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10 1 :

Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station Luther Waters, Director Auburn University, Alabama

Authors

Randy Akridge Superintendent Brewton Experiment Field Brewton, AL (334) 867-3139 George Boyhan Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, Statesboro, GA (912) 386-3442 Carl Cantaluppi Area Horticulture Agent Granville County Center Oxford, NC (919) 603-1350 Arnold Caylor Superintendent North Alabama Horticulture Station Cullman, AL (256) 734-5820 Kent Cushman Assistant Research Scientist North Mississippi Research And Extension Center Verona, MS (601) 566-2201 Tony Dawkins Superintendent Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center Crossville, AL (256) 528-7133

Brian Gamble Associate Superintendent Wiregrass Research and Extension Center Headland, AL (334) 693-2363 Darby M. Granberry Professor and Extension Specialist Rural Development Center, Tifton, GA (912) 386-3410 Bob Hochmuth Multi-county agent - Commercial vegetables North Florida Research and Extension
Center - Suwannee Valley

Jim Pitts Superintendent Chilton Area Research and Extension Center Clanton, AL (205) 646-3610 Eric Simonne Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist Horticultural Sciences Department University of Florida (352) 392-1928 ext. 208 Edgar Vinson, III Research Assistant Department of Horticulture Auburn University, AL (334) 844-3041 Larry Wells Superintendent Wiregrass Research and Extension Center Headland, AL (334) 693-2363

(904) 362-1725 Joe Kemble Assisstant Professor and Extension Horticulturist Department of Horticulture Auburn University, AL (334)844-3050 Ron McDaniel Superintendent Gulf Coast Research and Extension Center Fairhope, AL (334) 928-2740 Malcom Pegues Assistant Superintendent Gulf Coast Research and Extension Center Fairhope, AL (334) 928-2740

Contents

Authors Introduction: Tips for Interpreting Vegetable Variety Trial Results
Asparagus Cultivar Evaluation, 1997-2000
Green Bean Trial At Sand Mountain 'Indy' Among Top Cucumber Varieties

2 3 5 7
9

Garlic Shows Promise For Southeast Georgia

11

'Eclipse' Casts a Shadow on other Eastern Melons

13

Evaluation of Okra Varieties for Plasticulture Production in North Florida
Vidalia Onion Variety Trials in Georgia

15
17

Strawberry Cultivars 'Camarosa' and 'Chandler' Still Best Tomato Varieties Produce High Yields in North Alabama

20 21

Watermelon and Cantaloupe Variety Trials in Southeast Georgia
Several New Watermelon Varieties In 2000

23
26

'Gold Slice' Squash Outperforms Standard Varieties Early

29

Seed Sources Guidelines for Contributions to the Vegetable Variety Regional Bulletin

31

Information containedherein is available to all persons without regardto race, color, sex, or national origin.

SPRING

2000

COMMERCIAL

VEGETABLE

VARIETY

TRIALS

SPRING 2000 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

3

3

Introduction: Tips for Interpreting Vegetable Variety Trial Results
Joe Kemble and Edgar Vinson

The fall 2000 variety trial regional bulletin includes results from Alabama (Auburn University), Georgia (University of Georgia), Mississippi (Mississippi State University), North Carolina (North Carolina State University), and Florida (University of Florida). Trials conducted at various locations offer a wealth of information to growers, extension specialists, researchers, and seed companies. In addition, these trials provide information as to how well a particular variety is performing in several areas within the southern United States. The main purpose of vegetable variety evaluation, however, is to provide growers and seed retailers practical information on varieties and to assist them in selecting a "good" variety. Here are a few tips for interpreting the results of vegetable variety performance. Open Pollinated vs. Hybrids In general, hybrids (also referred to as F1) mature earlier and produce a more uniform crop. Often, they have improved horticultural qualities as well as multiple pest tolerances and/or resistances. Generally, hybrid seed is more expensive than that of open-pollinated (OP) cultivars. With hybrid cultivars, seeds cannot be collected and saved for planting next year's crop. Hybrid seed is available for most crops that are grown throughout the southeastern United States. Despite the advantages hybrids offer, OP varieties are still planted in Alabama. Selecting a hybrid variety is the first step toward improved crop quality and crop uniformity. Yield Potential Yields reported in variety trial results are extrapolated from small plots. Depending on the vegetable crop, plot sizes range from 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 can be amplified, and estimated yields per acre may not be realistic. Therefore, locations cannot be compared to one another by just looking at the range of yields actually reported. The relative differences, however, in perfor-

