4.2. Measurement of Fruit Size and Shape

In cucumber, fruit length (FL) and fruit diameter (FD) are often used to describe fruit elongation and radial growth, respectively, during fruit development. Fruit shape could be conveniently defined using the fruit shape index (FSI), which is the ratio of FL to FD. To observe the morphological dynamic changes of fruit size and shape, we measured the FL and FD and calculated the FSI. In addition, data of the seed cavity diameter (SCD) were also collected in this study. All the above fruit size- and shape-related traits were collected at the time points of −6, −3, 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 30 DAA. Because the SCD at −6 and −3 DAA was too small to measure accurately, the data were not collected. Moreover, at least five ovaries or fruits per repetition were measured for each time point.