Contents
page Authors........................................................................................................................................................................4 Tips for Interpreting Vegetable Varieties Performance Results ..................................................................................5 Alabama Trials Experimental Cantaloupe Varieties Compared to Market Standard ...........................................................................7 Beefsteak and Cluster Tomato Varieties Included in Greenhouse Trial......................................................................9 Tomato Varieties Produce Higher Early Yields......................................................................................................... 11 Seedless Watermelon Trials in Central and North Alabama .....................................................................................13 Personal Size Watermelon Trial in Central Alabama ................................................................................................15 Conqueror III Summer Squash Produces Highest Yields in Central Alabama ........................................................17 Georgia Trials 2005 Vidalia Onion Variety Trial ..............................................................................................................................19 Mississippi Trials Several Pink-Eye Peas Good for Fresh Harvest in Central Mississippi ...................................................................23 North Carolina Trials 2005 Pepper Variety Trial .........................................................................................................................................25 2005 Tomato Variety Trial ........................................................................................................................................27 Seed Sources for Alabama Trials ..............................................................................................................................29 Guidelines for Contributions to the Vegetable Variety Regional Bulletin

Names of chemicals are mentioned only for describing the production practices used. This represents neither a recommendation nor an endorsement of these products.

Information contained herein is available to all persons without regard to race, color, sex, or national origin.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability.

Authors
Randy Akridge Superintendent Brewton Agriculture Research Unit P.O. Box 217 Brewton, AL 36427 (251) 867-3139 George Boyhan Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Georgia Cooperative Extension Sevice Statesboro, Georgia (912) 386-3442 Jason Burkett Superintendent E.V. Smith Research Center (334) 727-6159 Arnold Caylor Superintendent North Alabama Horticulture Research Center (256) 734-5820 William Evans Assistant Research Professor Mississippi Truck Crop Branch Experiment Research Station wbe@ra.msstate.edu Randell Hill Research Station Superintendent 8163 Hwy 178 Lyons, GA 30436 Jane Hoehaver Superintendent Plant Science Research Center (334) 844-4403 Chris Hopkins Extension Agent, Toombs County 200 Courthouse Square Lyons, GA 30436 chrishop@uga.edu (912) 526-1012 Peter Hudson Research Associate II Mississippi Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station P.O. Box 231 2024 Experiment Station Rd. Crystal Springs, MS 39059 (601) 892-3731 Joe Kemble Associate Professor and Extension Vegetable Specialist Department of Horticulture Auburn University, AL (334) 844-3050 kembljm@auburn.edu Keri Paridon Research Associate Mississippi Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station P.O. Box 231 2024 Experiment Station Rd. Crystal Springs, MS 39059 (601) 892-3731 Thad Paulk Research Professional Department of Horticulture Coastal Plain Experiment Station Tifton, GA 31793-5401 Luz Reyes Research Technician Lab 2 Horticultural Science Box 7609 N.C. State University Raleigh, NC 27695 Doug Sanders Professor adn Extension Vegetable Specialist Horticultural Science Box 7609 N.C. State University Raleigh, NC 27695 Reid L. Torrence County Extension Coordinator Tattnall County Extension Ofﬁce P.O. Box 58 Reidsville, GA 30453 Edgar Vinson Research Associate III Department of Horticulture Auburn University, AL (334) 844-8494 vinsoed@auburn.edu

Introduction: Tips for Interpreting Vegetable Varieties Performance Results
Edgar Vinson and Joe Kemble The srping 2005 variety trials regional bulletin includes research results from Auburn University, The University of Georgia, Mississippi State University, and North Carolina State University. The information provided by this report must be studied carefully in order to make the best selections possible. Although yield is a good indicator of varietal performance, other information must be studied. The following provides a few tips to help producers adequately interpret results in this report. Open pollinated or hybrid varieties. In general, hybrids (also referred to as F1) are earlier and produce a more uniform crop. They have improved disease, pest, or virus tolerance/resistance. F1 varieties are often more expensive than open pollinated varieties (OP), and seeds cannot be collected from one crop to plant the next. Despite the advantages hybrids offer, OP are still often planted in Alabama. Selecting a hybrid variety is the ﬁrst step toward earliness and quality. Yield potential. Yields reported in variety trial results are extrapolated from small plots. Depending on the vegetable crop, plot sizes range between 100 to 500 square feet. Yields per acre are estimated by multiplying plot yields by corrective factors ranging from 100 to 1,000. Small errors are thus ampliﬁed, and estimated yields per acre may not be realistic. Therefore, locations cannot be compared by just looking at the range of yields actually reported. However, the relative differences in performance among varieties are realistic, and can be used to identify best-performing varieties. rors were of lesser importance. CV is an expression of yield variability relative to yield mean. Low CVs (under 20%) are desirable but are not always achieved. There must be a minimum yield difference between two varieties before one can statistically conclude that one variety actually performs better than another. This is known as the least signiﬁcant difference (LSD). When the difference in yield is less than the LSD value, one cannot conclude that there is any real difference between two varieties. For example, in the personal size watermelon trial conducted at the E.V. Smith Research Center (see page 15,“Personal Size Watermelon Trial in Central Alabama”), ‘Valdoria’ yielded 38,559 pounds per acre, while ‘Vanessa’ and ‘Petite Treat’ yielded 28,004 and 25,654 pounds per acre, respectively. Since there was less than a 12,145 difference between ‘Valdoria’ and ‘Vanessa’, there is no statistical difference between these two varieties. However, the yield difference between ‘Valdoria’ and ‘Petite Treat’ was 12,905, indicating that there is a real difference between these two varieties. From a practical point of view, producers should place the most importance on LSD values when interpreting results.

Testing conditions. AU vegetable variety trials are conducted under standard, recommended commercial production practices. If the cropping system to be used is different from that used in the trials, the results of the trials may not apply. Information on soil type (Table 1), planting dates, fertilizer rates, and detailed spray schedule are provided to help producers compare their own practices to the standard one used in the trials and make Statistical interpretation. The coefﬁcient of determination relevant adjustments. (R2), coefﬁcient of variation (CV) and least signiﬁcant difference (LSD, 5%) are reported for each test. These num- Ratings of trials. At each location, variety trials were bers are helpful in separating the differences due to small rated on a 1 to 5 scale, based on weather conditions, plots (sampling error) and true (but unknown) differences fertilization, irrigation, pest pressure and overall perforamong entries. mance (Table 2). Results from trials with ratings of 2 R2 values range between 0 and 1. Values close to 1 and under are not reported. These numbers may be used suggest that the test was conducted under good conditions to interpret differences in performance from location to and most of the variability observed was mainly due to the location. The overall rating may be used to give more effect of variety and replication. Random, uncontrolled er- importance to the results of variety performance under good growing conditions.

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Where to get seeds. Because seeds are alive, their performance and germination rate depends on how old they are, where and how they were collected, and how they have been handled and stored. It is always preferable to get certiﬁed seeds from a reputable source, such as the ones listed in Seed Sources, page 29. Several factors other than yield have to be considered when choosing a vegetable variety from a variety trial report. The main factors are type, resistance and tolerance to diseases, earliness, and of course, availabil-

ity and cost of seeds. It is always better to try two to three varieties on a small scale before making a large planting of a single variety. Vegetable trials on the Web. For more vegetable variety information be sure to visit our Web page at http://www.aces. edu/dept/com_veg/veg_trial/vegetabl.htm. Our Web site will provide a description of variety types, a ratings system, and information about participating seed companies. For information on current recommended production practices, go to http://www.aces.edu/dept/com_veg.

Table 1. Soil Types at the Location of the Trial Location
Gulf Coast Research and Extension Center (Fairhope) Brewton Agricultural Research Unit (Brewton) Wiregrass Research and Extension Center (Headland) Lower Coastal Plain Research and Extension (Camden) EV Smith Research Center, Horticultural Unit (Shorter) Chilton Area Horticultural Substation (Clanton) Upper Coastal Plain Research and Extension Center (Winﬁeld) North Alabama Horticultural Research Center (Cullman) Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center (Crossville) Water holding Capacity (in/in) 0.09-0.19 0.12-0.14 0.14-0.15 0.13-0.15 0.15-0.17 0.13-0.15 0.13-0.20 0.16-0.20 0.16-0.18 Soil Type Malbis ﬁne sandy loam Benndale ﬁne sandy loam Dothan sandy loam Forkland ﬁne sandy loam Norfolk-orangeburg loamy sand Luvernue sandy loam Savannah loam Hartsells-Albertville ﬁne sandy loam Wynnville ﬁne sandy loam

Table 2. Description of Ratings
Rating 5 4 3 2 1 Weather Very Good Favorable Acceptable Adverse Destructive Fertilizer Very Good Good Acceptable Low Very Low Irrigation Very Good Good Acceptable Low Insufﬁcient Pests None Light Tolerable Adverse Destructive Overall Excellent Good Acceptable Questionable Useless

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Experimental Cantaloupe Varieties Compared to Market Standard
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Jason Burkett A small melon trial was conducted at the E.V. Smith Research Center (EVSRC ) in Shorter, Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). Soils were fertilized according to the recommendations of the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory. For current recommendations for pest and weed control in vegetable production in Alabama, consult your county extension agent (see http://www.aces.edu/counties/). Cantaloupe varieties were direct-seeded on May 19 into 30 foot rows with 6 feet between rows and a within row spacing of 1.5 feet. Drip irrigation and black plastic mulch were used. Melons were harvested seven times at the half slip stage of maturity from July 25 through August 8 (Table 3). ACX 4757 produced signiﬁcantly higher marketable yields than all other melon varieties. The experimental variety 39446-1566 produced yields that were similar to ‘Minerva’ and ‘Orange Star’ but higher than ‘Athena’, ‘Aphrodite’, and the remaining experimental varieties. With the exception of 39445-1534, the experimental melon varieties lacked uniformity in size, shape, and texture. Experimental varieties could be represented by melons having different rind patterns, shapes, and sizes.
Table 1. Ratings of the 2005 Canteloupe Variety Trial1
Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

EVSRC 4 5 5 5 5

See introduction for description of ratings scales

For commercial cantaloupe production, individual fruit weight should be 4 to 6 pounds. Larger fruit are generally sold at road side markets. At 6 pounds per melon, melons produced by ‘Athena’ were within the recommended commercial weight range. ‘Aphrodite’ was the largest melon averaging 9.5 pounds per melon. Sweetness was measured at harvest using a handheld digital refractometer. Cantaloupes with soluble solids reading below 10o brix do not taste sweet. ‘Minerva’ (a larger version of ‘Athena’) and ‘Athena’ had the highest brix readings at 12.1 and 11.7, respectively.