mance among varieties within a location are realistic and can be used to identify the best-performing varieties. Statistical Interpretation The coefficient of determination (R2), coefficient of variation (CV), and least significant difference (lsd, 5%) are reported for each test. These numbers are helpful in separating differences due to small plots (sampling error) and true (but unknown) differences among entries. R2 values range between zero and one. Values close to one suggest that the test was conducted under good conditions and most of the variability observed was mainly due to the effect of cultivars and replication. Random, uncontrolled errors 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 cultivars before one can statistically conclude that one cultivar actually performs better than another does. 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 cultivars. For example, in the 2000 canteloupe trial at the Chilton Area Research and Extension Center, 'Eclipse' yielded 41,892 pounds per acre, while 'Athena' and 'Classic' yielded 39,317 pounds per acre and 28,935 pounds per acre, respectively. Since there was less than a 11,616 pounds per acre (the lsd value for yield) difference between 'Eclipse' and 'Athena', there is no statistical difference between the yields of these two varieties. However, the difference between 'Eclipse' and 'Classic' was 12,957 pounds per acre, indicating that there is a real difference between the yields of these two varieties. From a practical point of view, producers should place the greatest importance on lsd values when interpreting results. Testing Conditions AU vegetable variety trials are conducted under standard, recommended commercial production practices. In-

4 formation on soil type (Table 1), planting dates, fertilizer rates, and detailed spray schedule is provided to help producers compare their own practices to the standard practices used in the trials.
Ratings of Trials

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION ported here. Producers should test some varieties for themselves by trying two to three varieties on a small scale before making a large planting of a single variety. This will be the best test in determining how well suited a particular variety is for a particular operation. Vegetable Variety Trial Information Available Online Vegetable variety trial information can now be viewed on the web. With just a few clicks of the mouse, several practical features can be accessed: a list of vegetable crops, an explanation of the ratings system and database, a description of variety types and crops, as well as information on participating seed companies. Is there a variety that could not be found in the AU variety trial reports? Check the list of vegetable crops. This is long list that allows people to search by name, type, and source. The Auburn University Vegetable Variety Trial website can be found at www.ag.auburn.edu/dept/hf/
faculty/esimonne. More descriptive information on how

At each location of the AU tests, the growing conditions of each variety trial 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. Where to Get Seeds Because seeds are alive, their performance and germination rate depend on how old they are, where and how they were collected, and how they have been handled and stored. It is always preferable to purchase certified seeds from a reputable seedsman. Several factors other than yield should be considered when choosing which variety to grow. The main factors are type, resistance and/or tolerance to pests, earliness, and seed cost. It is important to remember that some varieties may perform differently under different management systems as compared to the trial results re-

to use this site can be found in "AU Vegetable Varieties Online," ANR-1166 from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. "Spring 2000 Commercial Vegetable Variety Trials," Regional Bulletin 05, is on the web at the following URL: http://www/ag.auburn. edu/resinfo/vegetables/ spring2000.pdf

TABLE 1. SOIL TYPES AT THE LOCATIONS OF THE ALABAMA TRIALS
Location Gulf Coast Research and Extension Center (Fairhope) Brewton Research Field (Brewton) Wiregrass Research and Extension Center (Headland) Lower Coastal Plain Research Center (Camden) Horticultural Unit, EV Smith Research Center (Shorter) Chilton Area Research and Extension Center (Clanton) Upper Coastal Plain Research Center (Winfield) North Alabama Horticultural Research Center (Cullman) Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center (Crossville) Water-holding 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 capacity (in./in.) 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

SPRING

SPRING 2000 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

2000

COMMERCIAL

VEGETABLE

VARIETY

TRIALS

5

5

Asparagus Cultivar Evaluation, 1997-2000
Carl Cantaluppi In May 1995, a half acre replicated asparagus cultivar trial was planted at the Tim Moore Farm in Stovall, North Carolina, with 24 cultivars and crosses. Seeds were sown in the greenhouse in late January 1995 and transplants were planted into the field in May and June 1995. A randomized complete block design with 12 plants per plot and four replications was used. The purpose of this trial was to evaluate new cultivars and crosses of asparagus to see which were suitable for commercial production. Since the asparagus trial was started by using seedling transplants, no harvest was YEARLY YIELD1 OF ASPARAGUS VARIETIES I N GRANVILLE COUNTY, taken in 1996. NORTH CAROLINA The first harvest sea1997 738 594 573 572 514 457 397 350 328 326 310 294 286 261 248 247 246 226 225 196 190 177 159 146 1998 6,316 4,320 4,738 5,179 5,046 4,302 4,211 3,340 3,340 2,359 3,267 3,993 2,977 2,868 3,218 3,291 2,849 3,412 2,439 3,812 2,596 3,450 2,632 2,450 1999 420 521 710 699 612 623 732 781 441 454 517 416 327 445 341 467 453 400 584 592 429 628 523 430 2000 1,253 1,188 2,048 1,449 1,788 1,465 1,632 1,795 1,236 975 1,216 1,410 1,169 1,243 1,251 1,035 1,200 1,425 1,338 1,281 1,064 1,287 1,301 1,162 Spear height2 in 15 15 10.5 16 14 11 14 14 16 11 12 14 15 17 18 11 11.5 15 13 11 11 9.5 11.5 11.5

