Spring 2009 and 2010 Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Variety Trials

April 2011 Regional Bulletin 22 Auburn University North Carolina State University Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station William Batchelor, Director Auburn University, Alabama

research reported in this regional bulletin: Harris Moran, Kelly Seed Company, Nunhems, Sakata Seed America, and Syngenta Seeds, Inc.

Special thanks is extended to the following companies who generously donated seed for the

Auburn University is an equal opportunity educational institution/employee. http:www.auburn.edu http:www.aaes.auburn.edu

This report can be found on the Web at www.aaes.auburn.edu/comm/pubs/vegetables/spring09-10rb22.pdf

Contents
page Authors ................................................................................................................................................................................................4 Introduction: Interpreting Vegetable Varieties Performance Results ........................................................................................5 Alabama Trials 2009 ‘Bella Rosa’ a Beauty in North Alabama Tomato Trials...............................................................................................................7 Alabama Trials 2010 New Cantaloupe Varieties to Challenge Market Standard ...........................................................................................................9 Experimental Tomato Lines Perform Well ..................................................................................................................................11 Experimental Summer Squash Named .........................................................................................................................................14 Experimental Bell Peppers Perform Well in South Alabama ....................................................................................................16 Seeded Watermelon Trial Resumes at North Alabama ..............................................................................................................18 Seedless Watermelon Varieties in North Alabama .....................................................................................................................20 Blueberry Cultivar Evaluation ........................................................................................................................................................22 North Carolina Trials 2010 Replicated Asparagus Cultivar Evaluation, 2007-2010...............................................................................................................24 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.

Authors
Randy Akridge Director Brewton Agriculture Research Unit Brewton, AL (251) 867-3139 Jason Burkett Associate Director E.V. Smith Research Center, Horticulture Unit Shorter, AL (334) 727-6159 Arnold Caylor Director North Alabama Horticulture Research Center Cullman, AL (256) 734-5820 Carl Cantaluppi Extension Area Agent, Horticulture North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Person County Center Roxboro, NC (336) 599-1195 carl_cantaluppi@ncsu.edu Elina Coneva Assistant Professor and Extension Fruit Specialist Department of Horticulture Auburn University, AL (334) 844-7230 edc0001@auburn.edu Joe Kemble Professor and Extension Vegetable Specialist Department of Horticulture Auburn University, AL (334) 844-3050 kembljm@auburn.edu Joel Potter Graduate Student Department of Horticulture Auburn University, AL (334) 844-3040 potterj@tigermail.auburn.edu Jeff L. Sibley Bohmann Professor Department of Horticulture Auburn University, AL (334) 844-3132 sibleje@auburn.edu Edgar Vinson Research Associate IV Department of Horticulture Auburn University, AL (334) 844-8494 vinsoed@auburn.edu

Introduction: Interpreting Vegetable Varieties Performance Results
Edgar Vinson and Joe Kemble he spring 2009 and 2010 fruit and vegetable regional bulletin includes research results from Auburn 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. Statistical interpretation. The coefficient of determination (R2), coefficient of variation (CV) and least significant difference (LSD, 5 percent) are reported for each test. These numbers are helpful in separating the differences due to small plots (sampling error) and true (but unknown) differences among entries. R2 values range between 0 and 1. Values close to 1 suggest that the test was conducted under good conditions and most of the variability observed was mainly due to the effect of variety and replication. Random, uncontrolled errors were of lesser importance. CV is an expression of yield variability relative to yield mean. Low CVs (under 20 percent) are desirable but are not always achieved.

T

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 cantaloupe trial presented in this issue conducted at the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center, ‘Earlichamp’ yielded 77,530 pounds per acre, while ‘Home Run’ and ‘Goddess’ yielded 68,868 and 65,156 pounds per acre, respectively. Since there was less than a 11,383 difference between ‘Home Run’ and ‘Goddess’, there is no statistical difference between these two varieties. However, the yield difference between ‘Earlichamp’ and ‘Goddess’ was 12,374, 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 relevant adjustments. Ratings of trials. At each location, variety trials were rated on a 1 to 5 scale, based on weather conditions, fertilization, irrigation, pest pressure and overall performance (Table 2). Results from trials with ratings of 2 and under are not reported. These numbers may be used to interpret differences in performance from location to location. The overall rating may be used to give more importance to the results of variety performance under good growing conditions. 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, availability 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.
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) 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

Fruit and vegetable trials on the Web. For more vegetable variety information be sure to visit our Web page at www.aaes.auburn.edu/comm/pubs/pubs-by-subject/fruitsnutsvegs.php

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

Irrigation Very Good Good Acceptable Low Insufficient

Pests None Light Tolerable Adverse Destructive

Overall Excellent Good Acceptable Questionable Useless

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

TOMATO ‘Bella Rosa’ a Beauty in North Alabama Tomato Trials, 2009
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Arnold Caylor A spring tomato variety trial was conducted at the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center (NAHRC) in Cullman (Tables 1 and 2). Five-week-old tomato transplants were set on May 13 onto 20-foot long plots at a within-row spacing of 1.5 feet. White 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 online at http://www.aces.edu/counties.
TABLE 1. RATINGS OF THE 2009 TOMATO VARIETY TRIAL1 Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

NAHRC 5 5 5 5 5

Tomatoes were harvested, weighed, and graded four times between July 18 and August 17. 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>2.9 inch), large (D>2.5 inch), and medium (D>2.3 inch). Marketable yield was the sum of extralarge, large, and medium grades (Table 3). ‘Talladega’, ‘Bella Rosa’, and ‘Phoenix’ produced total yields that were significantly higher than the market standard variety ‘BHN 640’. All varieties produced the most fruit in the large or medium categories. In the large category, ‘Talladega’ produced the highest yields though they were statistically similar to ‘Bella Rosa’ and ‘Phoenix’. The fruit size of ‘BHN 640’ is typically medium; however, in this category, ‘Talladega’ had a medium-size fruit yield that was statistically higher than ‘BHN 640’. ‘Mountain Glory’ produced cull fruit weight that was statistically lower than ‘Nico’, Redline, and ‘BHN 640’. All others were statistically similar to ‘Mountain Glory’.

See introduction for description of ratings scales. TABLE 2. SEED SOURCE, FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS, AND RELATIVE EARLINESS OF SELECTED TOMATO VARIETIES Variety Bella Rosa BHN 640 Carson Phoenix Mountain Glory Nico Redline Talladega
1

Type1 F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM

Seed source Sakata BHN Sieger Seminis Rogers/Sieger Harris Moran Rogers/Sieger Seedway
2

Plant habit2 Det Det Det. Det Det Det Det. Det.

Fruit color3 Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red

Days to Disease claims4 harvest 3 74 75 M M M M M 76
3

Years evaluated 07-09 03-09 09 06,08,09 09 05-07,09 09 07-09
4

FW 1-2,TSWV,VW FW 1-3,TSWV,VW FCR,VW,St,TSWV ASC,FW 1-2,St,VW FW 1-2.VW,St,TSWV FW,VW,TSWV,Nt FW 1-3,VW, St,TSWV FW 1-2,St,TSWV,VW

Type: F1 = Hybrid, FM = Fresh market; Plant habit: Det. = Determinate; Days to Harvest: M = Midseason; Disease claims: FW = Fusarium Wilt; FCW = Fusarium Crown Wilt; VW = Verticillium Wilt; ASC = Alternaria Stem Canker; St = Stemphylium (grey leaf spot), TSWV = Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus. Note: Numbers following disease claims indicate races. — = not found, from seed catalog.

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TABLE 3. YIELD OF SELECTED TOMATO VARIETIES Total marketable yield lb/A Talladega Bella Rosa Phoenix Nico Redline Carson Mt. Glory BHN 640 R2 CV LSD 43,616 34,604 33,712 31,621 31,597 31,182 26,423 25,189 0.80 17 9,270 Total marketable number no/A 79,286 63,396 57,918 62,451 56,686 55,819 49,980 45,900 0.86 13 12,688 Extra large weight lb/A 1,035 1,401 1,373 628 1,294 1,343 811 441 0.80 47 884 Extra large number no/A 1,452 1,543 1,543 726 1,452 726 908 545 0.72 56 1,169 Large weight lb/A 24,244 19,617 19,060 15,377 13,367 14,131 9,826 10,456 0.71 25 5,940 Large number no/A 35,818 31,089 27,608 24,912 19,478 19,828 16,373 15,493 0.72 24 8,545 Medium weight lb/A 19,173 13,585 13,279 15,515 13,133 17,076 13,793 13,524 0.63 17 3,703 Medium number no/A 41,382 30,764 28,768 36,028 28,586 37,117 31,097 31,490 0.63 16 7,786 Cull weight lb/A 13,047 12,067 13,901 15,807 14,208 11,773 9,507 14,958 0.52 24 4,749

Variety

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

CANTALOUPE New Cantaloupe Varieties to Challenge Market Standard, 2010
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Arnold Caylor

A small melon trial was conducted at the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center (NAHRC) in Cullman, 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 online at http://www.aces.edu/counties/.
TABLE 1. RATINGS OF THE 2010 CANTEOUPE VARIETY TRIAL1 Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

NAHRC 5 5 5 5 5

See introduction for description of ratings scales.