Table 2. Seed Source, Fruit Characteristics, and Relative Earliness of Selected Cantaloupe Varieties
Seed Rind Flesh Days Disease Years Variety Type1 source aspect2 color3 to harvest claims4 evaluated ACX 4757 F1 Abbott & Cobb E O — — 2003-2005 Aphrodite (RML 8793) F1 Seedway/Novartis E O — — 2002-2005 Athena4 F1 Seedway/Novartis E O 80 FW,PM 1994-2005 Minerva (RML 6969) F1 Seedway/Novartis E O 77 FW,PM 2001-2005 39441-1456 F1 Sakata E O — — 2005 39442-1458 F1 Sakata E O — — 2005 39443-1480 F1 Sakata E O — — 2005 39444-1510 F1 Sakata E O — — 2005 39445-1534 F1 Sakata E O — — 2005 39446-1566 F1 Sakata E O — — 2005 1 Type: F1 = Hybrid; 2 Rind Aspect: E = Eastern; 3 Flesh color: O = Orange; 4 Disease claims: FW = Fusarium Wilt, PM = Powdery Mildew; 4Not sensitive to sulfur; — = not found, from seed catalog.

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Table 3. Yield of Selected Eastern Cantaloupe Varieties
Variety Marketable yield lbs/a 37,481 23,153 19,942 18,674 17,756 13,403 13,130 11,890 8,279 7,420 2,782 0.71 40 9,723 Marketable fruit no/a 5,082 2,723 2,541 3,267 2,581 2,057 2,178 1,452 887 908 363 0.73 38 1,275 Cull weight lbs/a 710 799 532 1,863 1,065 532 0 532 532 1,331 532 0.65 60 934 Individual fruit weight lbs 7.4 8.3 7.9 5.7 6.9 7.6 6.0 8.3 9.5 9.2 7.8 0.52 17 1.9 Soluble solids brix 10.5 12.1 11.1 11.0 10.5 10.0 11.7 9.3 10.4 10.3 11.3 0.60 7 0.79

ACX 4757 Minerva 39446-1566 Orange Star 39444-1510 39443-1480 Athena 39442-1458 Aphrodite 39441-1456 39445-1534 r2 CV LSD

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Beefsteak and Cluster Tomato Varieties Included in Greenhouse Trial
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Jane Hoehaver A greenhouse tomato variety trial was conducted at the Plant Science Research Center (PSRC) on the campus of Auburn University (Table 1). Six-week-old tomato transplants were planted on February 10, 2005 into 2 cubic feet polyethylene bags ﬁlled with pine bark. There were two plants per bag and six plants per plot. Each variety was replicated four times. Tomato plants were irrigated using drip emitters with two emitters per bag. Irrigation was controlled by an electronic timer. During each watering, fertilizer stock solution was injected into the irrigation system using an injector. Fertilizer stock was prepared and applied according to the Greenhouse Tomato Guide published through Mississippi State Extension Service (publication 1828). For more information concerning the greenhouse tomato guide and other information concerning greenhouse tomato production, go to www.ext.msstate.edu. Tomatoes were harvested, weighed, and graded 17 times between April 27 and July 7. Grades and corresponding fruit diameters (D) of fresh market tomato were adapted from the Tomato Grader’s Guide (Circular ANR 643 from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System) and were extra-large (D greater than 2.9 inch), large (D greater than 2.5 inch) and medium (D greater than 2.3 inch). Marketable yield was the sum of extra-large, large, and medium grades (Table 3). In the beefsteak category, there were no signiﬁcant differences found among varieties in total yield or total marketable number (Table 2). ‘Geronimo’ produced a higher yield of extra large fruit than ‘Trust’ and ‘Match’. Extra large yields of ‘Geronimo’ were similar to DWR 7106 and ‘Matrix’. ‘Geronimo’ also produced the lowest yield of large fruit (with the exception of ‘Matrix’) and medium fruit. There were no signiﬁcant differences found in small fruit, russeted skin or zipper scar (Table 3). ‘Geronimo’ had the lowest weight per plot of fruit affected by radial cracking. DWR 7106 and ‘Geronimo’ also had the lowest weight per plot of fruit affected by cat-facing. In the cluster category, there were no signiﬁcant differences among varieties in marketable yield and marketable cluster number (Table 2). ‘Clarance’ and ‘Tradiro’ had signiﬁcantly higher individual cluster weights than 72-459RZ. ‘Clarance’ had the highest weight per plot of russeted fruit followed by ‘Tradiro’ and 72-459RZ, respectively (Table 3). No differences were found in any of the other cull categories.

Table 1. Seed Source, Fruit Characteristics, and Relative Earliness of Selected Tomato Varieties
Seed Plant Fruit Days Variety Type1 source habit2 color to harvest Clarance F1/Cluster Paramount Indet. Red — DWR 7106 F1/Beefsteak Paramount Indet. Red — Geronimo F1/Beefsteak Paramount Indet. Red — Match F1/Beefsteak Paramount Indet. Red — Matrix F1/Beefsteak Paramount Indet. Red — Tradiro F1/Cluster Paramount Indet. Red — Trust F1/Beefsteak Paramount Indet. Red — 72-459RZ F1/Cluster Paramount Indet. Red — 1 Type: F1 = Hybrid. 2 Plant habit: Indet. = Indeterminate; — = not found, from seed catalog. Disease claims — — — — — — — — Years evaluated 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005

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Table 2. Yield of Greenhouse Tomatoes from a Winter 2005 Variety Trial, Plant Sciences Research Center
Extra large Large yield yield lbs/plot lbs/plot Beefsteak Tomatoes Trust 154 39 19 13 Geronimo 137 39 28 8 Match 130 35 16 12 DWR 7106 117 42 23 14 Matrix 103 38 25 8 r2 0.11 0.22 0.50 0.70 CV 49 14 23 18 LSD 89 8.1 7.8 3.0 Cluster Tomatoes Marketable Marketable Individual yield1 clusters cluster weight lbs/plot no/plot lbs Clarance 34 30 1.15 Tradiro 28 30 0.93 72-459RZ 30 28 1.08 r2 0.04 0.30 0.60 CV 22 17 9 LSD 10 8 0.14 1 Yields are based on six-plant plots. Variety Total Total marketable marketable yield yield1 no/plot lbs/plot Medium yield lbs/plot 7 3 7 5 5 0.60 25 2.0 Individual fruit weight lb 0.30 0.31 0.31 0.36 0.37 0.13 26 0.13

Table 3. Cull Production of Selected Beefsteak and Cluster Tomato Varieties
Variety Small yield lbs/plot 1.35 1.61 0.91 1.19 1.52 0.15 51 1.01 0.38 1.01 1.66 0.32 62 1.30 Russeted skin lbs/plot 2.90 2.03 1.40 2.30 2.70 0.17 60 2.04 4.3 1.0 2.0 0.40 95 0.02 Zipper Concentric scar cracking lbs/plot lbs/plot Beefsteak Tomatoes 0.34 2.19 0.61 1.23 0.34 2.19 • 1.38 0.60 1.29 0.96 10 0.25 Cluster Tomatoes • 1.5 • • • 1.0 Radial cracking lbs/plot 3.97 0.47 6.83 1.31 0.97 0.45 92 6.01 1.75 3.0 3.0 0.34 43 1.80 Cat facing lbs/plot 0.87 0.22 0.31 0.01 0.18 0.80 52 0.59 • • • Blossom end rot lbs/plot 0.78 1.61 0.29 0.63 1.29 0.30 94 1.5 4.00 4.00 2.33 0.13 74 2.76

Match Geronimo Trust DWR 7106 Matrix r2 CV LSD Clarance Tradiro 72-459RZ r2 CV LSD

