1. Application: Cucumbers are treated with plant hormones when they are still small.
2. Growth: The cucumber flowers are coated with a red agent and bloom brightly.
3. Maturity: Due to the high concentration of the agent, the bottom part of the cucumber swells.
Recently, local media have reported that some vendors selling cucumbers have admitted that many cucumbers with yellow flowers and thorns are treated with contraceptive drugs, which help maintain the freshness of the flowers and make the cucumbers look fresh. These reports have made many citizens in Nanjing worried about whether there is any connection between cucumbers with yellow flowers and contraceptive drugs.
Nanjing Market:
Most vegetable vendors strongly recommend "flower-topped and thorny" cucumbers. Yesterday afternoon, at a market in the eastern part of the city, two cucumber stalls not far from each other were displaying very fresh-looking cucumbers. However, the reporter noticed that customers generally prefer cucumbers with yellow flowers on top. "Cucumbers with flowers are fresher, look how crisp and tender they are," said the stall owner enthusiastically while picking out cucumbers for the reporter. He particularly selected these "flower-topped and thorny" cucumbers, saying that his stall's cucumbers are the freshest, almost all with yellow flowers, freshly picked, and therefore very good. At another farmers' market, the reporter also saw that the cucumbers sold here were also very "fresh", as these cucumbers also had "flower-topped and thorny" features. One vendor stated that the reason his cucumbers still have flowers is mainly due to careful handling during picking, ensuring the freshness and quality of the cucumbers, and preventing water loss because of the presence of flowers.
However, what was strange was that the reporter then visited two nearby supermarkets, where the cucumbers did not show many small yellow flowers. Compared to those at the farmers' markets, the cucumbers here were obviously duller in color, and the tops almost lacked small yellow flowers. If present, the petals were shriveled and blackened, easily falling off with a light touch.
Citizens' Concerns:
"Flower-topped cucumbers" treated with contraceptives? Can't eat them anymore!
"Fresh cucumbers we usually eat are actually processed with contraceptives?" Mr. Wang, a resident of Nanjing, expressed unease upon learning this news. He worriedly told the reporter that he and his family particularly like eating cucumbers. His parents also told him to choose cucumbers with flowers when buying, as these are the freshest, just picked. Moreover, his family likes to eat cucumbers raw, washing them and eating them with the skin on. However, now it has been revealed that cucumbers with flowers are artificially created using contraceptives, making it hard for him to accept.
Ms. Li, who shares Mr. Wang's concerns, also expressed anger. She told the reporter that cucumbers with yellow flowers at the farmers' market are more expensive than those without flowers. People buy the more expensive ones for their freshness, but she didn't expect to be deceived. Furthermore, long-term consumption of cucumbers treated with contraceptives could have serious consequences, possibly even leading to infertility, which makes her hesitant to eat so-called "flower-topped cucumbers" anymore.
Expert Explanation:
"Flower-topped cucumbers" use hormones, but the claim about contraceptives is nonsense.
Regarding the situation where cucumbers are sold with bright yellow flowers, researcher Wang Qiang from the Nanjing Vegetable Science Research Institute said that one can carefully consider whether apples or pears are ever sold with flowers. These fruits, like cucumbers, go through the same growth process of flowering before fruiting. Therefore, when cucumbers grow into marketable sizes, the flowers should naturally wither.
Wang Qiang emphasized that these flower-topped cucumbers are abnormal, but he firmly stated that it is not caused by contraceptives.
Wang Qiang explained to the reporter that flowering and fruiting is a natural ecological rule. Normally, it takes about a week from flowering to harvesting for cucumbers. Normally growing cucumbers take 3-4 days from flowering to fruiting, and the flowers naturally fall off on the fourth day. Although some cucumbers may retain flowers after maturing, these are already wilted. Thus, if cucumbers still have bright yellow flowers, it must be the result of artificial intervention.
Wang Qiang pointed out that "flower-topped and thorny" fresh cucumbers indeed undergo treatment, but he does not agree with the claim that "contraceptives" are responsible. For plants, substances that affect them should be plant hormones, while contraceptives belong to animal hormones. There is a fundamental structural difference between the two, and they are completely unrelated fields. Therefore, the claim that animal hormones (contraceptives) can stimulate plant development is clearly baseless.
According to Wang Qiang, the drug that allows cucumbers to retain flowers after growing is a growth regulator, i.e., a plant hormone. Before cucumber flowering, soaking the buds with it can influence normal blooming, resulting in fruits that still have flowers. Through the use of plant hormones, the fruiting rate increases, thus boosting production, and this method is very common in major vegetable-producing areas like Shandong.
Is the use of plant hormones harmful?
The plant hormone applied to cucumbers is essentially a type of auxin. The hormones used on cucumbers come in various types, with no unified formal name, but the most common ones are auxins and anthocyanins. Farmers use hormones mainly for cucumber preservation purposes, which can also, to a certain extent, accelerate cucumber growth and elongate the cucumber body.
According to national regulations, plant growth regulators are allowed in agricultural production. Currently, agricultural departments only test pesticide residues in each batch of agricultural product quality checks, and technical limitations prevent testing for plant growth hormones, so this indicator is not included in the detection scope.
Are plant hormones harmful to humans? Wang Qiang stated that citizens do not need to worry too much; simply peeling the cucumber skin can remove hormones and pesticide residues.
How to select naturally grown cucumbers?
Naturally grown cucumbers, though they may have flowers on top, become very fragile once picked by the farmer. During transportation, after collisions, most of the flowers have already fallen off. On the other hand, cucumbers treated with hormones usually have very robust flowers because the cucumber contains hormone components, preventing the flowers from naturally falling off and even allowing them to continue growing. Cucumbers containing hormones also have a noticeable feature: the junction between the flower bud and the calyx has a small lump, resembling a "tumor." Naturally grown cucumbers do not have such "tumors," they are less stout, and their appearance is less appealing.
In summer, large quantities of loofahs appear on dining tables. Last year, "flower-topped loofahs" also faced accusations of being treated with contraceptives.
It is understood that flower-topped loofahs generally cost around 2.3 to 3 yuan per pound, while those without flowers sell for only 1.5 to 2 yuan per pound. Some vendors disclosed that flower-topped loofahs also use contraceptives. However, relevant experts subsequently debunked this, stating that flower-topped loofahs also use plant hormones.
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