The "top flower with thorns" is considered to be a symbol of the tenderness of cucumbers, and identifying whether it is fresh and delicious. However, there is now a rumor that "the top-flower-prickly cucumber has been sprayed with contraceptives", and some of the messengers have carefully told others to "do not let the children eat the cucumber with flower". So, is this really the case?
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| cucumber with flower |
Does the top-flower-prickly cucumber sprayed with birth control pills?
Truth: Some crops do use plant growth regulators to boost yields, but this has nothing to do with birth control pills. Plant growth regulators are also known as plant hormones, and it is likely that this name has led people to associate it with birth control pills.
A commonly used growth regulator for cucumbers is forchlorfenuron. It is registered in the United States and Japan. From 1988 to 1993, China conducted pilot experiments in dozens of agricultural scientific research and teaching units across the country. In 1992, it was approved for provisional registration of production. The starting point for vegetable farmers to use chloropyrurea is not to let cucumbers retain their flowers and "tender". This role is just "unintentional willow insertion". Clopireclamide can alter endogenous hormone levels, allowing more flowering to bear fruit, and can also make cucumbers grow larger. Naturally, the fertilization of the female flower is like a switch, once turned on, the fruit begins to grow and the flower begins to wither. The use of clopirapira is like artificially activating this switch, so that the unfertilized fruit also begins to develop, which delays the withering of the flower.
Are cucumbers using clopirapidine safe?
Experiments have proved that under the recommended dosage, the residue of chloropyrurea in the fruit and soil is very small, and does not have an impact on health. In the new compound registry of the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States (USPEA), it is stated that it is safe for both people and the environment. So, what if "overdose" is used? Not only does overdose not make the effect better, but it can deform the fruit – so this can be avoided without buying a cucumber with a strange fruit shape.
Conclusion: Rumor cracked.