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Tomato Varieties Produce Higher Early Yields
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Arnold Caylor A spring tomato variety trial was conducted at the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center (NAHRC) in Cullman, Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). On May 8, six-weekold tomato transplants were set into 20-foot-long plots, at a within row spacing of 1.5 feet. Silver plastic mulch and drip irrigation were used. Soils were fertilized according to the recommendations of the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory. For current recommendations for pest and weed control in vegetable production in Alabama, consult your county Extension agent (see http://www.aces.edu/counties/). At NAHRC, preplant fertilization consisted of 80 pounds per acre of N as ammonium nitrate. Fertilization consisted of weekly injections of ammonium nitrate at a rate of 10 pounds of N per acre. Pesticides were applied weekly. Tomatoes were harvested, weighed, and graded weekly between July 18 and August 29. Grades and corresponding fruit diameters (D) of fresh market tomato were adapted from the Tomato Grader’s Guide (Circular ANR 643 from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System) and were Jumbo (D greater than 3.5 inch), extra-large (D
Table 1. Ratings of the 2005 Tomato Variety Trial1
Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

NAHRC 5 5 5 4 5

See introduction for description of ratings scales

greater than 2.9 inch), large (D greater than 2.5 inch) and medium (D greater than 2.3 inch). Marketable yield was the sum of extra-large, large and medium grades (Table 3). Early marketable yield was signiﬁcantly higher for ‘Amelia’ and BHN 640 when compared to the market standard ‘Florida 47’ and all other varieties (Table 3). Marketable fruit number for these varieties were also signiﬁcantly higher. In total yield, ‘Amelia’ and BHN 640 were signiﬁcantly higher than ‘Leila’, ‘Mountain Crest’, and ‘Biltmore’ (Table 4). ‘Amelia’ and BHN 640 were similar to all others.

Table 2. Seed Source, Fruit Characteristics, and Relative Earliness of Selected Tomato Varieties
Years evaluated 2003-2005 2003-2005 2005 1997-1999, 2002-2005 Sebring F1/FM Novartis Det. Red 75 FCR,**FW,St,VW 2004,2005 Soraya F1/FM Rogers Det. Red — FCR,**FW, St 2005 Leila F1/FM Rogers Det. Red — VW, FW*, St 2004,2005 Mountain Crest F1/FM Sun Seeds Det. Red 75 *FW,VW 2004,2005 1 Type: F1 = Hybrid, FM = Fresh market; 2 Plant habit: Det. = Determinate; 3 Disease claims: FCR = Fusarium Crown Rot; FW = Fusarium Wilt; VW = Verticillium Wilt; ASC = Alternaria Stem Canker; St = Stemphylium (grey leaf spot), TSWV = Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus; * = Races 1 and 2; ** = Races 1, 2, and 3; — = not found, from seed catalog. Variety Amelia BHN 640 Biltmore Florida 47 Type1 F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM Seed source Harris Moran BHN Harris Moran Seminis Plant habit2 Det. Det. Det. Det. Fruit color Red Red Red Red Days to harvest — 75 75 75 Disease claims3 **FW,TSWV,VW **FW,TSWV,VW ASC,FW,St VW ASC,FW,St,VW

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

Table 3. Early Yield of Selected Tomato Varieties, North Alabama Horticulture Research Center
Variety Marketable yield lbs/a Amelia 29,482 BHN 640 19,701 Mountain Crest 11,616 Florida 47 11,849 Sebring 9,431 Leila 9,756 Soraya 6,825 Biltmore 6,530 r2 0.80 CV 34 LSD 4,385 Marketable number no/a 47,735 41,927 24,956 23,777 19,148 18,695 14,248 11,979 0.74 52 8,726 Extra large yield lbs/a 5,896 263 800 864 630 1,100 254 597 0.90 62 1,038 Large yieled lbs/a 14,092 5,815 3,028 4,078 2,849 3,918 1,997 2,523 0.74 52 1,040 Medium yield lbs/a 9,494 13,754 7,788 7,339 6,267 5,013 4,764 3,410 0.65 36 2,541 Cull weight lbs/a 4,599 6,264 5,322 4,716 1,973 3,519 3,022 2,397 0.53 38 1,466 Individual fruit weight lb 0.63 0.50 0.47 0.50 0.50 0.52 0.46 0.55 0.64 9 0.06

Table 4. Total Yield of Selected Tomato Varieties, North Alabama Horticulture Research Center
Variety Marketable yield lbs/a Amelia 73,397 Sebring 63,952 BHN 640 61,536 Florida 47 60,022 Soraya 59,884 Leila 52,233 Mountain Crest 50,620 Biltmore 48,078 r2 0.30 CV 24 LSD 13,552 Marketable number no/a 123,783 124,621 123,609 108,410 110,058 94,032 100,298 81,876 0.30 24 24,926 Extra large yield lbs/a 13,966 4,787 5,211 8,063 7,844 6,762 5,122 10,691 0.44 50 3,775 Large yieled lbs/a 32,852 25,318 19,680 26,388 25,697 22,190 16,316 19,765 0.40 30 6,873 Medium yield lbs/a 26,579 33,847 36,645 25,571 26,343 23,281 29,182 17,621 0.45 26 6,849 Cull weight lbs/a 28,606 40,339 53,099 35,584 39,935 31,051 60,881 29,114 0.73 19 7,405 Individual fruit weight lb 0.60 0.51 0.50 0.56 0.55 0.56 0.50 0.58 0.55 7 0.05

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Seedless Watermelon Trials in Central and North Alabama
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, Jason Burkett, and Arnold Caylor A seedless watermelon trial was conducted at the E.V. Smith Research Center in Shorter, Alabama, and the North Alabama Horticulture Substation (NAHRC) in Cullman, Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). Four-week-old seedless watermelon transplants were set on July 6 at E.V. Smith and on May 5 at NAHRC. Seedless watermelons should be transplanted rather than direct seeded because of the low germination rate of seedless watermelons. Seedless watermelons must be planted with a seeded variety to serve as a source of pollen. At both locations one pollenizer, ‘Companion,’ was planted for every two or three seedless transplants to insure proper pollenation. Drip irrigation and black plastic mulch were used at both locations. Soils were fertilized according to the recommendations of the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory. For current recommendations for pest and weed control in vegetable production in Alabama, consult your county Extension agent (see http://www.aces.edu/counties/). At NAHRC, fertilization consisted of a preplant application
Table 1. Ratings of the 2005 Seedless Watermelon Variety Trial1
Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

EVSRC 5 5 5 5 5

NAHRC 5 5 5 5 5

See introduction for description of ratings scales

of 13-13-13 at a rate of 460 pounds per acre on April 27. After planting, calcium nitrate was injected weekly at a rate of 40 pounds per acre from May 20 to July 22. At EVSRC, fertilization consisted a preplant application of calcium nitrate at a rate of 387 pounds per acre. After planting, 20-20-20 was injected at a rate of 20 pounds per acre one to two times per week from July 19 through September 16. Watermelons were harvested on September 13 and 20 at EVSRC and on July 25 and 29 at NAHRC,

Table 2. Seed Source, Fruit Characteristics, and Relative Earliness of Selected Seedless Watermelon Varieties
Variety ACX651T Cominskey Constitution Cooperstown Freedom Liberty Millennium PX803010 Revolution RWT 8145 Sweet Delight SWT 8706 Taladega Triple Crown Tri-X-313 Variety 5244 Variety 5544 Variety 7167 5335 8133 Seed source Seminis Seminis Seedway Seminis Sunseeds Sunseeds Harris Moran Seminis Sunseeds Syngenta Syngenta Sakata Sakata Seedway Syngenta Abbott and Cobb Abbott and Cobb Abbott and Cobb Seminis Seminis Fruit shape Oblong Round Blocky Oval Blocky Oval Round Elongated Blocky Blocky Round Round Elongated Oblong Oval Oblong Oblong Oval Oval Oval Flesh color Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Days to harvest — — 87 85 87 85 78 — 83 — — — — 85 — 90 90 — — — Disease claims1 — — ANT,FW ANT,FW FW* — — — FW* — — — — — — — — — — — Years evaluated 2005 2005 2002-2004 2005 2002-2004 2004 2004 2005 2002-2004 2005 2005 2005 2005 2004 1996-1998, 2003,2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

were graded according to the Watermelon Grader’s Guide (Circular ANR681 from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System), and marketable yield was determined (Table 3). Two melons from each plot were used to measure soluble solids (sweetness), hollow heart, and rind thickness. A hand-held refractometer was used to measure soluble solids. The varieties ‘Millennium’ and ‘Revolution’ were compared to a group of watermelon varieties at EVSRC and another group at NAHRC. At EVSRC, ‘Millennium’ and ‘Revolution’ topped the list in total marketable yield though there were no signiﬁcant differences found among varieties. The experimental variety PX803010 had soluble solids readings that were signiﬁcantly higher than ‘Sweet Delight’, Tri-X-313, RWT 8145, 8133, and ‘Cooperstown’. At NAHRC, ‘Millennium’ topped the list again in total yield though there were no signiﬁcant differences found among varieties. In total marketable fruit number, ‘Millennium’ was signiﬁcantly higher than all other varieties with the exception of ACX 651T.