A pre-plant application of calcium nitrate was applied at a rate of 60 pounds per acre. Fertilization consisted of weekly, alternating injections of calcium nitrate or 20-20-20 at a rate of 10 pounds N per acre. Pesticides were applied weekly beginning on May 17 through harvest. Cantaloupe varieties were direct seeded on April 26 into 30 foot rows with 6 feet between rows and a within row spacing of 2 feet. Drip irrigation and black plastic mulch were used. Melons were harvested four times from July 9 through July 22. Melons were harvested at half slip stage of maturity (Table 3). Several new varieties were compared to the market standard ‘Athena’ (Table 3). In total marketable yield, the top four melon varieties produced yields statistically higher than ‘Athena’. ‘Earlichamp’ produced the highest yield, which was statistically similar to ‘Home Run’ but statistically higher than all other varieties. ‘Earlichamp’ topped the list in total number of marketable fruit as well. In this category, ‘Earlichamp’ was statistically higher than all others with the excep-

TABLE 2. SEED SOURCE, FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS, AND RELATIVE EARLINESS OF SELECTED CANTALOUPE VARIETIES Variety Aphrodite Athena Atlantis Carousel Dutchess Earlichamp Goddess Grand Slam Halona Hanna’s Choice Home Run Orange Sherbet Rock Star Strike Verona
1

Type1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1
2

Seed source Seedway/Novartis Seedway/Novartis Sakata/Siegers Hollar Holmes Hollar Seedway Holar/Siegers Johnny’s Johnny’s Hollar Palmer Hollar Hollar Hollar

Rind aspect2 E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
3

Flesh color3 O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
4

Days to harvest Disease claims4 72 80 74 83 75 78 70 75 73 73 82 83 73 85 76 FW 0-2, PM 1 FW 0-2, PM 1-2 FW 0-2, PM 1-2 FW 0-2, PM 0-2 PM FW 0,2 ,PM FW 0-2, PM 1-2 FW 0-2, PM 1-2 FW,PM FW,PM FW 0-2,PM FW 1-2, PM 2 FW 0-2,PM 1-2 FW 0-2, PM FW 0-2, PM 1-2

Type: F1 = Hybrid variety. Rind aspect: E= Eastern. Flesh color: O = Orange. Disease claims: FW = Fusarium Wilt, PM = Powdery Mildew. Note: Numbers following disease claims indicate races.

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tion of ‘Duchess’. ‘Athena’ was similar to many varieties in this category with the exception of ‘Earlichamp, ‘Duchess’, and ‘Carousel’. In a commercial setting, individual melons should weight in the range of 4 to 6 pounds. ‘Athena’ was slightly above this range while ‘Earlichamp’, ‘Duchess’, ‘Carousel’, and ‘Hanna’s Choice’ were within this range. Though it produced the smallest total marketable yield and total mar-

ketable number, ‘Verona’ had a soluble solids reading that was significantly higher than all other varieties. Length and width of the seed cavity of melons taken together provide a means of determining the amount of edible flesh in melons. The smaller the seed cavity the more edible flesh there is for consumption. ‘Carousel’ and ‘Earlichamp’ produced melons with the smallest seed cavities. Other varieties that produced smaller seed cavities were ‘Athena’ and ‘Homerun’.

TABLE 3. YIELD AND QUALITY OF SELECTED CANTELOUPE VARIETIES Total Total Individual marketable marketable fruit Fruit Fruit Variety yield number weight length width lb/A Earlichamp Home Run Goddess Duchess Halona Carousel Grand Slam Aphrodite Hanna’s Choice Strike Atlantis Rock Star Athena Orange Sherbert Verona R2 CV LSD 77,530 68,868 65,156 63,015 62,709 59,486 58,171 54,414 54,283 51,430 51,292 51,240 48,172 42,795 35,676 0.44 29 11,383 no/A 13,976 10,164 9,529 12,614 8,077 10,618 7,351 6,806 9,620 7,986 6,534 5,264 7,079 5,082 4,265 0.64 30 3,267 lb 5.56 6.78 6.93 4.97 7.73 5.60 7.94 7.97 5.62 6.33 8.04 7.43 6.45 8.85 7.93 0.74 13 0.61 in 7.16 8.03 8.34 7.41 9.10 6.63 9.63 8.97 7.88 8.31 8.78 9.00 7.84 10.41 9.33 0.90 7 0.30 in 6.50 6.81 7.19 6.56 7.06 6.41 7.25 7.78 6.13 6.97 7.03 7.71 6.56 7.63 7.50 0.60 6 0.38

Soluble solids brix 12.63 10.28 12.30 12.59 11.40 12.10 12.50 11.55 10.97 11.93 11.63 . 12.05 11.85 13.90 0.60 10 0.80

Seed cavity length in 4.25 4.97 5.25 4.34 5.47 4.06 6.09 5.94 5.21 5.13 5.75 5.67 4.84 7.13 5.83 0.90 8 0.29

Seed cavity width in 2.75 2.75 2.56 2.72 2.78 2.63 2.81 3.66 2.88 2.72 2.84 2.92 2.72 3.44 3.63 0.60 12 0.24

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

TOMATO Experimental Tomato Lines Perform Well, 2010
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, Randy Akridge, and Arnold Caylor Spring tomato variety trials were conducted at the Brewton Agricultural Research Unit (BARU) in Brewton and the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center (NAHRC) in
TABLE 1. RATINGS OF THE 2010 TOMATO VARIETY TRIAL1 Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

BARU 5 5 5 5 5

NAHRC 5 5 5 5 5

See introduction for description of ratings scales.

Cullman (Tables 1 and 2). At both locations, five-week-old tomato transplants were set on May 1 at NAHRC and on May 26 at BARU onto 20-foot-long plots at a within-row spacing of 1.5 feet. White plastic mulch and drip irrigation were used. Soils were fertilized according to the recommendations of the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory. At BARU, 5-10-15 was applied preplant on March 24 at a rate of 400 pounds per acre. Plants received weekly, alternating injections of potassium nitrate or calcium nitrate (at a rate of 15 pounds per acre) from May 18 through July 15. Pesticide application consisted of combinations of an insecticide and fungicide applied weekly from May 26 through July 9.

TABLE 2. SEED SOURCE, FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS, AND RELATIVE EARLINESS OF SELECTED TOMATO VARIETIES Variety Amelia Bella Rosa BHN 602 BHN 640 Crista Finishline Fletcher Florida 47 Linda Mt. Glory Primo Red Quincy Redline Rocky Top Scarlet Red Sunkeeper Tribute XTM 5356 XTM 5378
1

Type1 F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM F1/FM

Seed source Harris Moran Sakata BHN BHN Harris Moran Syngenta/Rogers Bejo Seminis Sakata Harris Harris Moran Seminis Syngenta/Rogers Syngenta/Rogers Harris Moran Syngenta/Rogers Sakata Sakata Sakata
2

Plant habit2 Det Det Det Det Det Det Det Det Det Det Det Det Det Det Det Det Det. Det. Det.

Fruit color3 Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red

Days to harvest3 80 74 75 75 74 75 74 75 75 70 M M M 74 M M M M M
3

Disease claims4 FW 1-3,TSWV,VW FW 1-2,TSWV,VW FW 1-3,TSWV,VW FW 1-3,TSWV,VW FW 1-3,NE,TSWV,VW FW 1-3,St,TSWV,VW NE,TSWV,VW ASC,FW 1-2,St,VW ASC,FW 1-2,St,VW FW 1-2,St,TSWV,VW FW 1-2,ToMV,TSWV,VW FW 3,TSWV — ASC,FW 1-2,St,VW — — — —
4

Years evaluated 03-08,10 07-08,10 2010 03-10 06-10 2010 2010 97-99,02-07 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010

ASC,FW 1-2,St,TSWV,VW 06,10

Type: F1 = Hybrid, FM = Fresh market; Plant habit: Det. = Determinate; Days to Harvest: M = Midseason; Disease claims: FW = Fusarium Wilt; VW = Verticillium Wilt; ASC = Alternaria Stem Canker; St = Stemphylium (grey leaf spot), TSWV = Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus; ToMV = Tomato Mosaic Virus. Note: Numbers following disease claims indicate races. — = not found, from seed catalog.