TABLE 1.
Cultivar

E3 X Ghse. UC 157 (F,) NJ 878 Atlas Jersey Giant G24 X G317 NJ 792 44P X 22-8 Apollo NJ 877 NJ 860 G52 X G305 NJ 855 Purple Passion Grande Jersey Knight Jersey General Greenwich Jersey King Jersey Jewel Jersey Prince NJ 786 Jersey Gem NJ 498

tYield is in pounds per acre. 2

Spear height refers to the shortest height at which the spear tip opens up or "ferns out" initiating fiber devlopment in the base of the spear, causing them to be tough or woody. Harvesting taller spears before they fern out will give the grower the highest yield (weigh) of spears that will be tender. This rating was taken at one observation done in late April when the weather was very cool, causing the spears to get quite tall before ferning out. Warmer temperatures would cause spears to fern out at much shorter heights.

son was in 1997 from April 15 to April 30 (two weeks) with a total of four harvests. The second harvest season was in 1998 from April 10 to May 6 (four weeks) with a total of 11 harvests. The third harvest season was in 1999 from April 15 to May 18 (four weeks) for a total of six harvests. The 1999 harvest should have lasted for six weeks, but other commitments prevented the researchers from taking additional harvests. However, the grower was able to harvest the plot for the remaining two weeks without taking the additional data. Even though data was recorded for only four weeks, yields were very low due to a very dry April and May. The fourth harvest season was in 2000 from April 5 to May 25 (seven weeks) for a total of eight harvests; how-

6
ever, the grower harvested for an additional 15 harvests between April and May without yield data being recorded.

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
Yearly yields and total yields in pounds per acre are presented in Tables 1 and 2, respectively. Ranking of asparagus varieties from highest to lowest yielding in shown
in Table 3.

TABLE 2. TOTAL YIELD' OF ASPARAGUS VARIETIES IN GRANVILLE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA

Cultivar NJ 878 44PX22-8 Jersey Giant NJ 792 G24XG317 Atlas Greenwich G52XG305 Jersey King Jersey Gem NJ 786 Jersey Jewel E3XGhse. Grande P.Passion Apollo NJ 860 Jer.General UC 157 (F,) NJ 855 NJ 498 Jer. Prince Jer. Knight

Total yield2 2,048 a 1,795 ab 1,788 ab 1,632 abc 1,465 abc 1,449 abc 1,425 abc 1,410 abc 1,338 abc 1,301 bc 1,287 be 1,281 be 1,253 bc 1,251 be 1,243 bc 1,236 be 1,216 be 1,200 bc 1,188 be 1,169 be 1,162 bc 1,064 bc 1,035 bc

Pounds greater than 3/8"in diam 1,730a 1,517 abcd 1,608 ab 1,532abc 1,224 abcde 1,338 abcde 1,285 abcde 1,136abcde 1,058 abcde 1,158 abcde 1,087 abcde 699 1,024 abcde 1,140 abcde 1,243 abcde 1,126 abcde 1,104 abcde 1,006 abcde 878 bcde 1,091 abcde 984 abcde 837 cde 766 de

Pounds less than
3/8"indiam

Spears
per plant

e

318a 278bcd 180 bcdef lO0efg 242 bcdef llldefg 140 cdefg 274bcde 280 bcd 143 cdefg 200 bcdef 583 a 230 bcdef
11lldefg

0g 111 defg 113 defg 194 bcdef 310 be 78 fg 178 bcdef 227 bcdef 209 bcdef

5.Oa 4.8a 4.2 abc 3.6abcd 3.2 bcde 2.8bcde 3.3 bcde 3.7abcd 3.4 bcd 3.3 bcd 3.6 abcd 4.3 ab 3.2 bcde 2.5 de 1.8 e 2.8 cde 3.0Obcde 2.8 bcde 3.2 bcde 2.8Scde 3.0Obcde 2.8 bcde 2.5 de

' Yield is in pounds per acre. 2

significant, Duncan's Multiple Range Test, .05 level.

Means with the same letter within columns are not statistically

TABLE 3. NUMERICAL RANKING' OF ASPARAGUS CULTIVARS Cultivar E3 X Greenhouse 1997 1 1998 1 1999 20 2000 13 Cultivar NJ855 1997 13 1998 17 1999 24 2000 20

UC 157 (F)
NJ 878

2
3

5
4

11
3

19
1

PurplePassion
Grande

14
15

18
16

16
23

15
14

Atlas Jersey Giant G24 XG317 NJ 792 44P X 22-8 Apollo
NJ 877 NJ 860 G52 XG305

4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12

2 3 6 7 13 12
24 15 8

4 7 6 2 1 17
14 12 21

6 3 5 4 2 16
24 17 8

Jersey Knight Jersey General Greenwich JerseyKing JerseyJewel Jersey Prince
NJ786 Jersey Gem NJ 498

16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24

14 19 11 23 9 21
10 20 22

13 15 22 9 8 19
5 10 18

23 18 7 9 12 22
11 10 21

' Ranking is from highest yielding (1) to lowest yielding (24).