Table 3. Yield and Quality of Selected Seedless Watermelon Varieties
Variety Marketable Marketable Individual Hollow Rind yield fruits fruit weight heart thickness lbs/a no/a lbs/a in cm E. V. Smith Research and Extension Center Millennium 39,709 2,299 15.35 4.05 0.36 Revolution 39,242 3,267 12.14 4.70 0.39 PX803010 35,943 2,904 13.00 4.00 0.51 Cominskey 32,900 2,904 11.72 2.60 0.33 Sweet Delight 31,934 2,783 11.93 1.50 0.40 5335 27,744 2,662 10.30 0.80 0.54 Tri-x-313 26,872 2,420 11.02 4.13 0.35 RWT 8145 22,727 2,057 10.76 4.40 0.51 8133 19,892 1,613 11.57 3.60 0.31 Cooperstown 18,561 1,452 12.38 2.80 0.75 r2 0.20 0.21 0.22 0.30 CV 58 50 25 82 LSD 25,823 1,796 4 3.5 North Alabama Horticulture Research Center Millennium 74,819 5,410 14.21 • — ACX651T 56,163 3,478 16.26 • — Constitution 55,577 3,419 16.27 • — SWT 8706 55,473 2,761 19.93 • — AC651T 53,441 3,248 16.45 • — Revolution 52,367 2,778 18.54 • — Variety 5244 43,554 2,759 16.25 • — Variety 5544 41,445 2,326 17.83 • — Variety 7167 40,887 2,766 15.07 0.50 — Taladega 37,525 2,632 13.29 0.50 — Freedom 35,621 1,994 17.78 0.25 — Liberty 31,949 2,361 12.69 • — Triple Crown 30,843 1,928 16.27 • — r2 0.47 0.48 0.35 CV 46 50 20 LSD 46,630 1,913 11.06 • = none; — = no data. Soluble solids brix 12.73 12.19 12.78 12.24 11.45 12.40 12.13 11.53 11.95 11.83 0.31 6 1.13 11.9 8.9 11.3 10.4 9.2 11.9 10.7 10.7 10.1 11.3 12.0 10.7 11.3 0.63 7 1.1

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15

Personal Size Watermelon Trial in Central Alabama
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Jason Burkett A seedless watermelon trial was conducted at the E.V. Smith Research Center in Shorter, Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). Four- week- old personal watermelon transplants were set on June 3. Personal melons are also seedless so they were transplanted rather than direct seeded because of the low germination rate of seedless watermelons. A personal size seeded variety, ‘Jenny’ was used as a pollinator. One pollinator was planted for every three seedless transplants to insure proper pollenation. Drip irrigation and black plastic mulch were used. Soils were fertilized according to the recommendations of the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory. For current recommendations for pest and weed control in vegetable production in Alabama, consult your county Extension agent (see http://www.aces.edu/counties/). Watermelons were harvested on July 29, August 9, August 16, and August 23 at EVSRC and were graded according to the Watermelon Grader’s Guide (Circular ANR681 from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System) and marketable yield was determined. Two melons from each plot were used to measure soluble solids (sweetness), hollow heart, and rind thickness. A hand-held digital refractometer was used to measure soluble solids.

Table 1. Ratings of the 2005 Personal Size Watermelon Variety Trial1
Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

EVSRC 5 5 5 4 5

See introduction for description of ratings scales

The main attribute of the personal size melons is their small size. Although their size should be similar to a cantaloupe, personal melons ideally weigh 4 to 6 pounds. They should be no less than 3 pounds and no more than 9 pounds. ‘Demi-Sweet’ had the highest individual fruit weight of 9.9 pounds per melon, followed by ‘Mini Yellow’ at 8.03 pounds per melon and ‘Valdoria’ at 7.86 pounds per melon. The melons that were closest to ideal weight were ‘Wonder’, ‘Solitaire’, and ‘Vanessa’. In total marketable yield, ‘Valdoria’, ‘Demi Sweet’, ‘Mini Yellow’, and ‘Vanessa’ had signiﬁcantly higher yields than all other melons. Market fruit number per acre was also statistically similar among these four varieties.

Table 2. Seed Source, Fruit Characteristics, and Relative Earliness of Selected Personal Size Watermelon Varieties
Seed Rind Fruit Flesh Days Disease Years Variety source aspect1 shape color to harvest claims evaluated Betsy Nunhems DGS-LB Round Red — — 2005 Bobbie Nunhems DGS-LB Round Red — — 2005 Demi-Sweet Del Sol DG Round Red — — 2005 Extasy Seminis DG Round Red — — 2005 Mini Yellow Palmer Seeds DG Round Yellow — — 2005 Petite Treat Del Sol DGS-LB Round Red — — 2005 Solitaire Seminis DGS-LB Round Red — — 2005 Valdoria Nunhems DG Round Red — — 2005 Vanessa Nunhems DG Round Red — — 2005 Wonder Seminis DG Round Red — — 2005 1 Rind Aspect: DGS = Dark green stripe, DG = Dark Green, LB = Light Background; — = not available, from seed catalogs.

16

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

Table 3. Yield and Quality of Selected Personal Size Watermelon Varieties
Variety Marketable yield lbs/a 38,559 36,278 30,619 28,004 25,654 24,917 23,971 22,015 19,516 17,270 0.50 31 12,145 Marketable Individual fruits fruit weight no/a lbs/a 4,901 7.86 3,630 9.99 3,812 8.03 4,114 6.81 3,267 7.85 3,207 7.76 3,570 6.71 3,146 6.99 2,481 7.86 2,420 7.14 0.30 0.52 36 14 1,838 0.71 Soluble solids brix 11.52 10.91 11.41 11.69 11.47 11.50 11.19 11.96 11.91 11.25 0.23 6 1.16 Hollow heart in 0.53 2.81 1.49 2.83 2.94 0.00 1.19 0.00 1.21 1.00 0.50 99 0.59 Rind thickness in 0.67 0.83 0.36 0.54 0.65 0.75 0.68 0.73 0.78 0.81 0.60 21 0.60

Valdoria Demi Sweet Mini Yellow Vanessa Petite Treat Extazy Wonder Solitaire Bobbie Betsy r2 CV LSD

SPRING 2005 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

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Conqueror III Summer Squash Produces Highest Yields in Central Alabma
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, Jason Burkett, and Randy Akridge A summer squash variety trial was conducted at the E.V. Smith Research Center (EVSRC) in Shorter, Alabama, and the Brewton Agricultural Research Unit (BARU) in Brewton, Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). Soils were fertilized according to the recommendations of the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory. For current recommendations for pest and weed control in vegetable production in Alabama, consult your county Extension agent (see http://www.aces.edu/counties/). At both locations beds were formed and plastic mulch with drip irrigation was used. Squash varieties were direct seeded on black plastic mulch on May 18 at EVSRC and on silver plastic mulch on April 26 at BARU. Beds were 20 feet long on 5-foot centers at BARU and 20 feet long on 6-foot centers at EVSRC. Spacing within a row was 1.5 feet at both locations. Squash were harvested 13 times from June 29 through July 29 at EVSRC and from June 6 through June 17 at BARU. Squash were graded as marketable and non

Table 1. Ratings of the 2005 Summer Squash Variety Trial1
Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

BARU 5 5 5 5 5

EVSRC 5 5 5 5 5

See introduction for description of ratings scales

marketable according to the United States Standards for Grades of Summer Squash (U.S. Dept. Agr. G.P.O 1987180-916:40730 AMS) (Table 3). At EVSRC, ‘Conqueror III’ produced yields that were similar to ‘Lioness’, ‘Genry’, and ‘Prelude II’ in early yield but had a signiﬁcantly higher total yield than all other varieties. At BARU, there were no signiﬁcant differences in yield.

Table 2. Seed Source, Fruit Type, and Relative Earliness of Selected Squash Varieties
Years evaluated 2005 1997-2001, 2004,2005 Fortune* F1 Novartis 39 — 1999,2004,2005 Gentry F1 Novartis 43 — 1995-1999, 2002-2005 Horn of Plenty F1 Hollar — — 1998,2002, 2004,2005 Lioness F1 Harris Moran — CMV,WMV,ZYMV 2004,2005 Medallion F1 A&C 53 — 1896,2002, 2003,2005 Prelude II F1 Seminis 40 PM,WMV,ZYMV 1997-2001, 2003-2005 1 Type: F1 = Hybrid; 2 Disease claims: CMV = Cucumber Mosaic Virus; PM = Powdery Mildew; PRSV = Papaya Ring Spot Virus; ZYMV = Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus ; WMV = Watermelon Mosaic Virus; * Precocious Variety; — = none, from seed catalogs. Variety Conqueror III Destiny III Type1 F1 F1 Seed source Seminis Seminis Days to harvest 41 41 Disease claims2 CMV,PRSV, WMV,ZYMV CMV,WMV,ZYMV

18

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

Table 3. Early and Total Yield of Selected Summer Squash Varieties
Variety Early Total Marketable Marketable Cull yield yield weight lbs/a lbs/a lbs/a Early Yield: E.V. Smith Research Center 1,312 1,016 994 939 903 896 836 761 0.32 27 383 Total Yield: E.V. Smith Research Center 7,981 8,202 6,048 7,384 5,427 8,018 5,074 4,710 5,025 6,537 5,022 7,847 5,006 8,748 4,208 8,995 0.74 0.55 13 18 1,073 1,977 Total Yield: Brewton Agricultural Research Unit 11,079 9,635 11,000 3,229 10,527 2,941 10,136 2,457 9,868 2,555 9,843 3,090 9,267 3,559 9,195 3,071 0.20 0.30 16 107 2,403 5,963 Individual fruit weight lbs