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At NAHRC, plants received weekly injections of calcium nitrate at a rate of 10 pounds per acre. Pesticides were applied weekly from May 24 to July 15. For current recommendations for pest and weed control in vegetable production in Alabama, consult your county extension agent (see http:// www.aces.edu/counties/). Tomatoes were harvested, weighed, and graded four times between July 14 and August 2 at BARU and four times between July 18 through August 11 at NAHRC. 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>2.9 inch), large (D>2.5 inch) and medium (D>2.3 inch). Marketable yield was the sum of extra-large, large, and medium grades (Table 3). At BARU, ‘Linda’, ‘Tribute’, and the market standard ‘Florida 47’ produced the three highest total marketable yields though they were not significantly different. At this location all varieties were statistically similar to ‘Florida 47’ with the exceptions of ‘BHN 602’, ‘Crista’, and ‘Sunkeeper’.
TABLE 3. YIELD OF SELECTED TOMATO VARIETIES Total marketable yield lb/A Linda Tribute Florida 47 XTM 5378 Finishline XTM 5356 Bella Rosa Amelia Mt Glory Redline BHN 640 BHN 602 Crista Sunkeeper R2 CV LSD 21,179 21,144 20,171 20,057 19,872 19,802 19,359 18,516 18,025 17,857 17,271 16,031 14,556 10,350 0.67 14 3,680 Total marketable number no/A 42,743 44,831 47,372 41,473 40,656 39,204 39,839 40,202 39,749 36,845 35,937 32,126 32,398 24,593 0.60 15 8,298 Extra large weight lb/A 12,324 10,769 8,158 11,214 11,585 12,043 11,256 8,625 8,464 9,437 9,306 9,254 7,442 3,993 0.70 20 2,664 Extra large number no/A 19,058 17,243 13,976 18,422 18,785 18,604 17,696 13,794 13,794 15,518 15,065 14,066 12,887 6,897 0.70 18 4,062

In the total marketable number, ‘Florida 47’ topped the list. Marketable fruit number for ‘Florida 47’ was significantly different from ‘Redline’, ‘BHN 640’, ‘BHN 602’, ‘Crista’, and ‘Sunkeeper’ At NAHRC, the three highest producers in total marketable yield were ‘Tribute’, ‘Amelia’, and ‘XTM 5378’. Their yields were similar to most other varieties but significantly higher than ‘Scarlet Red’ and ‘Fletcher’. There yields were not significantly different from most other varieties with the exception of ‘Scarlet Red’ and ‘Fletcher’. In total marketable number, ‘Tribute’ produced a significantly higher number of marketable fruit on a per acre basis than most varieties with the exception of ‘XTM 5378’, BHN 602’, ‘XTM 5356’, ‘Primo Red’, and Mt. Glory. It is important to note that some varieties produced the highest yields and fruit number at both locations. The variety ‘Tribute’ produced the second highest yield at BARU and topped the list in total marketable yield at NAHRC. The two experimental lines, ‘XTM 5378’ and ‘XTM 5356’, were among the entries with the highest marketable yield at both locations.

Variety

Large weight lb/A 6,573 7,942 7,440 6,992 6,496 5,832 5,326 6,713 6,362 6,428 6,143 5,091 5,068 4,584 0.50 23 2,043

Large Medium number weight no/A 15,791 18,967 17,878 16,607 15,791 13,885 12,887 15,700 14,883 14,792 14,520 12,161 12,070 11,162 0.40 22 4,766 lb/A 2,282 2,432 4,574 1,850 1,790 1,927 2,777 3,178 3,198 1,992 1,821 1,686 2,046 1,773 0.63 30 1,045

Medium number no/A 7,895 8,621 15,518 6,443 6,080 6,716 9,257 10,709 11,072 6,534 6,353 5,899 7,442 6,534 0.62 30 3,550

Individual fruit weight lb 0.49 0.47 0.42 0.49 0.48 0.51 0.49 0.46 0.45 0.48 0.48 0.50 0.45 0.42 0.60 5 0.04

Cull weight lb/A 7,618 10,400 6,848 9,355 9,172 11,467 9,280 7,832 9,248 9,278 16,358 13,759 12,008 15,603 0.70 23 3,488

Brewton Agricultural Research Unit

continued

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

TABLE 3, CONT. TOTAL YIELD OF SELECTED TOMATO VARIETIES Total Total marketmarketExtra Extra Individual able able large large Large Large Medium Medium fruit Cull Variety yield number weight number weight number weight number weight weight lb/A Tribute Amelia XTM 5378 BHN 602 XTM 5356 Primo Red Quincy Bella Rosa Rocky Top Redline Crista Finishline Linda Sunkeeper BHN 640 Mt. Glory Scarlet Red Fletcher R
2

no/A 118,066 92,384 110,534 100,007 101,368 99,190 98,282 87,574 86,394 92,474 86,485 88,572 89,026 88,300 89,661 93,110 77,682 76,230 0.33 19 25,229

lb/A 1,379 3,212 3,036 2,536 4,377 5,807 823 4,265 4,822 3,170 3,181 1,767 1,669 1,846 1,466 764 2,698 474 0.52 63 2,352

no/A 1,543 3,176 3,176 2,723 4,719 5,627 817 4,175 4,991 3,267 3,358 1,815 1,724 1,906 1,543 726 2,723 545 0.50 65 2,506

lb/A 31,135 36,724 32,844 36,053 33,237 29,461 28,675 33,102 29,948 28,999 29,524 29,367 30,857 28,926 24,149 20,813 24,620 22,487 0.43 20 8,604

no/A 49,913 42,562 50,729 54,269 52,544 45,738 43,560 50,548 44,377 46,283 44,468 44,740 47,644 44,286 38,569 34,122 38,387 35,120 0.44 17 11,041

lb/A 29,281 21,363 25,197 20,205 19,808 21,347 24,259 15,401 16,959 19,136 18,037 19,486 17,645 18,371 22,324 26,050 16,396 18,386 0.35 29 8,485

no/A 66,611 46,646 56,628 43,016 44,105 47,825 53,906 32,852 37,026 42,925 38,660 42,017 39,658 42,108 49,550 58,262 36,572 40,565 0.40 27 17,900

lb 0.52 0.67 0.55 0.59 0.57 0.57 0.55 0.60 0.60 0.56 0.58 0.57 0.56 0.56 0.53 0.51 0.56 0.54 0.43 8 0.07

lb/A 8,815 9,295 11,194 9,726 8,523 14,810 7,860 7,952 7,785 8,877 7,706 8,589 7,003 10,335 15,554 11,559 9,156 9,474 0.70 20 2,755

North Alabama Horticulture Research Center
61,795 61,299 61,077 58,794 57,422 56,615 53,758 52,768 51,728 51,305 50,741 50,619 50,171 49,142 47,939 47,627 43,714 41,347 0.34 19 14,353

CV LSD

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SQUASH Experimental Summer Squash Named, 2010
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Jason Burkett A summer squash variety trial was conducted at the E.V. Smith Research Center (EVSRC) Horticulture Unit in Shorter, Alabama, (Tables 1 and 2). Beds were formed and plastic mulch and drip irrigation were used. Squash varieties were direct seeded on black plastic mulch on May 13. Beds were 20 feet long on 6-foot centers. Spacing within a row was 1.5 feet. Soils were fertilized according to the recommendations of the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory. Plants received weekly injections, alternating between potassium nitrate and calcium nitrate (at a rate of 7 pounds N per acre) from May 13 through June 30. For current recommendations for pest and weed control in vegetable production in Alabama, consult your county extension agent or go online to http://www.aces.edu/counties/. Squash were harvested nine times between June 14 and July 2. Squash were graded as marketable or non-marketable according to the United Stated Standards for Grades of Summer Squash (U.S. Dept. Agr. G.P.O 1987-180-916:40730 AMS) (Table 3).
Variety Enterprise Fortune Gentry Goldprize Gold Star Cashflow Envy Paycheck Payroll RQS 6144 Spineless Perfection (RQS 5184) Spineless Beauty
1 3

Recently named variety ‘Spineless Perfection’ (Formerly RSQ 5184) topped the list of zucchini squash in early marketable yield (Table 3). Early yield of ‘Spineless Perfection’ was similar to the market standard ‘Spineless Beauty’. ‘Spineless Beauty’ was also similar to ‘Payroll’, ‘Cashflow’, and ‘Paycheck’. The variety ‘Paycheck’ had the highest cull fruit weight but cull fruit weight was statistically similar to other varieties with the exception of ‘Spineless Beauty’ and RSQ
TABLE 1. RATINGS OF THE 2010 SUMMER SQUASH VARIETY TRIAL1 Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

EVSRC 4 5 5 5 5

See introduction for description of ratings scales.

