Internal Fruit Structure of Warty and Non-warty Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.)1

Microscopic observations revealed that the epidermal layer of fruit of MSU 35G (warty) was composed of cells whose longest axis were perpendicular to the fruit surface and about 50 µ thick. The epidermal layer of fruit of MSU 6902 (non-warty) was composed of cells approximately 20 µ thick with little elongation in either visible axis. The F1 (warty) and warty fruit in the F2 exhibited a cellular shape similar to the warty parent. However, the thickness of epidermal cells of these warty progency were significantly less than that of the warty parent when observed in cross-section. Epidermal cell thickness of warty fruit observed in cross-section became increasingly less as the percentage of MSU 6902 in the genetic background increased. Subepidermal cells of fruit with non-warty skin were larger than corresponding cells of warty fruit. The epidermal cell shape of MSU 6902 was linked with the non-warty characteristic. Epidermal cell thickness is inherited independently of epidermal cell shape.