Poinsette
A long-naturalised slicing type — open-pollinated, so seed can be saved, with real tolerance to both common mildews.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Cucumber
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- Zaid / summer
- Maturity period
- 55–60 days
- Expected yield
- 100–120 q/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Release
- Bred at Clemson University, South Carolina, USA (Carroll Barnes), 1950s–60s; introduced to India by the National Seeds Corporation — exact Indian introduction year not found in sources checked this phase
About this variety
Poinsette, as commonly sold in India, corresponds to the American open-pollinated cucumber cultivar "Poinsett" — bred at Clemson University, South Carolina (USA) by Carroll Barnes in the 1950s–60s as part of a resistant series (alongside "Polaris", "Pixie" and "Chipper") using a disease-resistance source that, in a neat loop, traces back to Indian cucumber germplasm (PI 197087). A directly-fetched krishijagran.com variety roundup states it was introduced to India by the National Seeds Corporation, which is likely why this record frames it as "long-naturalised" rather than as a documented ICAR release. A later, disease-resistance-improved open-pollinated selection from the same line, "Poinsett 76" (1976, a Clemson/Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station/Cornell cooperative release bred by Dr. Henry M. Munger), carries an almost identical fruit type and disease package under a different name — Indian seed trade generally sells the earlier, un-suffixed Poinsett line as "Poinsette".
Key characteristics
Yield & maturity
Maturity period
55–60 days
Expected yield
100–120 q/ha
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
Pest & disease considerations
Major diseases
- A directly-fetched krishijagran.com variety roundup confirms tolerance to anthracnose, powdery mildew, downy mildew and angular leaf spot — matching and extending this record's own downy/powdery mildew tolerance field
- The original US disease-resistance breeding programme (Clemson, 1950s–60s) also reported tolerance to spider mites and scab, per directly-fetched NC State Cucurbit Breeding programme pages — the resistance source (PI 197087) traces back to Indian cucumber germplasm
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- An unusually broad disease-tolerance package for an open-pollinated variety of its era — downy mildew, powdery mildew, anthracnose and angular leaf spot all confirmed by sourced descriptions
- Open-pollinated, so seed can be saved season to season
- Decades of naturalisation in Indian seed trade since its National Seeds Corporation introduction
Things to consider
- Indian seed catalogues generally don't distinguish between the original Poinsett line and the later, disease-resistance-improved Poinsett 76 selection — both are open-pollinated with an almost identical fruit type and disease-resistance package, so the naming difference matters little in practice
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Uttar Pradesh
Frequently asked questions
Is Poinsette an Indian-bred variety?
No — sourced descriptions trace it to Clemson University, South Carolina (USA), bred by Carroll Barnes in the 1950s–60s and introduced to India by the National Seeds Corporation. Its disease resistance itself traces back to Indian cucumber germplasm (PI 197087) used in the original US breeding programme.
Is Poinsette the same as "Poinsett 76" sold in some seed catalogues?
Effectively the same lineage under different names — Poinsett 76 is a later (1976), disease-resistance-improved open-pollinated selection from a Clemson/Virginia/Cornell cooperative, bred from the same Poinsett line rather than a separate hybrid. Fruit type and disease resistance are almost identical between the two, so Indian catalogues selling plain "Poinsette" are effectively offering the earlier line of the same cultivar family.
Sourced from: Vegetable Cultivar Descriptions for North America — Cucumber (A–I) — NC State Cucurbit Breeding, Downy Mildew Resistance — NC State Cucurbit Breeding, Best Cucumber Varieties Available in Indian Market — Krishi Jagran, Poinsett 76 Cucumber — Seedgro. editorial policy.