TABLE 2. SEED SOURCE, FRUIT TYPE, AND RELATIVE EARLINESS OF SELECTED SQUASH VARIETIES Type1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 Seed source Days to harvest Disease claims2 Years evaluated 97,99,07,10 99,04-07,10 97-99,02-08,10 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 95-97,99,10 Yellow squash (straightneck, semi crookneck, and crookneck) Rogers Syngenta 41 — Rogers Syngenta Rogers Syngenta Rogers Syngenta Rogers Syngenta Rogers Syngenta Rogers Syngenta Rogers Syngenta Rogers Syngenta Rogers Syngenta Rogers Syngenta Rogers Syngenta 39 43 42 42 Zucchini 45 45 42 45 — 44 43 — — WMV,ZYMV CMV,PM ZYMV PM, ZYMV CMV,PM,WMV,ZYMV PM,WMV,ZYMV — PM, WMV, ZYMV —

Type: F1 = Hybrid; OP = Open Pollinated. 2 Disease claims: CMV = Cucumber Mosaic Virus; PM = Powdery Mildew; ZYMV = Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus ; WMV = Watermelon Mosaic Virus. 3 Precocious Variety. — = none; from seed catalogues.

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

6144. ‘Cashflow’ and ‘Payroll’ produced higher numbers of marketable fruit than ‘Spineless Beauty’ and ‘Paycheck’ early in the season. ‘Spineless Perfection’ produced significantly higher number of marketable fruit than ‘Spineless Beauty’ early in the season as well.

Spineless Perfection (RQS 5184) Payroll Cashflow Spinelss Beauty Paycheck Envy RSQ 6144 Fortune Gentry Enterprise Gold Prize Gold Star R
2

There were no differences for yellow summer squash in early marketable yield though ‘Gold Star’ topped the list in this category. The variety ‘Gentry’ produced the highest number of early marketable fruit as well as the highest weight of cull fruit. The variety ‘Gold Prize’ produced the lowest weight of cull fruit. Cull fruit weight was significantly lower TABLE 3. EARLY AND TOTAL YIELD OF SELECTED YELLOW SUMMER SQUASH AND than all other varieties with ZUCCHINI VARIETIES the exception of ‘Gold Star’. Early marketEarly marketIndividual Variety Type1 No differences in individual able yield able number fruit weight Cull fruit weight were noted. lb/A no/A lb lb/A In total marketable yield, Spineless Perfection 7,268 10,799 0.7 1,697 Z the same varieties topped the (RQS 5184) list and in the same order Payroll 7,050 12,251 0.6 2,158 Z as in early marketable yield Cashflow 6,726 12,887 0.5 2,116 Z (Table 3). By the end of the Spinelss Beauty 6,011 8,984 0.7 1,312 Z season there were fewer difPaycheck 4,612 9,438 0.5 2,458 Z ferences noted in marketable Envy 2,056 5,354 0.4 1,865 Z yield. ‘Spineless Perfection’ RSQ 6144 1,232 2,995 0.5 475 had a significantly higher Z total marketable yield than Gold Star Y 3,458 13,431 0.3 1,142 all other zucchini varieties. Gentry Y 3,434 14,883 0.2 1,787 The remaining varieties were Enterprise Y 3,334 12,796 0.3 1,729 similar to the market standard ‘Spineless Beauty’. In total Fortune Y 3,268 11,525 0.3 2,114 marketable number ‘CashGoldprize Y 2,973 9,620 0.3 571 flow’ topped the list as it had 0.84 0.76 0.77 0.44 R2 earlier in the season. For the CV 23 21 23 49 season, ‘Cashflow’ produced LSD 3,085 1,403 0.14 1,129 a significantly higher number Total marketTotal marketIndividual Variety Type1 of fruit per acre than ‘Spineable yield able number fruit weight Cull less Beauty’, ‘Envy’, and RSQ lb/A no/A lb lb/A 6144.
Z 28,385 23,867 1.1 4,523 Z Z Z Z Z Z Y Y Y Y Y 15,509 15,440 13,279 13,225 9,030 7,299 9,755 9,449 8,944 7,842 7,467 0.43 55 9341 27,497 28,314 20,056 24,230 18,695 13,794 34,213 42,653 33,668 27,044 30,946 0.80 15 6154 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.57 55 0.37 3,939 5,876 4,666 4,490 6,289 4,115 4,622 5,097 4,494 2,462 4,005 0.35 32 2103

CV LSD
1

Type: Z = Zucchini; Y = Yellow squash (straightneck, semi crookneck, and crookneck).
15

SPRING 2009 AND 2010 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

BELL PEPPER Experimental Bell Peppers Perform Well in South Alabama, 2010
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Randy Akridge

A spring bell pepper variety trial was conducted at the Brewton Agricultural Research Unit (BARU) in Brewton, Alabama. Five-week-old bell pepper transplants were set onto 20-foot-long plots at a within-row spacing of 1.5 feet on May 26. White plastic mulch and drip irrigation were used. Soils were fertilized according to the recommendations of the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory. Preplant
TABLE 1. RATINGS OF THE 2010 BELL PEPPER VARIETY TRIAL1 Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

BARU 5 5 5 5 5

application of fertilizer consisted of 5-10-15 on March 29 at a rate of 400 pounds per acre. Plants received weekly, alternating injections of potassium nitrate or calcium nitrate (at a rate of 15 pounds per acre) from June 1 through July 15. Pesticide application consisted of combinations of an insecticide and a fungicide applied weekly from June 11 through July 9. For current recommendations for pest and weed control in vegetable production in Alabama, consult your county extension agent (see http://www.aces.edu/ counties/). Bell peppers were harvested, weighed, and graded three times between July 14 and July 26. Grades for fresh market bell pepper were adapted from the Sweet pepper Grader’s Guide (Circular ANR 783 from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System). Marketable yield was the sum of Fancy, No. 1 and No. 2 grades (Table 3).

See introduction for description of ratings scales.

TABLE 2. SEED SOURCE, FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS, AND RELATIVE EARLINESS OF SELECTED BELL PEPPER VARIETIES Variety Aristotle Camelot X3R Declaration PS 09942815 PS 9915776 PS 9927141 PS 9928302 Plato Sirius Stiletto Sentry Vanguard
1

Type1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1
2

Seed source Seminis Seminis Harris Moran Seminis Seminis Seminis Seminis Seminis Sieger/Western Seeds Rogers/Syngenta Rogers/Syngenta Harris Moran

Fruit color2 G-R G-R G-R G-R G-R G-R G-R G-R G-Y G-R G-R G-R

Days to harvest 74 74 75 — 74 74 74 74 — 70 70 —
3

Disease claims3 BSp1-3,PVY,Stip TbMV CMV,PRR,TSWV, BSp1-3,5 TbMV,TSWV BSp 1-5, ToMV BSp 1-5, ToMV BSp 1-5, ToMV BSp1-3,PVY,TSWV, TbMV BSp1,2,TSWV BSp1-3,TSWV BSp1-3,PVY,Stip, TbMV BSp1-5,CMV,PRR

Years evaluated 01,10 94-97,99,01,10 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 97,99,10 2010

Type: F1 = hybrid variety. Fruit color: G-R = Green to Red; G-Y = Green to Yellow. Disease Claims: BSp = Bacterial Spot; CMV = Cucumber Mosaic Virus; PRR = Phytophthora Root Rot; PVY = Potato Virus Y; Stip = Stip or Pepper spot; TbMV = Tobamo Virus; TSWV = Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus. Note: Numbers following disease claims indicate races. — = none; from seed catalogues.