SPRING 2000 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

7

Green Bean Trial At Sand Mountain
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Tony Dawkins A green bean variety trial was conducted at the Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center (SMREC) in Crossville, Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). Green beans were direct seeded on bare ground into 20 foot long plots at a within row spacing of one foot on May 4. Soils were fertilized according to the recommendations of the Auburn University Soil Testing Laboratory. Names of the chemicals are mentioned only for describing the production practices used. This represents neither a recommendation nor an endorsement of these products. Current recommendations for pest and weed control in vegetable production in Alabama may be found in IPM Commercial Vegetable: Insect, Disease, Nematode and Weed Control Recommendations (Publication 00IPM-2 from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System). Fertilization consisted of a preplant application of 5-10-15 at a rate of 1,000 pounds per acre on May 1 and an application of ammonium nitrate at a rate of 120 pounds per acre on May 29. Insecticides used were Dual (at a rate of one quart per acre) and Asana (at a rate of eight ounces per acre) on May 4 and May 9, respec-

TABLE 1. RATINGS OF 2000 GREEN BEAN
VARIETY TRIAL 1

Location SMREC Weather 4 Fertility 5 Irrigation 5 Pests 5 Overall 5 'See introduction for a description of rating scales. tively. Bravo fungicide was applied at a rate of two pints per acre on June 9 and June 14. Several new green bean varieties were added to the list of entries this year but there were very few differences in yield among varieties. New varieties such as 'Festina', 'Grenoble', 'Fandango' and 'Unidor' all performed as well as the more well-known varieties such as 'Benchmark', 'Bronco' and 'Hialeah'. 'Mercury', which was recently named, exhibited yields comparable to the others while 'Capricorn' (also named recently) had the lowest yield.

TABLE 2. SEED SOURCE, EARLINESS, AND DISEASE CLAIMS OF SELECTED GREEN BEAN VARIETIES Variety Benchmark Bronco Hialeah Capricorn(MB-8007) Stallion Mercury (SB 4136) Jade
Festina

Type OP OP OP OP OP OP OP
-

Seed source Novartis Asgrow Ferry-Morse Novartis Asgrow Novartis Novartis
Petoseed

Days to harvest 55 53 53 59 53 55 60
-

Growth habit Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush
-

Pod color Green Green Green Green Green Green Green
-

Pod shape Round Round Oval Round Round Round Round
-

Disease claims' CBMV, NY15MV CBMV NY15MV CBMV, NY15MV CBMV, HB NY15 CTV,CBMV,NY15
-

Years evaluated 97-00 97-00 97-00 98-00 98-00 98-00 00
00

Fandango Grenoble Unidor

OP OP

Petoseed Petoseed Petoseed

56 52 54

Bush Bush Bush

Green Green Yellow

Round Round Round

ANT, CBMV,HB CBMV, HB ANT, CBMV

00 00 00

'Disease Claims: CBMV= Common Bean Mosaic Virus; HB=Halo Blight; NY15MV = Mosaic Virus race NY 15; ANT=Anthracnose; CTV = Curly Top Virus. - = not found

8

ALABAMA

8

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
EXPERIMENT STATION

AGRICULTURAL

TABLE 3. YIELD AND POD CHARACTERISTICS OF SELECTED GREEN BEAN VARIETIES GROWN AT THE SAND MOUNTAIN RESEARCHIANDEXTENSION CENm Variety Plant stand
%lbs/a