Conqueror III Lioness Gentry Prelude II Fortune Destiny III Medallion Horn of Plenty r2 CV LSD Conqueror III Prelude III Fortune Destiny III Lioness Medallion Gentry Horn of Plenty r2 CV LSD Destiny III Lioness Conqueror III Prelude III Gentry Medallion Horn of Plenty Fortune r2 CV LSD

0.15 0.10 0.12 0.11 0.14 0.10 0.11 0.11 0.92 5 0.01 0.24 0.25 0.19 0.25 0.24 0.21 0.23 0.22 0.30 16 0.053

SPRING 2005 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

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2005 Vidalia Onion Variety Trial
George Boyhan, Reid Torrance, Chris Hopkins, Randy Hill, and Thad Paulk Each year for the past several years onion variety trials have been conducted to assess the performance of onions in the Vidalia onion growing area of southeast Georgia (Table 1). These trials assess entries for total yield, graded yield, number of doubled onions, seedstems, disease incidence, harvest date, pyruvate, and percent sugar. These trials are used in part to determine the suitability of varieties for inclusion on the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s ofﬁcial list of Vidalia onions. These trials include a broad spectrum of shortday Granex type onions available for production in the Vidalia growing district covering a full range of maturity classes. Although these onions are being assessed for production in the Vidalia region, they can be grown in many parts of the South. Ideal conditions would include a loam or sandy loam soil, irrigation, and temperatures that do not drop below 10oF. Areas with heavier clay soils may ﬁnd these onions taste hotter due to increased soil sulfur levels. Irrigation is important to onion size and also affects mildness. Overwintering onions can withstand temperatures into the teens particularly if transplanted, but temperatures below this will result in stand loss. Onions were grown following University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service recommendations for fertility, as well as for disease, insect, and weed control. These onions were grown as a transplanted crop with onion seed sown in high density (30 to 70 seed per linear foot) plantings on September 21, 2004. Four rows were sown on beds prepared 6 feet on-centers. These plants were pulled, 50 percent of their tops removed, and reset to their ﬁnal spacing on November 29 and 30, 2004. The ﬁnal spacing was 12 inches between-rows and 5.5 inches in-row on beds prepared with 6 foot centers. Four rows were planted per bed. The experiment was arranged as a randomized complete block design with four replications. Each plot or experimental unit was 35 feet of planted bed. There was a 5 foot in-row buffer between plots. The number of seedstems (ﬂowering plants) and the number of plants that had more than one bulb (doubles) were counted for the entire 35 foot plot on April 11, 2005. In addition, the number of
Table 1. Ratings of the 2005 Vidalia Onion Trial1
Location Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center 5 5 5 5 5 Tifton loamy sand 0.16-0.15

Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall Soil type Water holding capacity (in/in) 1 See introduction for description of ratings scales

plants infected with center rot (Pantoea ananatis) were counted for each plot on April 20, 2005. Twenty-ﬁve feet of each plot was harvested when the onions were judged mature. After removal of the tops and roots, the onions from each plot were immediately weighed. Onions were harvested on April 25, May 2, May 9, May 16, and May 23, 2005. Onions harvested on the ﬁrst two harvests were heat cured for 24 hours while the later harvests were not subject to heat curing to minimize the effects of warm weather bacterial diseases. Onions were then graded into size classes of jumbos (greater than 3 inches) or mediums (greater than 2 inches and less than 3 inches) and these weights recorded. A ten-bulb sample from each plot was sent to National Labs, Collins, Georgia, for analyses of pyruvate and percent sugar. Pyruvate analysis is an indicator of onion pugency and is measured as micromoles/gram fresh weight of onion tissue. Nine companies submitted onion seed for evaluation in the trial. Florida Seed had the fewest number of entries with two while Dessert Seed and Seminis Seed had the most with eight entries. This year with 49 entries was the largest trial held to date. It is desirable to have a single bulb produced per plant with dry bulb onion production, but this is not always the case. For a number of environmental and physiological reasons onion bulbs will often split forming two or more bulbs. Variety in conjunction with environmen-

20

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

tal conditions plays a role in double formation. This year the number of doubles ranged from 0 for variety 1200 to 118 for ‘Southern Belle’(Table 2). Both ‘Sweet Advantage’ and ‘Southern Belle’ had about one-third of their onions double. ‘Sweet Melody’, WI-129, WI-3115, and ‘Nirvana’ also had high incidence of doubles with about 20 percent doubling. Seedstems or ﬂowering in onions is also undesirable. Under normal conditions onions are biennial, forming a bulb the ﬁrst year, in which energy is stored to produce a ﬂower or scape the second year. This can be short-circuited, however, if the plant has reached sufﬁcient biomass (about the 10-leaf stage) followed by cool temperatures. These conditions can occur in southeast Georgia during early spring resulting in large numbers of seedstems. It is also known that variety plays an important role in seedstem formation. In some years there can be many seedstems across most varieties while in other years only a few varieties will exhibit this trait. The 2004-05 season had few seedstems across most varieties. ‘Sweet Vidalia’ had the most with an average of 20 seedstems per plot. Along with ‘Sweet Vidalia’ variety SSC 6372 F1 also had a relatively high number of seedstems with 17. Compared to the previous year, this was a

Table 2. Incidence of Doubles, Seedstems, and Center Rot in Vidalia Onion Varieties
Variety 1200 Var. No. 105101 Pegasus Serengeti 1202 Gobi 1201 Var. No. 15085 Var. No. 114101 Var. No. 34140 Savannah Sweet Granex Yellow PRR Sweet Jasper (XON-202Y) Var. No. 128101 XON-403Y EX 07542007 Var. No. 15094 Century Var. No. 108101 XON-204Y SR1001 Mr. Buck HSX-61304 F-1 WI-131 Candy HSX-19406 F-1 FS 2011 XON 303Y Granex 33 Var. No. 15082 Georgia Boy 33076 SSC-1535 Sugar Belle (SSC 6371 F1) SSC 6372 F1 Sweet Vidalia EX 07542008 HSX-18201 F-1 FS 2005 WI-102 WI-609 Ohoopee Sweet SSC-1600 Sapelo Sweet DPS 1290 Sweet Melody WI-129 WI-3115 Nirvana Sweet Advantage Southern Belle CV LSD (p=0.05) Company Nunhems Dessert Seed LLC Seminis Nunhems Nunhems Dessert Seed LLC Dessert Seed LLC Dessert Seed LLC Seminis Seminis Sakata Seed Dessert Seed LLC Sakata Seed Seminis Dessert Seed LLC Seminis Dessert Seed LLC Sakata Seed Nunhems D. Palmer Seed Hortag Seed Wannamaker Seeds Seminis Hortag Seed Florida Seed Sakata Seed Seminis Dessert Seed LLC D. Palmer Seed Shamrock Seed Co. Shamrock Seed Co. Shamrock Seed Co. Shamrock Seed Co. Nunhems Seminis Hortag Seed Florida Seed Wannamaker Seeds Wannamaker Seeds D. Palmer Seed Shamrock Seed Co. D. Palmer Seed D. Palmer Seed Nunhems Wannamaker Seeds Wannamaker Seeds Nunhems D. Palmer Seed D. Palmer Seed Doubles no/plot 0 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 7 8 9 10 10 10 11 11 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 23 26 27 30 31 34 34 35 36 36 36 38 38 42 43 59 62 65 68 102 118 18% 2 Seedstems no/plot 0 3 1 0 0 3 4 1 3 2 3 7 0 0 11 1 1 0 1 4 9 2 0 10 1 0 3 1 3 2 1 2 17 20 0 7 2 1 4 0 1 3 7 6 3 4 1 1 4 33% 1 Center rot incidence avg. no./plot 1.1 2.1 0.6 1.2 3.7 0.4 1.1 0.2 0.9 0.9 0.4 1.2 0.4 0.6 0.6 2.7 0.8 0.7 1.2 1.9 3.3 0.8 1.7 2.1 2.3 0.2 1.9 1.7 1.1 1.9 1.1 0.4 2.6 1.2 2.8 2.6 0.9 1.5 0.4 1.9 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.6 0.7 1.1 1.3 0.0 1.5 38% 0.3

