivity, which were assumed to be the main factors of soil degradation. To stop recropping from influencing populations of fungi, bacteria, and actinomycetes, recropping should not be utilized after 4 years of recropping in order to continue with vegetable productivity in greenhouses.