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

There were few differences in total marketable yield and total marketable number. Two experimental lines, PS 9915776 and PS 9927141, topped the list in both categories. Both experimental lines had yields that were significantly higher than the standard variety ‘Camelot X3R’. Total mar-

ketable number of these two lines was statistically similar to ‘Camelot X3R’. PS 09942815 had the highest production in the number of US fancy fruit. Two other experimental lines, PS 9915776 and PS 9927141, produced fruit numbers in the category that was statistically similar to PS 09942815.
U.S. No.1 weight lb/A 13,606 12,278 13,542 13,391 10,321 13,266 13,293 13,204 6,560 8,922 9,139 6,206 0.40 36 5,838 U.S. No.2 number no/A 21,641 22,511 15,986 15,769 21,859 12,615 12,724 11,419 28,384 18,379 17,074 21,206 0.68 23 2,763 U.S. No.2 weight lb/A 8,268 8,701 6,247 6,097 8,475 5,180 5,156 4,735 10,744 7,183 5,869 8,299 0.70 4 2,217

TABLE 3. YIELD AND QUALITY OF SELECTED BELL PEPPER VARIETIES Total Total U.S. U.S. U.S. marketable marketable fancy fancy No.1 Variety yield number number weight number lb/A PS 9915776 PA 9927141 Declaration PS 09942815 Sirius Vanguard Aristotle PA 9928302 Stiletto Plato Camelot Sentry R2 CV LSD 22,018 21,040 19,918 19,896 18,855 18,578 18,484 17,972 17,379 16,154 15,049 14,563 0.35 22 5,871 no/A 42,195 43,065 39,596 37,308 38,280 32,081 32,801 31,320 39,585 32,842 36,125 32,190 0.47 17 8,700 no/A 109 0 109 326 0 109 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.57 28 74 lb/A 39 0 39 166 0 44 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.62 199 68 no/A 20,445 20,553 19,901 21,206 16,421 19,357 19,357 19,901 11,201 14,355 15,768 10,983 0.35 33 3,799

SPRING 2009 AND 2010 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

17

WATERMELON Seeded Watermelon Trial Resumes at North Alabama, 2010
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Arnold Caylor A seeded watermelon trial was conducted at the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center (NAHRC) in Cullman. Five-week-old seedless watermelon transplants were set on April 27, 2010. Transplants were spaced ten feet between rows and five feet within a row. 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/). Fertilization consisted of a preplant application of 1313-13 at a rate of approximately 400 pounds per acre on April 20. Fertilization after planting consisted of weekly injections of calcium nitrate at a rate of 40 pounds per acre. Watermelons were harvested on July 22 and were graded according to the Watermelon Grader’s Guide (Circular ANR-681 from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System) and marketable yield was determined (Table 3). Two watermelons from each plot were used to measure soluble solids (sweetness), hollow heart, and rind thickness. A handheld digital refractometer was used to measure soluble solids. Watermelons with reading below 10 are not considered sweet. ‘Legacy’ and ‘Gold Strike’ produced the highest total marketable yields, which were significantly higher than the yields of ‘Anthem’ and the market standard ‘Stargazer’
TABLE 1. RATINGS OF THE 2010 SEEDED WATERMELON TRIAL1 Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

NAHRC 5 5 5 5 5

See introduction for description of ratings scales.

but statistically similar to all other varieties. ‘Carmen’, ‘Royal Sweet’, ‘Pure Orange’, and ‘Greystone’ had total yields that were statistically higher than ‘Stargazer’. ‘Royal Sweet’ produced the highest number of fruit per acre. In this category ‘Royal Sweet’ was similar to ‘Carmen’, ‘Legacy’, ‘Pure Orange’, and ‘Gold Strike’ but statistically higher than ‘Greystone’, ‘Matador’, ‘Anthem’ and ‘Stargazer’. There were few differences in individual fruit weight. Individual fruit weight of ‘Stargazer’ was statistically lower than other varieties with the exception of ‘Matador’ and ‘Anthem’. Hollow heart was not found in ‘Carmen’, ‘Pure Orange’, or ‘Anthem’. In the soluble solids category, all varieties had readings that were above 10. Fruit length and fruit width, when considered together provide an indication of fruit shape. In this trial, all varieties appeared to comply with their respective shape descriptions provided by seed companies (Table 2).

18

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

TABLE 2. SEED SOURCE, FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS, AND RELATIVE EARLINESS OF SELECTED SEEDED WATERMELON VARIETIES Variety Anthem Carmen Greystone Gold Strike Legacy Matador Pure Orange Royal Sweet Stargazer
1

Type1 F1,AS F1 F1, CG F1, AS F1, AS F1, P F1, AS F1, AS F1, AS

Seed source Seedway Harris Hollar Willhite Willhite Seedway Willhite Seminis Siegers

Fruit shape Blocky Round Elongated Blocky Elongated Elongated Oval Elongated Elongated

Flesh color2 R R R O R R O R R

Days to harvest 84 83 84 80 85 87 83 — 85

Disease claims3 Ant, FW 1 Ant 1, FW Ant, FW — — Ant 1,3, FW 0-1 FW Ant 1, FW 1 Ant 1

Years evaluated 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 98-01,03,10

Type: F1 = Hybrid, AS = Allsweet, CS = Crimson Sweet, CG = Charleston Grey, P= Peacock; 2 Flesh color: R = Red; O = Orange; 3 Disease claims: Ant = Anthracnose; FW = Fusarium Wilt. Note: Numbers following disease claims indicate races. — = not found, from seed catalog. TABLE 3. YIELD AND QUALITY OF SELECTED SEEDED WATERMELON VARIETIES Total Total Individual marketable marketable fruit Fruit Fruit Rind Variety yield number weight length width thickness lb/A Legacy Gold Strike Carmen Royal Sweet Pure Orange Greystone Matador Anthem Stargazer R2 CV LSD 71,177 70,972 69,680 69,309 67,782 65,398 56,455 50,954 37,291 0.70 22 19,950 no/A 5,245 5,144 5,341 5,379 5,229 5,096 4,777 4,471 4,334 0.67 10 726 lb 13.53 13.69 12.89 12.34 12.91 12.41 11.58 11.14 8.76 0.60 19 3.38 in 18.29 15.50 13.47 16.66 16.19 19.91 17.75 12.94 17.35 0.85 6 1.50 in 9.47 9.50 11.35 10.13 10.19 9.10 8.91 10.13 8.82 0.88 4 0.50 in 0.72 0.69 0.72 0.66 0.66 0.78 0.69 0.66 0.66 0.41 11 0.11

Hollow heart in 0.75 1.00 0.00 0.88 0.00 0.38 0.13 0.00 0.50 0.41 158 0.92

Soluble solids brix 10.50 10.18 10.94 11.38 10.70 10.75 11.60 11.10 11.18 0.50 5 0.85

SPRING 2009 AND 2010 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

19

WATERMELON Seedless Watermelon Varieties in North Alabama, 2010
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Arnold Caylor A seedless watermelon trial was conducted at the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center (NAHRC) in Cullman (Tables 1 and 2). Drip irrigation and black plastic mulch were installed as rows were formed. Five-week-old seedless watermelon transplants were set on April 27, 2010. Seedless watermelons do not produce viable pollen; therefore, a seeded variety was planted along with the seedless varieties to serve as a pollenizer. Although any seeded watermelon can serve as a pollenizer, seed companies have bred watermelons to serve specifically as pollenizers. In this study ‘Companion’ was used as a pollenizer variety. One ‘Companion’ watermelon transplant was set for every two seedless transplants set within a row to insure proper pollination. 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/). Fertilization consisted of a pre-plant application of 13-13-13- at a rate of approximately 400 pounds per acre
TABLE 1. RATINGS OF THE 2010 SEEDLESS WATERMELON TRIAL1 Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall
1

NAHRC 5 5 5 5 5

See introduction for description of ratings scales.

on April 20. Fertilization after planting consisted of weekly injections of calcium nitrate at a rate of 40 pounds per acre. Watermelons were harvested on July 22 and 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 watermelons 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 2. SEED SOURCE, FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS, AND RELATIVE EARLINESS OF SELECTED SEEDLESS WATERMELON VARIETIES Variety Declaration Fenway Harmony Indiana Lamar Liberty Majestic Orange Sunshine QV776 Ruby Sweet Treasure Tri-X-313
1

Type1 F1,CS F1, IB F1, CS F1, CS F1, IB F1, CS F1, CS F1, CS F1, CS F1, CS F1, CS F1, CS

Seed source Nunhems/Sieger Seminis Seedway Syngenta/Rogers Hollar/Seedway Nunhems/Sieger Seminis Burpee Sakata Seedway Sakata Syngenta

Fruit shape Oblong Round Oval Oval Round Oblong Oval Oblong Oblong Oval Oval Oval

Flesh color2 R R R R R R R O,Y R R R R

Days to harvest 82 84 84 75 83 85 — 85 90 85 90 85

Disease claims3 — — — Ant, FW 2 — — — — — FW 0 Ant 1 Ant 1

Years evaluated 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 97-99,02-07,10 2010 2010 2010 2010 2010 96-98,02-05,07,10

Type: F1 = Hybrid, CS = Crimson Sweet, IB =Icebox; 2 Flesh color: R = Red; O = Orange, Y = Yellow; 3 Disease claims: Ant = Anthracnose; FW = Fusarium Wilt . Note: Numbers following disease claims indicate races. — = not found, from seed catalog.

