Dali Milk Melon Cucumber

Dali Milk Melon Cucumber

　　The milk melon cucumber is a type of short-fruited cucumber, also known as a fruit cucumber, mini cucumber, spineless cucumber, or small cucumber. Due to its excellent taste, high nutritional value, firm texture, and good storability and transportability, it is often used as a gift and is therefore also called a gift cucumber. The milk melon cucumber has a high fruit-setting rate, with more than one fruit per node. The fruit is short and club-shaped, with distinct or slightly distinct ridges, small in size, typically about 14–18 cm in length and about 3 cm in diameter, weighing around 100 grams. The color is dark green or green, with a tender, smooth skin, even luster, crisp and tender texture, rich cucumber flavor, superior quality, and is particularly suitable for fresh consumption. Its smooth, spine-free surface makes it easy to wash and package, making it highly favored by mid-to-high-end catering businesses. Cultivating spineless cucumbers in solar greenhouses and plastic tunnels can yield profits of 10,000 to 60,000 yuan per mu, and the planting area is increasing year by year. Currently, the main cultivated varieties of gift cucumbers in China include the JingLe series, JingYan series, and Israeli series. The milk melon cucumber contains significantly higher levels of alpha-linolenic acid compared to spined cucumbers. Consuming foods rich in alpha-linolenic acid is beneficial to human health.