SPRING 2005 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

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Table 3. Yield, Graded Yield, and Harvest Date of Vidalia Onion Varieties
Field yield 50-lb bags/a 33076 1096 WI-3115 1190 WI-131 1093 WI-129 1175 1200 1032 FS 2011 1054 WI-609 1060 XON-204Y 1114 WI-102 1208 SSC-1535 917 Serengeti 1202 802 XON 303Y 887 FS 2005 995 DPS 1290 1035 XON-403Y 1128 Sugar Belle (SSC 6371 F1) 903 Var. No. 108101 927 Georgia Boy 848 Savannah Sweet 858 EX 07542007 836 SR1001 1233 Century 969 Var. No. 15082 942 SSC 6372 F1 795 Sweet Vidalia 858 Var. No. 15094 751 Sapelo Sweet 862 Mr. Buck 807 EX 07542008 834 Granex 33 893 Sweet Melody 814 Nirvana 798 Pegasus 886 Var. No. 128101 900 Gobi 1201 894 Var. No. 15085 765 SSC-1600 736 Ohoopee Sweet 755 Var. No. 105101 637 HSX-18201 F-1 816 Candy 689 Southern Belle 812 Var. No. 114101 812 Sweet Jasper (XON-202Y) 749 Sweet Advantage 727 Granex Yellow PRR 686 HSX-19406 F-1 743 Var. No. 34140 570 HSX-61304 F-1 882 CV 14% LSD 230 Variety Jumbos 40-lb boxes/a 1214 1179 1178 1162 1141 1123 1093 1057 1052 1000 942 933 929 911 882 868 833 815 812 810 795 790 769 756 743 731 728 720 718 696 694 691 689 689 686 684 681 675 664 664 660 621 608 566 511 485 484 481 445 17% 254 Mediums 40-lb boxes/a 37 39 30 46 12 31 33 25 46 50 40 50 44 64 36 75 30 58 38 34 24 30 34 125 36 37 61 162 69 58 76 185 139 28 59 37 75 79 35 81 77 268 24 50 271 42 56 43 35 70% 66 Harvest date 4/25/05 4/25/05 4/25/05 4/25/05 5/9/05 4/25/05 4/25/05 5/9/05 4/25/05 4/25/05 5/9/05 5/16/05 4/25/05 5/16/05 5/16/05 4/25/05 5/16/05 5/9/05 5/16/05 5/9/05 5/16/05 5/16/05 5/16/05 5/2/05 5/9/05 5/16/05 5/16/05 5/9/05 5/9/05 5/16/05 5/9/05 5/2/05 5/23/05 5/16/05 5/9/05 5/16/05 4/25/05 5/9/05 5/9/05 5/16/05 5/2/05 5/2/05 5/23/05 5/16/05 5/2/05 5/16/05 5/16/05 5/16/05 5/23/05

relatively light year for seedstems. In the 2003-04 season, seven out of 34 entries had 90 or more seedstems per plot. Center rot, which can destroy the entire bulb, is a bacterial disease of onions in which the center most recently mature leaf is infected. Relatively warm temperatures during bulb formation favor development of this disease. This is a recently newly described disease in the Vidalia onion area. The incidence of center rot will vary from year to year based on environmental conditions that favor development. The 2004-05 season was a relatively mild year for centerrot incidence. Incidence ranged from 0 to just under four plants per plot infected. Although there were statistical differences in incidence at this low rate, it is unclear if these difference actually represent varietal differences. Total or ﬁeld yields ranged from 570 50-pound bags per acre for variety 34140 to 1233 50-pound bags for SR1001 (Table 3). Total yield is a good indicator of the potential for a particular variety, but does not always translate into an overall good variety because of unacceptable losses in the grading process. For a variety to be considered a good yielder it should consistently have high jumbo yields which generally command the highest prices in the market. The jumbo yields in this trial ranged from 445

22

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

to 1,214 40-pound boxes per acre. The highest jumbo yielding variety was 33076, which did not differ from the nine other varieties with greater than 1,000 40-pound boxes per acre. Medium yields often are inversely correlated with jumbo yields, whereas as jumbo yields increase medium yields decrease. In other words, poorly performing varieties will often have the highest medium yields. Harvest date continues to be an important characteristics of tested varieties. All of those varieties harvested on April 25, 2005 would be classed as Japanese overwintering onions. These extra-early varieties remain controversial because of preceived poor taste. The apparent poor taste of these varieties is not universially accepted as such. Neither pyruvate nor taste panel evaluations have consistently indicated these varieties have poor taste parameters, yet the preceived poor quality continues to haunt these varieties. Very late maturing varieties continue to be plagued by late season warm weather bacterial diseases such as sour skin and slippery skin. Pyruvate analyses ranged from 2.9 to 5.1 um/ gfw. Ironically the lowest pyruvate value occurred with variety WI-609, which is one of the early Japanese overwintering types (Table 4). This is indicative of the problem where pyruvate has proven ineffective in discerning differences between these Japanese overwintering onions and other types. The highest valued varieties did not differ statistically from half of the listed varieties. Threequarters of the entries did not differ as to sugar content, which ranged from 7.8 to 12.3 percent. Even among those entries with statistically lower sugar content, their content was acceptionally high. Generally sugar content in short-day onions ranges from 6 to 8 percent. In conclusion, these trials continue to provide important information to growers about the performance of Vidalia onion varieties. When examined over several years, these trials provide important yield and quality information growers can use in making variety selections.

Table 4. Pyruvate and Sugar Content of Vidalia Onion Varieties
Variety WI-609 Candy Serengeti 1202 Var. No. 128101 Savannah Sweet FS 2011 WI-3115 EX 07542007 WI-131 Var. No. 15094 HSX-19406 F-1 Century WI-102 Sweet Jasper (XON-202Y) 33076 Sugar Belle (SSC 6371 F1) SSC 6372 F1 Pegasus SSC-1535 FS 2005 SR1001 Var. No. 114101 Var. No. 34140 Var. No. 105101 DPS 1290 Sweet Melody Southern Belle Sweet Vidalia Gobi 1201 HSX-18201 F-1 SSC-1600 Georgia Boy Mr. Buck XON-403Y Var. No. 15085 WI-129 HSX-61304 F-1 Granex 33 Var. No. 15082 Sapelo Sweet Granex Yellow PRR EX 07542008 XON-204Y Sweet Advantage 1200 Nirvana Ohoopee Sweet Var. No. 108101 XON 303Y CV LSD Pyruvate um/gfw 2.9 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.7 3.7 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.8 5.1 5.1 19% 1.3 Sugar % 8.1 9.2 9.6 9.7 8.5 7.8 8.4 9.5 8.3 9.7 9.1 9.6 8.8 9.8 8.7 9.6 11.2 9.6 9.0 8.8 9.6 9.0 9.5 10.0 9.5 10.1 10.6 10.1 8.7 9.7 10.1 9.9 10.0 10.4 11.3 11.1 9.3 8.8 9.8 10.2 10.1 12.3 9.9 11.6 11.8 11.5 11.0 12.2 11.5 18% 3.3

SPRING 2005 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

23

Several Pink-Eye Peas Good for Fresh Harvest in Central Mississippi
W.B. Evans, K.L. Paridon, and P. Hudson Southernpeas are an important crop to Mississippi vegetable farmers and home gardeners alike. Consumers prefer pink-eye peas. There is less demand for cream peas, and little if any sales of fresh black-eye types. Small growers and homeowners alike prefer the purplehull trait for pod color. Mississippi has both hand-harvested and mechanically harvested commercial southernpea acreage. Much of the mechanically harvested acreage is for frozen or canned product, while the majority of the hand-harvested acreage is used or marketed for fresh consumption without longterm commercial storage. This trial was undertaken to compare yield and quality among southernpeas raised for hand-harvested, fresh sale. A replicated trial of purple-hull, cream, and black-eye southernpeas for fresh harvest was conducted in central Mississippi at Crystal Springs during the summer of 2005 (Tables 1 and 2). The trial contained sixteen entries from commercial wholesale sources. Plots were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. All plots were single rows, 20 feet long with 30 inches between rows. Plots were seeded with a Gardenway push planter on July 17, 2005. Plots were maintained using standard local practice including pre-emergent herbicide, preplant fertilizer based on soil test, and scouting and treating for insect pests. Ten feet from the middle of each plot were ﬂagged and harvested up to three times from early to late September 2005. Pods were hand-harvested into buckets and weighed. After the in-shell weight was determined, pods were left at room temperature for 24 hours before shelling with a mechanical sheller. Seeds were then weighed. Percent shell-out was calculated as the difference between in-shell weight and seed weight, multiplied by 100. To compare relative days to maturity, a weighted average days until middle harvest was calculated by multiplying the seed weight for each plot on each harvest date, summing these numbers across plots, and dividing by the total seed weight across harvest dates (For calculations, see Table 3 footnote). The average of the middle harvest dates calculated for each entry is presented in Table 3. There was little disease or insect pressure on the plots after an early outbreak of leaf eating insects was controlled
Table 1. Ratings of the 2005 Southernpea Variety Trial1
Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

Crystal Springs, MS 4 5 4 4 4

See introduction for description of ratings scales

Table 2. Seed Source of Selected Southernpea Varieties
Variety Top Pick Brown Crowder CT Pinkeye Pinkeye Purplehull BVR Early Scarlet Golden Eye Cream Mississippi Pinkeye Pinkeye Purplehull BVR Top Pick Pinkeye TX Pinkeye TX139 Cream Mississippi Silver Mississippi Cream California Blackeye No. 5. Zipper Cream TX 123 Blackeye Top Pick Cream Seed Source Wax CT Smith Wax CT Smith TAMU Wax CT Smith Wax TAMU TAMU Wax Wax Copiah Co. Coop Wax TAMU Wax

at the two-leaf stage. Weeds and disease were not a signiﬁcant problem. The growing period was drier than average except for one tropical weather event in early September that brought 3 inches of rain with wind. Temperatures were near normal pre-bloom and above normal during pod ﬁll. Yield and quality data are presented in Table 3. Most of the pink-eye entries produced in-shell yields in the top grouping by least signiﬁcant difference, with only ‘Texas Pinkeye’ yielding slightly less. Three entries, ‘Top Pick Brown Crowder’, ‘CT Pinkeye’, and ‘Pinkeye Purplehull BVR’ produced more shelled peas than the others. All of the pink-eye entries produced similar yields to the high-