20

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

Few differences were noted in total marketable yield. ‘Tri-X-313’, a market standard seedless variety was similar to all other varieties in the study, though it was not one of the top producing varieties this year. In total marketable number there were no statistical differences noted. Rind thickness is an indication of how well watermelons will ship. However, though the degree of successful shipping may increase as rind thickness increases, the amount of edible flesh decreases. Rind thicknesses of ‘Lamar’, QV 776, ‘Indiana’, ‘Sweet Treat’, and ‘Harmony’ were significantly higher than that of ‘Tri-X-313’ while ‘Liberty’, ‘Ruby’, ‘Orange Sunshine’, and ‘Declaration’ were similar to ‘Tri-X-313’. Fruit length and fruit width, when considered together provide an indication of fruit shape. All varieties appeared

to comply with their respective shape descriptions (Table 2). For example, length and width measurements for ‘Lamar’ were very close at 9.50 and 9.06, respectively, indicating a round watermelon. Soluble solids readings provide an indication of sweetness. Soluble solids readings (brix) below 10 are not considered sweet. In this trial, all varieties were above 10. ‘Indiana’ had the highest reading at 11.90. This was statistically similar to others with the exception of ‘Liberty’, ‘Sweet Treat’, ‘Ruby’, and ‘Orange Sunshine’. These varieties had soluble solids readings at 10.83, 10.80, 10.64 and 10.00, respectively.

TABLE 3. YIELD AND QUALITY OF SELECTED SEEDLESS WATERMELON VARIETIES Total Total Individual marketable marketable fruit Fruit Fruit Rind Variety yield number weight length width thickness lb/A Liberty Harmony Majestic Sweet Treasure Lamar Ruby Orange Sunshine QV776 Indiana Tri-X-313 Declaration Fenway R2 CV LSD 53,546 50,632 50,060 50,038 44,103 42,719 41,951 40,403 38,748 38,378 35,992 30,674 0.53 26 16,307 no/A 4,676 4,382 4,515 4,147 4,572 4,103 4,148 4,235 4,070 3,833 3,854 3,674 0.41 17 1,012 lb 11.45 11.55 11.08 12.06 9.64 10.41 10.11 9.45 9.52 10.01 9.33 8.34 0.60 14 2.00 in 11.75 11.10 11.60 11.32 9.50 11.50 10.41 11.47 10.50 11.07 12.25 9.63 0.71 6 0.88 in 9.60 9.25 9.19 8.97 9.09 9.35 9.32 9.06 9.57 9.22 9.16 9.22 0.31 4 0.50 in 0.69 0.72 0.60 0.72 0.79 0.66 0.66 0.75 0.75 0.63 0.63 0.50 0.70 10 0.10

Hollow heart in 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.17 0.38 1.00 0.25 0.13 0.25 0.75 0.00 0.40 194 0.74

Soluble solids brix 10.83 11.00 11.75 10.80 11.83 10.64 10.00 11.13 11.90 11.30 11.35 11.00 0.53 6 0.94

SPRING 2009 AND 2010 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

21

BLUEBERRY Blueberry Cultivar Evaluation, 2010
Blueberries are a specialty crop of significant interest worldwide. Blueberry production in Alabama is a small, but growing industry. A rapid increase in rabbiteye blueberry acreage in the Wiregrass area of the state was recently observed. A blueberry experimental plot was established at the North Alabama Horticultural Research Center in Cullman in 2006 to evaluate the production potential of newly released and well-established rabbiteye blueberry cultivars. The list of cultivars under test includes ‘Alapaha’, ‘Baldwin’, ‘Brightwell’, ‘Climax’, ‘Ira’, ‘Montgomery’, ‘Onslow’, ‘Premier’, ‘Powder Blue’, ‘Tifblue’, and ‘Yadkin’.
TABLE 1. FLOWER BUD DENSITY AND AVERAGE YIELD PER BUSH OF SELECTED RABBITEYE BLUEBERRY CULTIVARS, 2009 Cultivar Flower buds no/in2 1.4 abc1 1.4 ab 1.0 abc 1.2 abc 0.90 bc 1.0 abc 0.8 c 0.8 c 1.5 a 1.4 ab 1.3 abc Average yield per bush lb 1.7 2.0 2.6 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.4 2.0 1.7 2.2 2.4

Elina Coneva, Joel Potter, Jeff Sibley, Edgar Vinson, and Arnold Caylor The young blueberry plants produced their first crop in 2008. In 2009, harvest began early in the season for ‘Alapaha’, ‘Climax’, and ‘Premier’. Cultivars ‘Brightwell’, ‘Montgomery’, and ‘Tifblue’ were harvested mid-season, while ‘Baldwin’, ‘Ira’, ‘Onslow’, ‘Powderblue’, and ‘Yadkin’ were late season ripening cultivars. Flower bud density, expressed as number of flower buds per square inch varied from 0.8 to 1.5 buds per square inch (Table 1). ‘Premier’ had the highest flower bud density, while ‘Onslow’ and ‘Powderblue’ had the lowest density. The average yield varied from 1.7 to 2.6 pounds per bush, but cultivars under test were not found to differ in terms of their yield production during 2009 (Table 1). Rabbiteye blueberry cultivars ‘Baldwin’ and ‘Onslow’ had the largest berries with an average individual berry weight of 0.053 ounces, while ‘Alapaha’ produced the smallest berries, only 0.032 ounces on average (Table 2). ‘Baldwin’ fruit had the highest percent (3 percent) berries showing wet stem scar, and the rest of the cultivars tested had fewer wet scar fruit. ‘Brightwell’ was the blueberry cultivar with the highest fruit firmness (11.5 pounds per inch), which demonstrates it may be suitable for mechanical harvesting. ‘Montgomery’ berries were found to produce the softest fruit (9.2 pounds per inch) in comparison to the other blueberry cultivars tested. ‘Premier’ and ‘Climax’ produced the sweetest berries (15.4 and 15.2 percent respectively) during the season , while ‘Yadkin’ fruit had the highest pH (3.65) among all other cultivars (Table 2). Overall sensory and flavor evaluations determined ‘Yadkin’ to be the most palatable and aromatic rabbiteye blueberry in our test.

Alapaha Baldwin Brightwell Climax Ira Montgomery Onslow Powderblue Premier Tifblue Yadkin
1

Numbers within a column followed by the same letter are not significantly different based on Fisher’s LSD at P ≤ 0.10.

