In biology, the BBCH-scale for cucurbits describes the phenological development of cucurbits, such as cucumber, melon, pumpkin, marrow, squash, calabash and watermelon, using the BBCH-scale.
Phenology is the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as habitat factors. The word, coined by the Belgian botanist Charles Morren around 1849, is derived from the Greek φαίνω (phainō), "to show, to bring to light, make to appear" + λόγος (logos), amongst others "study, discourse, reasoning" and indicates that phenology has been principally concerned with the dates of first occurrence of biological events in their annual cycle. Examples include the date of emergence of leaves and flowers, the first flight of butterflies and the first appearance of migratory birds, the date of leaf colouring and fall in deciduous trees, the dates of egg-laying of birds and amphibia, or the timing of the developmental cycles of temperate-zone honey bee colonies. In the scientific literature on ecology, the term is used more generally to indicate the time frame for any seasonal biological phenomena, including the dates of last appearance.
Cucumber is a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It is a creeping vine that bears cucumiform fruits that are used as vegetables. There are three main varieties of cucumber: slicing, pickling, and seedless. Within these varieties, several cultivars have been created. In North America, the term "wild cucumber" refers to plants in the genera Echinocystis and Marah, but these are not closely related. The cucumber is originally from South Asia, but now grows on most continents. Many different types of cucumber are traded on the global market.
A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet edible, fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The word melon derives from Latin melopepo, which is the latinization of the Greek μηλοπέπων (mēlopepōn), meaning "melon", itself a compound of μῆλον (mēlon), "apple, treefruit " and πέπων (pepōn), amongst others "a kind of gourd or melon". Many different cultivars have been produced, particularly of cantaloupes.
The phenological growth stages and BBCH-identification keys of curcurbits are:
| Growth stage | Code | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 digits | 3 digits | ||
| 0: Germination | 00 | 000 | Dry seed |
| 01 | 001 | Beginning of seed imbibition | |
| 03 | 003 | Seed imbibition complete | |
| 05 | 005 | Radicle emerged from seed | |
| 07 | 007 | Hypocotyl with cotyledons breaking through seed coat | |
| 09 | 009 | Emergence: cotyledons break through soil surface | |
| 1: Leaf development | 10 | 100 | Cotyledons completely unfolded |
| 11 | 101 | First true leaf on main stem fully unfolded | |
| 12 | 102 | 2nd true leaf on main stem unfolded | |
| 13 | 103 | 3rd true leaf on main stem unfolded | |
| 1 . | 10 . | Stages continuous till . . . | |
| 19 | 109 | 9 or more leaves on main stem unfolded (2digit) 9th leaf unfolded on main stem (3digit) | |
| – | 110 | 10th leaf on main stem unfolded | |
| – | 11 . | Stages continuous till . . . | |
| – | 119 | 19th leaf on main stem unfolded | |
| 2: Formation of side shoots | 21 | 201 | First primary side shoot visible |
| 22 | 202 | 2nd primary side shoot visible | |
| 2 . | 20 . | Stages continuous till . . . | |
| 29 | 209 | 9 or more primary side shoots visible | |
| – | 221 | First secondary side shoot visible | |
| – | 22 . | Stages continuous till . . . | |
| – | 229 | 9th secondary side shoot visible | |
| – | 231 | First tertiary side shoot visible | |
| 5: Inflorescence emergence | 51 | 501 | First flower initial with elongated ovary visible on main stem |
| 52 | 502 | 2nd flower initial with elongated ovary visible on main stem | |
| 53 | 503 | 3rd flower initial with elongated ovary visible on main stem | |
| 5 . | 50 . | Stages continuous till . . . | |
| 59 | 509 | 9 or more flower initials with elongated ovary already visible on main stem | |
| – | 510 | 10 or more flower initials with elongated ovary already visible on main stem | |
| – | 51 . | Stages continuous till . . . | |
| – | 519 | 19 ore more flower initials with elongated ovary already visible on main stem | |
| – | 521 | First flower initial visible on a secondary side shoot | |
| – | 531 | First flower initial visible on a tertiary side shoot | |
| 6: Flowering | 61 | 601 | First flower open on main stem |
| 62 | 602 | 2nd flower open on main stem | |
| 63 | 603 | 3rd flower open on main stem | |
| 6 . | 60 . | Stages continuous till . . . | |
| 69 | 609 | 9th flower open on main stem or 9 flowers on main stem already open | |
| – | 610 | 10th flower open on main stem or 10 flowers on main stem already open | |
| – | 61 . | Stages continuous till . . . | |
| – | 619 | 19th flower open on man stem ore more than 19 flowers on main stem already open | |
| – | 621 | First flower on secondary side shoot open | |
| – | 631 | First flower on tertiary side shoot open | |
| 7: Development of fruit | 71 | 701 | First fruit on main stem has reached typical size and form |
| 72 | 702 | 2nd fruit on main stem has reached typical size and form | |
| 73 | 703 | 3rd fruit on main stem has reached typical size and form | |
| 7 . | 70 . | Stages continuous till . . . | |
| 79 | 709 | 9 or more fruits on main stem has reached typical size and form | |
| – | 721 | First fruit on a secondary side shoot has reached typical size and form | |
| – | 731 | First fruit on a tertiary side shoot has reached typical size and form | |
| 8: Ripening of fruit and seed | 81 | 801 | 10% of fruits show typical fully ripe colour |
| 82 | 802 | 20% of fruits show typical fully ripe colour | |
| 83 | 803 | 30% of fruits show typical fully ripe colour | |
| 84 | 804 | 40% of fruits show typical fully ripe colour | |
| 85 | 805 | 50% of fruits show typical fully ripe colour | |
| 86 | 806 | 60% of fruits show typical fully ripe colour | |
| 87 | 807 | 70% of fruits show typical fully ripe colour | |
| 88 | 808 | 80% of fruits show typical fully ripe colour | |
| 89 | 809 | Fully ripe: fruits have typical fully ripe colour | |
| 9: Senescence | 97 | 907 | Plants dead |
| 99 | 909 | Harvested product (seeds) | |