24

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

est yielding pink-eye Table 3. Fresh Harvest Southernpea Yield and Quality Attributes entry, ‘CT Pinkeye’. As at Crystal Springs, Mississippi, 2005 in previous years, most Variety In-shell Seed Percent Avg. days to cream peas produced weight weight shellout middle harvest1 lower yields than the lbs/a lbs/a % days pink-eye types. ‘Top Top Pick Brown Crowder 38923 22467 59.7 56.5 Pick Brown Crowder’ CT Pinkeye 42765 20601 48.3 54.1 38071 18293 48 55 had a higher percent Pinkeye Purplehull BVR Early Scarlet 33612 16383 48.8 54.3 shell out than any other Golden Eye Cream 36039 16369 45.3 55.6 entry, with two cream- Mississippi Pinkeye 34474 16103 46.6 58 types averaging lower Pinkeye Purplehull BVR 35294 16077 44.9 54 32650 15331 46.9 54 percent shell out than Top Pick Pinkeye 30974 14960 48.1 54.2 all other entries. Pink- TX Pinkeye 31363 14754 47 56.3 eye types generally TX139 Cream Mississippi Silver 30371 14540 47.3 59.9 matured earlier than Mississippi Cream 38721 12628 32.5 60.8 other seed types tested. California Blackeye No. 5. 28532 11680 41 63.2 21503 11342 49.9 61.3 Newer cream and pink- Zipper Cream TX 123 Blackeye 23555 10692 45.4 56.2 eye releases tended Top Pick Cream 24394 9272 37.7 56.4 to mature earlier than r2 0.50 0.54 0.57 0.85 older ones. CV 22 26 13 2.622 10288 5607 8.43 2.07 Winds during LSD 0.05 1 MDTH = (S1*DTH1 + S2*DTH2 + S3*DTH3)/ST, where early pod ﬁll lodged MDTH is the median days to harvest, nearly all entries to one S1, S2, and S3 are the seed yield per acre on the ﬁrst through fourth harvest dates, degree or another but ST is the total fresh seed yield (sum of S1YS3), and did not seem to inﬂuDTH1, DTH2, and DTH3 are the days from planting to harvest date 1 through date 3, respectively. ence yield signiﬁcantly as there was little dam- Data was analyzed using PROC ANOVA in SAS v.9.1 (SAS Inst., Cary, NC). age to the plants. The In summary, all of the pink-eye entries produced simlodging diminished the advantage high-set peas have over traditional entries with regard to ease of harvest. ilar fresh seed yields. Cream peas will generally yield less Nonetheless, the high set peas are worth considering be- than purple-hull, crowder, or black-eye types. All entries cause they normally seem to be easier to harvest than matured within a week of one another, with newer ones traditional plant types and have produced similar yields being slightly earlier on average. Other than ‘Top Pick Brown Crowder’ producing an exceptionally high shell over the last three seasons. out, there were few differences in percent shell-out.

SPRING 2005 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

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2005 Pepper Variety Trial
Doug Sanders and Luz Reyes A pepper variety trial was conducted at the Horticultural Crops Research Station in Clinton, North Carolina, to determine the marketable yield and quality of new cultivars and promising breeding lines. Pepper transplants were set in 20-foot-long double row plots on April 18. Rows were spaced on 5-foot centers and spacing within a row was 1 foot. Beds were irrigated using drip irrigation. A randomized complete block with four replications was used. Soils were fertilized according to the recommendations of the North Carolina State Extension Service. For current recommendations for pest and weed control in vegetable production in North Carolina, consult your county Extension agent (see http://www.ncsu.edu/extension/). The trial was compromised by excessive blossom end rot at ﬁrst harvest, which was attributed to a very cool May and a very warm June so that when the weather changed, the plants were stressed. All cultigens produced acceptable yields except PR0315X16R5 (Table 1). ‘Excursion II’, ACX 261, and ACX 263 had an excellent overall percentage of No.1 fruits per acre. ‘Heritage’ and ‘Plato’ had also good percentages of No. 1 fruits. ‘Camelot’ also had good marketable yields. ACX 261, ACX 263, BSC 398, and ‘Heritage’ all would have had much better yields if not for the high cullage from blossom end rot. Best varieties according to yield, color, and size were ‘Excursion’, and ACX263 followed by BSS355 (Table 2)

Table 1. Yield and Quality of Various Pepper Cultivars at Clinton, North Carolina, 2005
Variety Yield per acre 25-lb box Abbot&Cobb 993 Abbot&Cobb 774 Abbot&Cobb 1150 Bejo Seeds 1265 Seminis 698 Abbot&Cobb 983 Harris Moran Pep. Res. Inc. Pep. Res. Inc. Seminis Seminis 862 572 814 741 851 309** Source Marketable yield per acre 25-lb box 870 649 1038 1075 610 897 724 479 724 627 757 296* Culls % 13 16 10 15 14 9 16 17 11 15 11 4* No. 1 per acre 25-lb box 590 490 721 207 412 646 411 296 547 425 581 201** No. 2 per acre 25-lb box 280 159 318 868 199 251 314 183 178 202 177 125** Average Culls fruit weight per acre No. 1 25-lb box lb. 124 0.32 125 0.31 111 0.30 190 0.24 88 0.33 85 0.31 136 93 90 114 95 42** 0.28 0.33 0.34 0.33 0.35 0.05* Average fruit weight No. 2 lb. 0.24 0.21 0.21 0.19 0.21 0.22 0.21 0.19 0.22 0.22 0.20 0.05ns

ACX261 ACX262 ACX263 BSC398 Camelot Excursion II (ACX248) Heritage PR0315X16R5 PR9321 Plato SVR7273823 LSD 0.05%

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Table 2. Quality Observtions of Pepper Cultivars at Clinton, North Carolina, 2005
Overall Rank and Yield2 Color3 Size4 Shape5 general comments Variety Source rating1 ACX261 Abbot&Cobb 2 4.5 G XL ML 4 Rough poor overall ACX262 Abbot&Cobb 3 3 G L-M B 2 Very good quality, shows red ACX263 Abbot&Cobb 5 5 G XL B 1+ Excellent quality BSC398 Bejo Seeds 4.5 3.5 G M B 2 Good specialty Camelot Seminis 4.5 4.5 G XL B 2 Good Excursion II Abbot&Cobb 5 4.5 G XL B 1+ Impressive, excellent end (ACX248) season late harvest smaller Heritage Harris Moran 4.5 4 G L-M B 2 Very good quality PR0315X16R5 Pep. Res. Inc. 3 3 MG M-S ML 4 Rough and small PR9321 Pep. Res. Inc. 4 4.5 G L B-L 2 Very good Plato Seminis 4 4 G XL B 2 Slightly pointed and long SVR7273823 Seminis 5 5 G XL B 2 Impressive best in trial BSS-355 Bejo Seeds 5 5 DG L B 1 Excellent quality 1 Ratings: 5=Excellent, 4=Very good, 3=Good, 2=Fair, 1=Unacceptable 2 Yield: 5=Excellent, 4=Very good, 3=Good, 2=Fair, 1=Unacceptable 3 Color:DG=Dark Green, G=Good Green, MG=Medium Green, LG=Light Green (probably not dark enough for market), Y=Yellow 4 Size: XL=Extra Large, L=Large, L-M=Large to medium, M-L=Medium to large, M=Medium, S=Small 5 Shape: B=Blocky, L=Long, ML=Medium Long

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2005 Tomato Variety Trial
Doug Sanders and Luz Reyes A tomato variety trial was conducted at the Horticultural Crops Research Station in Clinton, North Carolina, to determine marketable yield and quality of new cultivars and promising breeding lines of full size and roma type tomatoes. Tomato transplants were set in 20-foot-long plots on April 18. Plants were spaced 18 inches within a row. Rows were covered with plastic mulch and drip irrigation was installed. A randomized complete block with four replications was used. Fertilization consisted of a pre-plant application of 10-10-20 at a rate of 500 pounds per acre. The remaining N and K2O recommendation was applied daily at a rate of 2.5 to 5 pounds per acre fertilizer. As seen in Table 1, there were differences among varieties in marketable yields per acre. Differences were evident in fruit size. Varieties NC 0227, NC 0236, ‘Crista’, NC 0367, ‘Amelia’, and ‘Phoenix’ showed good yields and also higher percentage of extra large and medium fruit size. NC 0392 also gave a good yield per acre with the lowest percent of culls per acre. Varieties 640 BHN and NC 0227 showed the lowest percent of small fruits among varieties, which is an advantage for these two cultivars. ‘Amelia’ and ‘Biltmore’ had some exceptionally extra-large fruit, but both had a lot of rough fruit. ‘Crista’, NC 0392, NC 0367, and BHN 640 had excellent fruit quality. Of the commercial cultivars ‘Crista’ and ‘Phoenix’ should be tried by growers. Roma type tomatoes (Table 2) exhibiting good marketable yields were BSS 436, BSS 437, ‘Mariana’, and ‘Plum Crimson’. BSS 437 had high numbers for large size fruit and small numbers for small size fruit, but the cultivar is too round to be acceptable in most markets. ‘Mariana’ showed good yield and good number of large fruits. In this trial ‘Plum Crimson’ showed the smallest percentage of cull fruit. Although BSS 436 had a good marketable yield, the higher percent of fruits was for medium size. BSS 436 and BSS 437 had excellent fruit quality with all the others cultivars having good quality except ‘Sunoma’, which had too much weather check. ‘Mariana’ and ‘Plum Crimson’ should be tried by growers.