Marketable
yield

Pod weight

Pod length

lbs/i00 pods 2,315 1,542 1,393 1,322 1,312 1,285
1,205 1,087

in/pod 4.8 5.3 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.1
5.3 4.6

Festina Stallion Benchmark Grenoble Bronco Hialeahi
Mercury Fandango

91 90 74 86 80 68
66 78

1.25 1.20 1.00 1.13 1.16 1.01
1.46 0.86

Unidor Jade
Capricorn

95 64
63

953 803
545

0.96 0.72
1.00

4.9 3.7
5.1

R20.26 CV lsd 29 31

0.27 65 1,460

0.31 31 0.48

0.25 17 1.25

SPRING

2000

COMMERCIAL

VEGETABLE

VARIETY

TRIALS

SPRING 2000 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

9

9

'Indy' Among Top Cucumber Varieties
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Arnold Caylor A slicer cucumber variety trial was conducted at the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center (NAHRC) in Cullman, Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). Nine cucumber varieties were direct seeded on May 9. Plastic mulch and drip irrigation were used. Plots consisted of a single 20 foot row with a within row spacing of eight inches. This provided a stand of approximately 17,000 plants per acre. Preplant fertilization consisted of an application of 15-0-0 at a rate of 50 pounds of N per acre. Fertilization consisted of weekly injections of six pounds N per acre as calcium nitrate until harvest. Fungicides used were Kocided 101 (at a rate of two pounds per acre on June 19); Bravo Ultra (at a rate of two pounds per acre) on June 26, July 3, July 11, and July 7; and Benlate (at a rate of 0.5 pounds per acre) on June 26, July 11, and July 17. Insecticides used were Asana XL (at a rate of 9.6 ounces per acre) on June 3. Cucumbers were harvested 11 times between June 19 and July 14. After each harvest, fruits were weighed and graded according to the Cucumber Grader'sGuide TABLE 1. RATINGS OF 2000 CUCUMBER VARIETY
TRIAL 1 Location NAHRC 3 5 5 5 5 scales.

Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall 'See introduction for a description of rating

(Circular ANR-771 from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System). Early and total yields were calculated by combining the marketable yields of the first four harvests (Tables 3 and 4). 'Dasher II' and 'Speedway' had significantly higher yields in both early and total yield (Tables 3 and 4). 'Indy' was among the highest early producers but did not perform as well as 'Speedway' and 'Dasher II' overall. 'Panther' had the highest total yield along with 'Speedway and 'Dasher II'. 'General Lee', a well known standardvariety, had yields that

were significantly lower
TABLE 2. SEED SOURCE, FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS, AND RELATIVE EARLINESS OF
SELECTED SMALL MELONS than these three varieties.

Variety Dasher II
Daytona

Type' F1
F1

Seed source Petoseed
Petoseed

Days to
harvest

Disease
claims4

Years
eval.

58
-

ALS,ANT,CMV,DM,PM,Sc
-

94-97
00

General Lee Indy Panther Prolific Slice Max Speedway Tasty Green

Fl F1 F1 Fl F1 F1 F1

Ferry-Morse Petoseed Sunseed Sakata Sakata Petoseed Sakata

65 59 57
-

50 56
-

CMV,DM,PM,Sc 00 ALS,ANT,CMV,PM,PRSV, 96,97 STM,ZYMV ANT, CMV, DM, PM, Sc 00 00 ALS, DM, PM, Sc PM 96,98,00 ALS,ANT,CMV,DM,PM,Sc 94-97 DM, PM 00

- = Not found; from seed catalogue. Type: Fl = Hybrid

Disease claims: ANT = Anthracnose; ALS = Angular Leaf Spot; CMV = Cucumber Mosaic Virus; DM = Downy Mildew; PM = Powdery Mildew PRSV2 = Papaya Ring Spot Virus;Sc = Scab; STM
= Stemphylium; ZYMV = Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus.

10

ALABAMA

AGRICULTURAL

EXPERIMENT

STATION

TABLE Variety Indy Dasher II Speedway General Lee Slice Max Panther Tasty Green Daytona Prolific R2 CV lsd

3. EARLY PRODUCTION AND GRADE DISTRIBUTION OF CUCUMBERS
Early fancy wt lbs/a 9,235 6,919 5,812 5,420 5,285 5,207 2,290 4,409 4,570 Early fancy no #/a 14,494 16,095 12,833 11,963 10,440 12,615 3,263 9,788 8,700 Early US#1 wt lbs/a 2,388 2,860 2,756 2,371 2,287 2,158 2,758 1,949 2,090 Early US#1 # #/a 7,613 8,700 9,788 7,613 7,395 7,830 5,003 5,873 5,873 Early US#2 wt lbs/a 1,070 1,620 1,979 783 929 1,094 2,775 946 470

Early marketable wt lbs/a 12,693 11,399 10,547 8,574 8,498 8,459 7,823 7,304 7,130 0.15 66 3,140

TABLE 4. TOTAL PRODUCTION AND GRADE DISTRIBUTION OF CUCUMBERS Variety Panther Speedway Dasher II Indy General Lee Prolific Daytona Slice Max Tasty Green R2 CV lsd Total marketable wt lbs/a 53,214 47,432 46,456 42,138 41,479 37,512 35,168 29,558 25,789 0.42 34 7,080 Total fancy wt lbs/a 29,471 22,379 22,168 25,108 21,398 20,167 16,841 11,262 8,028 Total fancy no #/a 21,432 38,173 35,337 40,847 28,114 19,523 22,544 21,533 14,355 Total US#1 wt lbs/a 15,671 16,017 16,961 9,159 14,064 11,952 12,32 11,293 7,919 Total US#1 # #/a 21,472 31,886 32,542 20,847 28,973 19,153 19,675 27,623 12,833 Total US#2 wt lbs/a 8,071 9,037 7,328 7,871 6,018 5,394 6,005 7,004 9,842 Total cull wt lbs/a 6,579 2,973 3,062 19,649 4,604 3,900 4,352 2,260 11,697 Individual fruit wt lbs 1.57 0.70 0.63 0.56 0.65 0.80 0.79 0.45 0.58 0.42 69 1.2