22

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

TABLE 2. FRUIT QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF SELECTED RABBITEYE BLUEBERRY CULTIVARS, 2009 Variety Average berry weight oz 0.032 e 0.053 a 0.042 d 0.045 cd 0.038 de 0.045 bcd 0.053 a 0.038 de 0.049 abc 0.049 abc 0.042 cd Wet stem scar % 1.0 b 3.0 a 1.6 b 1.4 b 1.0 b 1.4 b 1.4 b 0.9 b 1.7 ba 1.9 ba 1.0 b Average fruit firmness lb/in 9.7 def 10.2 cde 11.5 a 11.3 ab 10.3 cd 9.2 f 10.6 bc 9.8 de 9.7 def 9.6 ef 10.6 bc pH 3.63 ab 3.34 c 3.54 abc 3.51 abc 3.50 abc 3.48 abc 3.35 c 3.43 bc 3.54 abc 3.51 abc 3.65 a Soluble solids content % 14.5 ab 12.0 bcd 13.7 ab 15.2 a 10.0 d 13.0 abc 09.4 d 10.8 cd 15.4 a 14.6 ab 13.5 b

Alapaha Baldwin Brightwell Climax Ira Montgomery Onslow Powderblue Premier Tifblue Yadkin

SPRING 2009 AND 2010 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

23

ASPARAGUS Replicated Asparagus Cultivar Evaluation, 2007-2010
Carl J. Cantaluppi As more people move into North Carolina from northern states where asparagus is commonly grown, the demand for local sources of this crop increases. Asparagus is a highvalue horticultural crop that is easy to grow and can bring in extra income for growers. In this trial, asparagus cultivars from three breeding programs were grown (Table 1). Proper variety selection is important for grower success so a quarter acre replicated asparagus cultivar trial was planted at the Garnett Carr farm in Roxboro, North Carolina, with 13 cultivars. Seeds were sown in the greenhouses of Aarons Creek Greenhouses in Buffalo Junction, Virginia, on January 20, 2005, and 15-week-old seedling transplants were planted into the field on May 4, 2005 in an Appling Sandy Loam soil. A randomized complete block design with 12 plants per plot and four replications was used. Since the trial was planted using seedling transplants, no harvest was taken in 2006. This was done to build food reserves in the crown of the plant to strengthen the plant for a two-week harvest in 2007. The transplants were irrigated as needed during the first growing season only. Irrigation is normally not needed during field establishment and beyond, if establishing a field from crowns (roots) from one-year-old plants in states where the rainfall is 30 inches or more per year. However, irrigation is imperative during the establishment year with seedling transplants, since they do not have a one-year-old established root system that can tolerate periods of drought. Irrigation is also needed in areas where less than 30 inches of rainfall occur per year. Seeds were used to establish this trial because most of the cultivars were not available as crowns. The trial was harvested for two weeks in 2007, four weeks in 2008, six weeks in 2009, and eight weeks in 2010 and will be harvested for eight weeks for each succeeding year. Research shows that harvesting asparagus that was established by planting one-year-old crowns, one year after planting, caused no reduction in subsequent yield, but provided the grower with an income one year earlier than did harvesting two years after planting. Also, in the second week after planting, the average spear weight was significantly greater in plants that were harvested the previous
24

year than in plants not harvested the previous year. The increase in spear production may be due to the release of buds from suppression by older shoots. Asparagus spears can be cut or snapped to produce spears of marketable length, which is usually between 7 and 9 inches, depending on tip tightness. Asparagus spears may be cut below the soil surface with a knife, or they may be hand-snapped above the soil surface. Cutting asparagus requires more labor, but increases yield 20 to 25 percent because spears are longer. However, cutting spears below the soil greatly increases the chance of the knife injuring a bud or emerging spear on the same crown. When being hand-snapped, the spear usually breaks above the area containing fiber. In other words, the portion of the spear left in the field will be fibrous, while the harvested spear is tender and is completely edible. The small stub left above the soil after snapping dries up and disintegrates. A new spear does not come up at that spot, but comes up from another bud that enlarges on another part of the crown. Snapped asparagus has no trim-off waste and should command a higher price than cut asparagus with white butts. In this trial, we decided to snap spears instead of cutting because of the above reasons and because it is the preferred and accepted method by most growers. Yield data were recorded in pounds per acre. This was obtained by dividing the total square feet of one plot row (60) into 43,560 (the number of square feet in one acre) to get 726 60-square-foot rows in one acre. Data that were recorded included total yield per cultivar, the yield (and percentage) of spears per cultivar that were greater than 3/8 inch in diameter, the yield of spears that were less than 3/8 inch in diameter, and the number of spears per plant that each cultivar produced. Recording yield data in terms of spear diameter (an industry standard) also allows growers to select a cultivar that would be suitable to them and their customers’ preferences. Recording the number of spears produced per plant per cultivar lets growers compare spear output per cultivar over time. The harvesting frequency was based on how fast the spears grew, which is based on air temperatures, resulting in harvested spears that had tight tips before they started to fern out. In 2007, harvest started on March 15, with just a few spears each of ‘Grande’, ‘UC 157’, and ‘UC 115’ (Table 2).
ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

A frost occurred on March 19, which delayed future spear emergence until March 26. The other cultivars then started to emerge with the exception of ‘Purple Passion’, ‘Dulce Verde’, and ‘Guelph Millennium’, which did not emerge until April 2. The last harvest was taken on April 5; on April 6, 7, and 8, we had severe frosts that stopped harvest again. A decision was made to end the 2007 harvest at this time, as the harvest period had lasted three weeks, with an actual harvest of two weeks for most cultivars, with one week being lost to frost. A total of 10 harvests were made. ‘Guelph Millennium’ was one of the latest cultivars to emerge before the second frost in 2007, and it did not get a chance to fully perform before the harvest was terminated, hence the low yields. In 2008, harvest started on March 22 for most cultivars with the exception of ‘Guelph Millennium’ (Table 3). Cool temperatures (below 70 degrees) occurred until April 11, when yields accelerated, and ‘Guelph Millennium’ started to emerge. A frost in mid-April set yields back for one week. Then yields increased until we decided to end the harvest on April 26. The harvest period lasted five weeks, with an actual harvest of four weeks for most cultivars, with a oneweek slump in yield due to frost. A total of 21 harvests were made. The 2009 harvest went smoothly, with only one light frost on April 6 that brought temperatures down to 31 to 32 degrees, without a harvest delay after the frost. Harvest started on March 24, with ‘Guelph Millennium’ not showing the 20-day delay in emergence compared to other cultivars that it showed in 2008 (Table 4). Instead, two out of four ‘Guelph Millennium’ plantings had spears emerging on March 24, with the other two treatments starting four and ten days later, respectively. The majority of days were cool, with temperatures rarely getting above 85 degrees. So there were no growth flushes that would cause a large number of spears to be produced in a short period of time. The harvest period lasted six weeks with a total of 36 harvests. In 2010, harvest started on March 26, with one frost on March 28 that brought temperatures down to 30 degrees

and delayed the next harvest for five days (Table 5). There were no other frosts during the season. Two ‘Guelph Millennium’ treatments had spears emerging on March 26, and the other two treatments had spears emerging seven days later. There were a few days of cool temperatures but most were above 70 degrees with very little rainfall. This made the number of growth flushes minimal. The harvest period lasted eight weeks with a total of 41 harvests. Cultivars exhibiting yield stability during the last four years were ‘Jersey Giant’ and ‘Jersey Supreme’ (Table 6). ‘Jersey Giant’ still yields well and has a wide geographic adaptability across the U.S. Yields of some of the California hybrids have decreased while others have moved up and down. More time is needed to properly evaluate these cultivars. ‘Purple Passion’ yields have remained fairly stable. Yields are low but growers should be able to get higher prices because of its purple color and higher sugar content than green asparagus. ‘Guelph Millennium’ yields have steadily increased each year from twelfth place to first place in four years; however, spears greater than 3/8 inch in diameter are averaging about 50 percent, compared to the other cultivars which are between 70 to 90 percent. This should not be of great concern to growers if their customers will buy smaller diameter spears. It will be interesting to see if ‘Guelph Millennium’ will remain a high-yielding cultivar. In a virgin soil (free of Fusarium), the expected productive life of an asparagus field (any cultivar) is 15 to 20 years. Growers feel that peak production occurs in the sixth or seventh year, with the best production occurring during years seven to 12. There is a decline of production of about 5 percent per year in the tenth year and every year thereafter. After the fifteenth year, the field may no longer be economically profitable. Established asparagus growers recover their investment after the fifth year and years five to 10 are their most profitable years. Data collection in this trial will be on-going for at least another eight years to evaluate the longevity of these cultivars. During this time, total yields between cultivars can be compared by getting a more realistic picture of how they perform over a period of 12 years.

