The innovative application of ethylicin as a seed-fumigant in preventing and controlling cucumber seed-borne...

Seed-borne pathogens substantially reduce cucumber yield and seed quality. Seed fumigation may provide effective disinfestation while maintaining seed viability. This study evaluated ethylicin (ETH) as a fumigant for cucumber seeds and compared its performance with that of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and chloropicrin (CP).

ETH showed the highest overall efficacy in closed-plate bioassays and pot experiments, with over 75% inhibition of the target pathogens, outperforming AITC and CP. ETH fumigation selectively reshaped the seed-associated microbiota, significantly reducing pathogenic fungal and bacterial taxa, including Fusarium (69.55%), Alternaria (52.16%), and Proteobacteria. It also increased germination and emergence by 10.00-24.32%, and improved plant height (7.30-16.60%), stem thickness (2.73-5.11%), and chlorophyll content (6.77-7.80%). ETH-treated plants produced up to seven flowers per plant, compared with three in the control and seed residues ranged from 1.19 to 7.55 mg kg^-1.

ETH shows strong potential as a cucumber seed-fumigant, combining high disease suppression with improved crop establishment. These results offer a practical alternative to conventional fumigants for improving seed health and supporting sustainable cucumber production. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.