SPRING

2000

COMMERCIAL

SPRIG 200 CMMERIALVEGEABL VARETYTRIAS

VEGETABLE

VARIETY

TRIALS

11 I

I

Garlic Shows Promise For Southeast Georgia
George E. Boyhan, Ray Hicks, and C. Randy Hill Two garlic variety trials were conducted during the 1999-2000 growing season. One trial was held on-farm in Screven County, Georgia, and one was held at the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center (VOVRC) in Reidsville, Georgia. Garlic cloves were planted on October 25 at the on-farm location and on October 27 at the VOVRC (Tables 1 and 2). The trials were randomized complete block designs with three replications at the on-farm location and four replications at the VOVRC. The fertility program at the on-farm location followed standard soil test recommendations for onion production. At the VOVRC the fertility program began with 400 pounds per acre of 5-10-15 with 9% sulfur applied preplant. This was followed with 300 pounds per acre of 6-12-18 with 4% sulfur applied on January 18 and 150 pounds per acre of diammonium phosphate applied on January 25. On February 10, 300 pounds per acre of 612-18 with 4% sulfur was applied followed by 300 pounds per acre of CaNO 3 applied on March 1. Finally, 200 pounds of CaNO 3 was applied on May 15. Weed control consisted of one application of bromoxynil (Buctril) herbicide at one pint per acre at both the on-farm location and at the VOVRC applied in January 2000. In addition, hand weeding was done at both locations as needed. TABLE 2.THE 2000 GARLIC VARIETY TRIALS Entry
VE-2550

TABLE 1. RATINGS

OF

2000 GARLIC

VARIETY TRIAL 1

Location Screven Co. VOVRC Weather 5 5 Fertility 5 5 Irrigation 5 5 Pests 5 5 Overall 5 5 'See introduction for a description of rating scales. The first harvest was conducted at the VOVRC on May 9 for those varieties deemed mature. A second harvest of the later varieties was conducted at the VOVRC on June 7. All garlic varieties were harvested on June 6 at the on-farm location. The first harvest at the VOVRC was made based on an assessment of crop maturity based on bulb size alone. Subsequent information indicated that a better assessment would include a count of wrapper leaves on the bulbs. Garlic are judged to be mature when there are only three to four wrapper leaves still present. In our case there were eight to 10 wrapper leaves, so the first harvest was done too early.

AT THE VIDALIA ONION AND VEGETABLE RESEARCH CENTER

Source
Basic Vegetable Products

Yield
273

Vidalia Farm Bulb diameter Harvest
in 1.8 date 5/9/00

Yield
301

Screven CountyBulb diameter Harvest
in -' date 6/6/00

50 lb bags/ac

50 lb bags/ac

L-5150 VE-1750 LE-4050 Elephant Garlic D Elephant Garlic S California Early California Late
R2 CV lsd

Basic Vegetable Products Basic Vegetable Products Basic Vegetable Products Shad Dasher Norman Schmidt Empire Garlic Empire Garlic

176 332 285 240 292 324 260
0.572 33% 108

2.3 2.3 2.7 2.7 2.9 2.4 1.8
0.879 14% 0.3

6/7/00 5/9/00 5/9/00 6/7/00 6/7/00 5/9/00 6/7/00

295 220 304
459

-

528 295 265
0.933 32% 80

-

6/6/00 6/6/00 6/6/00 6/6/00 6/6/00 6/6/00 6/6/00

' Data not included.

12 The on-farm harvest on June 6 and the second VOVRC harvest on June 7 were too late for several of the varieties. An optimum time for harvest this season in southeast Georgia would have been between the early and late harvests. The late varieties 'L-5150' and 'California Lat'e are inappropriate for southeast Georgia. Typically under California production, these varieties would

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION not be harvested until late summer. Summers in Georgia are too hot for these varieties to continue to grow and thrive. The elephant garlic types do very well in southeast Georgia, producing cloves that are twice as large or larger than regular garlic; however, the flavor is considerably milder than regular garlic. In conclusion, there is potential for garlic production in southeast Georgia of early garlic varieties, but late varieties are unsuitable for Georgia's climate.

