Cucumber plants with a compact growing habit

A cucumber plant (Cucumis sativus) whose genome comprises a compact gene, obtainable from seeds deposited under Accession number NCIMB 41266, in homozygous or heterozygous form which expresses a combination of the following phenotypical characteristics:

• shorter lateral shoots, shorter internodes, smaller leaves, smaller flowers and shorter fruits as compared to the usual cucumber plant type lacking the compact gene and, in case of plants comprising the compact gene in homozygous form, as compared to plants comprising a compact gene in heterozygous form, and wherein the presence of the compact gene can be demonstrated by hybridizing said cucumber plant with a gherkin or short cucumber plant, and by analyzing the F1 plants obtained by this hybridization using an AFLP method and at least one of the following markers:
• SEQ ID NO:
• 3 and SEQ ID NO:
• 8 forming a band of about 873.6 base pairs;
• SEQ ID NO:
• 4 and SEQ ID NO:
• 9 forming a band of about 280.2 base pairs;
• SEQ ID NO:
• 2 and SEQ ID NO:
• 7 forming a band of about 211.5 base pairs;
• SEQ ID NO:
• 1 and SEQ ID NO:
• 6 forming a band of about 179.0 base pairs;
• SEQ ID NO:
• 5 and SEQ ID NO:
• 10 forming a band of about 426.1 base pairs;
• SEQ ID NO:
• 5 and SEQ ID NO:
• 10 forming a band of about 411.0 base pairs;
• or SEQ ID NO:
• 5 and SEQ ID NO:
• 10 forming a band of about 402.9 base pairs, and wherein said cucumber plant does not contain the Little Leaf locus (ll) present in the Arkansas Little leaf type.