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TABLE 1. BREEDING LOCATION, PARENTAGE AND COMMENTS FOR SELECTED ASPARAGUS CULTIVARS Variety Jersey Giant Jersey Supreme Jersey Gem Jersey Knight UC 157 UC 115 (DePaoli) Atlas Apollo Grande Purple Passion Breeding location New Jersey New Jersey New Jersey New Jersey California California California California California California Parentage NJ 56 female, NJ 22-8 super male NJ 44P female, NJ 22-8 super male NJ G27 female, NJ 22-8 super male NJ 277C female,NJ 22-8 super male F 109 female, M120 male F 600 female, M256 male clone F 109 female, unspecified Rutgers male F 109 female, unspecified Rutgers male F 109 female, unspecified Rutgers male — Comments — — — — Dioecious hybrid, Dioecious hybrid, Similar to UC157 in spear size Dioecious hybrid, Female plant producing seed Dioecious hybrid, Female plant producing seed Dioecious hybrid, Female plant producing seed Open pollinated, burgundy, sweeter than green; burgundy color turns green after cooking Higher sugar than other green cultivars; Discontinued due to stunted fern growth —

Dulce Verde

California

—

Guelph Milennium

Univ. of Guelph

—

TABLE 2. ASPARAGUS YIELD IN POUNDS PER ACRE, 2007 Cultivar UC 157 (F1) Jersey Giant Jersey King Jersey Supreme UC 115 Jersey Gem Atlas Grande Apollo Jersery Knight Purple Passion Guelph Millennium Dulce Verde
1

Total yield1 1,155 a 944 ab 883 abc 860 abc 821 abc 734 bcd 717 bcd 703 bcd 555 cd 456 de 151 ef 86 f 71 f

Yield > 3/8- in. diameter 1,071 a 93%2 752 b 80% 712 b 81% 722 b 84% 697 b 85% 581 b 79% 684 b 95% 684 b 97% 481 b 87% 414 b 91% 104 c 69% 42 c 49% 69 c 97%

Yield < 3/8-in. diameter 84 bcd 192 a 171 a 138 abc 124 abc 153 ab 33 de 19 de 74 cde 42 de 47 de 44 de 2e

Spears/ plant 3.1 a 3.2 a 2.9 a 2.9 a 2.2 abc 2.6 ab 1.4 cde 1.7 cde 1.5 cde 1.2 def 0.6 ef 0.4 f 0.2 f

Yields with the same letter within columns are not statistically significant, Duncan’s Multiple Range Test, 0.05 level. 2 Percentage of total yield

26

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

TABLE 3. ASPARAGUS YIELD IN POUNDS PER ACRE, 2008 Cultivar Grande Jersey Giant Atlas Jersey Supreme Jersey King UC 157 (F1) Guelph Mill. UC 115 Jersery Gen Purple Passion Apollo Jersey Knight
1

Total yield1 3,030 a 2,737 ab 2,523 abc 2,485 abc 2,458 abc 2,385 abc 2,332 abc 2,314 abc 2,071 bc 1,915 bc 1,781 c 1,604 c

Yield > 3/8- in. diameter 2,821 a 93% 2 2,263 ab 82% 2,298 ab 91% 2,064 ab 83% 1,915 b 78% 2,078 ab 87% 1,653 b 71% 1,875 b 81% 1,579 b 76% 1,723 b 90% 1,501 b 84% 1,401 b 87%

Yield < 3/8-in. diameter 209 e 474 bc 225 e 421 bcd 543 ab 307cde 679 a 439 bcd 492 b 192 e 280 de 203 e

Spears/ plant 7.6 bc 10.2 a 6.8 cd 8.7 abc 9.3 ab 7.2 bcd 8.7 abc 7.8 bc 7.7 bc 4.4 e 5.4 de 5.3 de

Yields with the same letter within columns are not statistically significant, Duncan’s Multiple Range Test, 0.05 level. 2 Percentage of total yield TABLE 4. ASPARAGUS YIELD IN POUNDS PER ACRE, 2009 Cultivar Grande Guelph Mill. Jersey Giant Jersey Supreme Atlas Jersey King UC 157 (F1) Apollo Jersey Gem Purple Passion Jersey Knight UC 115
1

Total yield1 4,935 a 4,868 ab 4,494 abc 4,211 abc 3,987 abc 3,937 abc 3,848 abc 3,550 abc 3,442 abc 3,287 bc 3,233 bc 3,175 c

Yield > 3/8- in. diameter 4,293 a 87% 2 2,438 b 50% 3,136 ab 70% 2,948 b 70% 3,316 ab 83% 2,815 b 72% 2,962 b 77% 2,879 b 81% 2,386 b 69% 2,888 b 88% 2,476 b 77% 2,136 b 67%

Yield < 3/8-in. diameter 642 d 2,430 a 1,358 b 1,263 bc 671 bcd 1,122 bc 886 bcd 671 bcd 1,056 bcd 399 d 757 bcd 1,039 bcd

Spears/ plant 12.8 d 19.5 a 16.2 ab 14.9 abc 10.9 bcd 13.9 bc 11.7 bcd 10.2 cd 12.8 bcd 7.6 d 10.8 cd 10.9 cd

Yields with the same letter within columns are not statistically significant, Duncan’s Multiple Range Test, 0.05 level. 2 Percentage of total yield

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TABLE 5. ASPARAGUS YIELD IN POUNDS PER ACRE, 2010 Cultivar Guelph Mill. Jersery Giant Grande Jersey Supreme Atlas UC 157 (F1) Us 115 Apollo Jersey King Purple Passion Jersey Knight Jersey Gem
1

Total yield1 6,029 a 5,304 a 5,195 a 4,759 a 4,716 a 4,397 a 4,204 a 4,204 a 3,992 a 3,884 a 3,821 a 3,712 a

Yield > 3/8- in. diameter 2,931 a 49% 2 3,282 a 62% 3,933 a 76% 2,993 a 63% 3,799 a 81% 3,068 a 70% 2,803 a 67% 3,071 a 73% 2,344 a 59% 3,100 a 80% 2,665 a 70% 2,187 a 59%

Yield < 3/8-in. diameter 3,098 a 2,022 b 1,262 bcd 1,766 bc 917 cd 1,329 bcd 1,401 bcd 1,133 cd 1,648 bcd 784 d 1,156 bcd 1,525 bcd

Spears/ plant 29.2 a 23.2 ab 19.3 bc 20.7 bc 15.4 bc 17.8 bc 16.2 bc 15.8 bc 17.5 bc 12.3 c 15.2 bc 16.3 bc

Yields with the same letter within columns are not statistically significant, Duncan’s Multiple Range Test, 0.05 level. 2 Percentage of total yield

TABLE 6. ASPARAGUS CULTIVAR EVALUATION, FOUR-YEAR RANKING Cultivar UC 157 (F1) Jersey Giant Jersey King Jersey Supreme UC 115 Jersey Gem Atlas Grande Apollo Jersery Knight Purple Passion Guelph Mill, 2007 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 2008 6 2 5 4 8 9 3 1 11 12 10 7 2009 7 3 6 4 12 9 5 1 8 11 10 2 2010 6 2 9 4 7 12 5 3 8 11 10 1

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

Seed Sources for Alabama Trials, 2010
BHN 1310 McGee Avenue Berkeley, CA 94703 Phone: (510) 526-4704 E-mail: mail@berkeleyhort.com Harris Moran Contact: Bob Conrad P.O. Box 4938 Modesto, CA 95352 Mobile: (239) 370-5893 (209) 527-8684 E-mail: b.contac@hmclause.com Harris Seeds To order: (800) 544-7938 P.O. Box 22966 Rochester, NY 14624-0966 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 Contact: Steve Woodward 955 Benton Ave Winslow, ME 04901 Phone: (207) 861-3900 E-mail: info@johnnyseeds.com Kelly Seed Company Distributor for Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc. Contact: Jack Stuckey 420 South Shiloh Road Hartford, AL 36344 Phone: (334) 588-3821 E-mail: jfsseedman@aol.com Nunhems Contact: Chris Hogg Mobile: (478) 456-2450 E-mail: chris.hogg@bayer.com Website: www.nunhemsusa.com Sakata Seed America Contact: Jerry Moore 755 Isabelle Nashville Rd. Tifton, GA Mobile: (229) 821-0399 E-mail: jmoore@sakata.com Seedway To order: (800) 952-7333 Contact: James J. Pullins 1225 Zeager Road Elizabethtown, PA 17022 Ph: (717) 367-1075 Fax: (717) 367-0387 E-mail: info@seedway.com Siegers Seed Company 13031 Reflections Drive Holland, MI 49424 Phone: (800) 962-4999 Fax: (616) 994-0333 Syngenta Seeds, Inc Rogers Brand Vegetable Seeds Contact: Buton Brady 600 North Armstorng Place P.O. Box 4188 Boise, ID 85711-4180 Phone: (208) 322-7272 Tifton Seed Distribution Center Distributor for Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc. Contact: Van Lindsey Phone: (912) 382-1815

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Guidelines for Contributions to the Commercial Fruit and Vegetable Variety Trials Regional Bulletin Fruit and vegetable variety evaluation and selection is an essential part of production horticulture. The fruit and 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. 2010). Here are a few useful guidelines to speed up the publications process for the next regional bulletin (fall

When: April 25, 2011 Deadline for fall 2010 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