Table 1. Yield of Full Size Tomato Cultivars at Clinton, North Carolina, 2005
Variety Source Marketable Average Average Average Average Yield yield X-large Large Medium Small Culls fruit fruit fruit fruit per acre per acre per acre per acre per acre per acre per acre weight weight weight weight ————————————25-lb box———————————— X-large Large Medium Small 1760 1423 836 123 394 73 334 0.75 0.45 0.30 0.14 2309 1985 771 133 969 113 324 0.73 0.52 0.58 0.11 1732 1514 828 58 530 98 218 0.73 0.37 0.30 0. 15 1486 1256 655 92 411 99 229 0.66 0.49 0.30 0.15 1314 1125 270 56 638 161 189 0.70 0.50 0.32 0.15 1693 1550 850 108 467 125 143 0.76 0.47 0.30 0.14 1485 1254 648 91 37 141 231 0.76 0.48 0.30 0.13 1460 1066 454 53 448 111 394 0.72 0.48 0.30 0.13 1375 995 499 113 341 42 379 0.71 0.50 0.37 0.19 1981 1735 704 134 731 166 246 0.79 0.51 0.34 0.14 1659 1788 1996 413** 1304 1562 1711 417** 541 701 721 236** 85 86 85 71 503 534 620 352* 175 242 285 77** 355 226 285 113** 0.84 0.72 0.73 0.10 0.85 0.44 0.47 0.24 0.28 0.29 0.27 0.21 0.15 0.17 0.17 0.06

NC 0227 NC 0236 NC 0256 NC 0367 NC 0377 NC 0392 444 BHN 543 BHN 640 BHN Amelia Biltmore Florida 47 Phoenix LSD .05%

NCSU NCSU NCSU NCSU NCSU NCSU BHN BHN BHN Harris Moran Seminis Seminis Seminis

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Table 2. Yield of Various Roma Tomato Cultivars at Clinton, North Carolina, 2005
Variety Source Marketable Average Yield yield Large Medium Small Culls fruit per acre per acre per acre per acre per acre per acre weight Large ———————————25-lb box——————————— 1396 1236 177 396 664 159 0.30 1880 1696 320 607 768 184 0.30 1921 1800 751 592 457 121 0.28 1765 1655 487 555 613 111 0.32 1723 1659 328 724 607 64 0.28 1665 344* 1316 311* 16 75** 499 230 801 172** 348 117** 0.21 0.09 Average fruit weight Medium 0.25 0.26 0.24 0.27 0.25 0.28 0.04 Average fruit weight Small 0.14 0.13 0.13 0.18 0.17 0.17 0.04

BHN 410 BSS 436 BSS 437 Mariana Plum Crimson Sunoma LSD .1%

BHN Bejo Seeds Bejo Seeds Sakata Seeds NCSU Seminis

Table 3. Ratings and Comments on Full Size, Roma, and Cherry Tomato Cultivars at Clinton, North Carolina, 2005
Variety NC 0227 NC 0236 Crista NC 0392 NC 0367 NC 0377 444 BHN 543 BHN 640 BHN Amelia Biltmore Florida 47 Phoenix BHN 410 BSS 436 BSS 437 Mariana Plum Crimson Sunoma Source NCSU NCSU NCSU NCSU NCSU NCSU BHN BHN BHN Harris Moran Seminis Seminis Seminis BHN Bejo Seeds Bejo Seeds Sakata Seeds NCSU Seminis Overall rating1 4 4 5 5 5 3 4.5 3 4 3 3 3.5 5 4 5 4.5 4 4.5 3.5 Yield2 5 4.5 4.5 5 5 4.5 4.5 3.5 5 4.5 3 4 5 4 4.5 5 4 4 3 Size rating July 12 July 15 Full Size M-L VL L-M VL VL VL L VVL VL L VL L LM Roma L M-L M-L L M-L M-L M-L VL L-M VL VL VL M-L VL L L VL L LM L M-L M-L L M-L M-L Overall quality July 12 July 15 3.5 3.5 4 3.5 4 3 3.5 4 3.5 2.5 3 4 4.5 4 5 4 4 3.5 3 3.5 3.5 4 3.5 4 3 3.5 4 3.5 3 3 4 4.5 3.5 4.5 3.5 4 3.5 3 Rank and general comments 3. Rough stem, v. large 2. Excellent yield 1. V. large, smooth tight stem 1. V. large 1.+ V. large smooth early 3. small fruit late 3. Deep globe 2. Smooth 1. Excellent large fruit 4. Cracks, ruff stem 5.Sticky stem 2. Smooth 1++. Smooth 2.Poor ﬁnish 1.Excellent yield slightly smaller fruit 1.+Very high yield, maybe too round 2. Great size 2. Good yield, but smaller 3. Rough ﬁnish, large dimple, some cracking 1.+++Excellent ﬂavor and crack resistant 1.+Very sweet, good ﬂovor, smaller vine**

Observational Marcelino (cherry) NC 03314 (grape)
1 2

Rating and Quality: 5=Excellent, 4=Very good, 3=Good, 2=Fair, 1=Unacceptable Yield: 5=Excellent, 4=Very good, 3=Good, 2=Fair, 1=Unacceptable

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Seed Sources for Alabama Trials
Seeds were donated by the following companies:

Palmer Seed Co.
P.O. Box 1866 Palmer City, FL 34991 (772) 221-0653 E-mail: glenk@paramount-seeds. com Paramount Seed Co.

Sakata Seed America, Inc.
Tech Rep: Atlee Burpee P.O. Box 880 Morgan Hill, CA 95038 Phone: (610) 316-6063

Sunseeds
Richard Wojciak 12214 Lacewood Lane Wellington, Florida 33414-4983 Phone : 561 791 9061 Fax: 561 798 4915 Mobile: 561 371 2023 E-mail: richard.wojciak@sunsees. com

Other sources included the following companies: Abbot and Cobb, Inc. Tech Rep: Russ Beckham 146 Old US Highway 84 West Boston, GA 31626 Phone: (229) 498-2366 E-mail: rbeckham@rose.net BHN 1310 McGee Avenue Berkeley, CA 94703 Phone: (510) 526-4704 E-mail: mail@berkeleyhort.com Harris Moran P.O. Box 4938 Modesto, CA 95352 Phone: (209) 579-7333 (209) 527-8684 Harris Seeds To order: (800) 544-7938 P.O. Box 22960 60 Saginow Dr. Rochester, NY 14692-2960 Hollar To order: (719) 254-7411 P.O. Box 106 Rocky Ford, CO 81067-0106 Phone: (719) 254-7411 Fax: (719) 254-3539 Website: www.hollarseeds.com Johnny’s Select Seeds To order: (207) 437-4395 Tech. Rep: Steve Woodward 955 Benton Ave Winslow, ME 04901 Phone: (207) 861-3900 E-mail: info@johnnyseeds.com Nunhems/Seedway To order: (800) 952-7333 Tech Rep: James J. Pullins 1225 Zeager Road Elizabethtown, PA 17022 Phone: (717) 367-1075 Fax: (717) 367-0387 E-mail: info@seedway.com Rupp Seeds To order: (800) 700-1199 17919 County Raoad B Waseon, OH 43567 Sandoz Rogers/Novartis To order: (912) 560-1863 Siegers Seed Company 13031 Reﬂections Drive Holland, MI 49424 Fax: (616) 994-0333 Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc Tech Rep: Rusty Autry 2221 North Park Ave. Tifton GA 31796 Phone: (229) 386-0750 Tifton Seed Distribution Center Tech Rep: Van Lindsey Phone: (912) 382-1815 Willhite To order: (800) 828-1840 Tech Rep: Don Dobbs P.O. Box 23 Poolville, TX 76487 Fax: (817) 599-5843

Guidelines for Contributions to the Vegetable Variety Regional Bulletin Vegetable variety evaluation and selection is an essential part of production horticulture. The vegetable variety regional bulletin is intended to report results of variety trials conducted by research institutions in the Southeast in a timely manner. Its intended audience includes growers, research/extension personnel, and members of the seed industry. Timeliness and rapid turnaround are essential to better serve our audience. Hence, two bulletins are printed each year: one in November with results from spring crops, and another one in April or May with results from summer and fall crops. It is essential that trial results are available before variety decisions for the next growing season are made. Here are a few useful guidelines to speed up the publications process for the next regional bulletin (fall 2005). When: April 20, 2006 Deadline for fall 2006 variety trial report submissions. What: Results pertaining to variety evaluation in a broad sense. This includes ﬁeld performance, quality evaluation, and disease resistance. Here are a few tips: • Follow the format used in the other regional bulletins. • Include each author’s complete mailing address, e-mail address, and phone number. • Follow your own unit’s internal review process. Contributions will be edited, but not formally reviewed. How: Send a disk and hard copy to Edgar Vinson or Joe Kemble Department of Horticulture 101 Funchess Hall Auburn University, AL 36849-5408 Or send e-mail to vinsoed@auburn.edu kembljm@auburn.edu