SPRING

2000

COMMERCIAL

VEGETABLE

VARIETY

SPRING 2000 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

TRIALS

13 13

'Eclipse' Casts a Shadow on other Eastern Melons
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, Jim Pitts, and Tony Dawkins A small melon variety trial was conducted at the Chilton Area Research and Extension Center (CAREC) in Clanton and the Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center (SMREC) in Crossville (Tables 1 and 2). At both locations, fifteen varieties of cantaloupe and honey dew melons were direct seeded on bare ground. Plots were seeded on June 19 at CAREC and May 17 at SMREC. At Clanton, fertilization consisted of a preplant application of 54 pounds of N and K120 and weekly injections ranging between seven and 14 pounds of N and K1(20 between May 3 and July 12. A total of 160 pounds of N and 1(20 were injected during the growing season. Insect control was provided by applications of Spintor (at a rate of eight ounces per acre) on June 27 and July 5; and Lannate LV (at a rate of two pints per acre) on June7, June 14, June21, June 28, July 3, July 24, and August 3.
TABLE 1. RATINGS OF 2000 MELON VARIETY
TRIAL 1

Location

CAREC

SMREC

Weather 3 Fertility 5 Irrigation 5 Pests 5 Overall 4 'See introduction for a description of rating

4 5 5 5 5 scales.

Fungicides used were Kocide (at a rate of 2.7 pounds per acre) on May 12 and Ridomil/Bravo 81W (at a rate of two pounds per acre) on June 27. At Sand Mountain, fertilization consisted of a preplant application of 5-10-15 at a rate of 1,000 pounds per acre on May 1. On June 30 calcium nitrate was ap-

TABLE 2. SEED SOURCE, FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS, AND RELATIVE EARLINESS OF SELECTED
VARIETIES OF CANTALOUPES

Variety Athena Classic Durango Earli-Dew Eclipse Edonis HD-85 Honey Brew Honey Star HY-Mark Primo Rocio SMX 7204 ATX-542 (Honey Ace)

Type' Fl F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 F1 Fl F1 Fl F1 F1 F1

Seed source Novartis Petoseed Petoseed Petoseed SeedWay/Petoseed Johnny's Takii Sakata Sunseed Petoseed Novartis Sunseed Sunseed Takii

Rind aspect2 E E E Ho E Sp Ho Ho Ho W W Ho E Ho

Flesh color Orange Salmon Orange Green Orange Orange Green Green Green Orange Orange Green Orange =

Days to harvest 80 86 84 80 85 70 105 85 83 77 85 -

Disease claims3 FW,PM FWPM,Su FW FW,PM FW,PM FW,PM FW,PM PM,Su PM FW,PM FW,PM -

Years eval. 94-00 00 00 95-00 96-00 00 00 00 00 94-00 00 00 00 00

- = not found; from seed catalogues ' Type: Fl=hybrid; OP=open pollinated. 2 Rind aspect: W = Western, E = Eastern, Ho FW = Fusarium Wilt; PM = Powdery Mildew; Su = Sulfur.

Honey dew, Sp = specialty. 3Disease claims:

14 14 plied at a rate of 350 pounds per acre. Insecticides used were Asana (at a rate of eight ounces per acre) on May 19 and Curbit (at a rate of 1.5 quarts per acre) on May 17. Bravo fungicide was applied on June 4, June 9, June 21, July 19, and July 27. Benlate fungicide was applied at a rate of 0.5 pounds per acre on July 12. Weeds were controlled with an application of Poast Plus (at a rate of 1.5 pints per acre) and crop oil (at a rate of one pint per acre) on July 13. and Cantaloupes honey dews were harvested on July 7, July 9, July 12, July 14, and July 19 at CAREC and on August 8, August 11 August 15 and August 21 at SMREC (Table 3). The list of entries for the small melons was the same at both locations. Of the eastern melons, the exvariety perimental 'SMX7204' had yields that were compaarable to the standard variety 'Athena'. At CAHS, 'SMX7204' had a marketable yield that was significantly higher than the other eastern melons. 'Rocio', 'Creme De Menthe', and 'Honey Dew' had the three highest yields among the honey dew melons while the western melons exhibited no differences in yield.
TABLE Variety

ALABAMA

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

AGRICULTURAL

EXPERIMENT

STATION

3. YIELD OF SELECTED SMALL MELON VARIETIES
Marketable yield lbs/a Marketable fruits #/a Individual fruit weight lbs Soluble solids °Brix

Type'

Chilton Area Research and Extension Center Eclipse Athena SMX 7204 Classic Early Brew Rocio Creme De Menthe Honey Brew Earli Dew HD-85 ATX-542 Edonis Primo HY-Mark Durango R2 CV lsd E E E E Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Sp W W W 41,892 39,317 37,203 28,935 56,288 49,831 48,682 47,971 44,030 37,295 36,213 16,682 32,616 32,418 28,413 0.65 21 11,616 13,250 16,426 15,791 12,614 14,792 16,517 16,789 17,243 19,421 12,251 12,342 11,616 14,520 20,237 13,794 0.61 16 3,166 3.2 2.4 2.4 2.3 3.8 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.3 3.1 2.9 1.4 2.3 1.6 2.1 0.71 17 0.63 10.0 10.0 12.2 * 11.1 10.0 9.0 * 12.4 10.0 13.5 10.2 11.5 11.0 11.2

Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center SMX7204 Eclipse Athena Classic Edonis Rocio Creme De Menthe Honey Brew ATX-542 Early Brew HD-85 Earli Dew HY-Mark Durango Primo R2 CV lsd E E E E Sp Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho W W W 26,687 16,139 16,052 11,386 7,569 24,273 22,511 18,237 14,649 11,397 6,144 5,786 21,978 21,293 20,804 0.26 77 8,972. 6,090 3,698 3,806 3,263 2,719 3,915 4,133 2,936 2,501 2,066 979 1,305 6,743 6,199 5,438 0.34 74 1,952 4.4 4.3 4.2 3.5 2.8 6.0 5.5 6.3 5.4 5.4 5.8 4.1 3.0 3.6 3.7 0.74 17 2 10.5 10.4 11.8 * * 8.3 * 11.3 10.6 * 8.4 13.8 10.0 9.9

' Type: W = Western, E = Eastern, Ho = Honey dew, Sp = specialty. *= not available.

SPRING

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SPRING 2000 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

15 15

Evaluation of Okra Varieties for Plasticulture Production in North Florida
Eric Simonne and Bob Hochmuth An okra variety trial was conducted in the spring of 2000 at the North Florida Research and Education Center - Suwannee Valley near Live Oak, Florida, (Tables 1 and 2) on a Lakeland fine sand soil. Okra was transplanted on April 7 in double rows one foot apart, onto 10-foot long plots at a within row spacing of one foot. Black plastic mulch and drip irrigation were used. Center-to-center distance between beds was five feet, which created a stand of approximately 8,700 plants per acre. Preplant fertilization consisted of an application of a 13-4-13 fertilizer at the rate of 500 pounds per acre. Beginning four weeks after transplanting and through final harvest, additional N and K were injected daily through the drip system. Total N and K used
TABLE

ssm

TABLE 1. RATINGS OF 2000 OKRA VARIETY
TRIAL
1

NFREC-SV Location 5 Weather Fertility 5 5 Irrigation 5 Pests 5 Overall 'See introduction for a description of rating scales. (applied+injected) was 175 pounds per acre for the whole season. No fungicides were used, but Malathion was applied on June 16 and June 30 to control stink bugs. Okra was harvested three times weekly between May and July for a total number of 21 harvests. Early yield was determined by adding the production of the first three harvests (Table 3). Reference varieties for the area are the hybrid 'North & South' and the open-pollinated 'Clemson Spineless'. The experimental line 'SOK-601' had the numerically highest early yield (1,545 pounds per acre), while 'Louisiana Green Velvet' had the lowest (712 pounds per acre). 'North & South' (4,059 pounds per acre) and 'SOK 601' (4,113 pounds per acre) had significantly higher May yields than the other entries. 'Mita #7' (17,500 pounds per acre) and 'North & South' (16,782 pounds per acre) had significantly higher season yields, and 'Louisiana Green Velvet' had the lowest (11,109 pounds per acre). In this test, average pod production per harvest ranged between 833 pounds per acre ('Mita #7') to 529 ('Louisiana Green velvet').Yield differences in 'Clemson Spineless' and 'Clemson Spineless 80' were small. The unusually large pods of 'Big Un' made this variety a 'specialty okra'. The bushy, compact growth habit of 'Babby Bubba' made harvest difficult. This variety is not suited for commercial production. Overall, hybrids tended to perform better than open pollinated varieties and to produce earlier. The best per-

2.

SEED SOURCE, EARLINESS AND POD

COLOR OF SELECTED OKRA VARIETIES

Variety

Seed source'

DTH2 1 2 48 40 53 40 NA 42 52 40 55 40 58 40 55 40 48 40 56 40 50 42 58 42 49 40 46 40 50 40 NA 40 48 40

Pod Color, Shape Green, Ridged Green, Ridged Green, Ridged Green, Ridged Green, Ridged Green, Ridged Green, Smooth Green, Ridged Green, Ridged Green, Ridged Green, Smooth Green, Ridged Green, Ridged Green, Ridged Green, Ridged Green, Ridged

1 Annie Oakley (Fl) 2 Baby Bubba (Fl) 9 Big Un3 (OP) Cajun Delight (Fl) 3 1,4,5 Clemson Spineless (OP) 6 Clemson Spineless 80 (OP) 6,7 Emerald Green (OP) 3,8 Green Best (Fl) Lee (OP) 3 2 Long Green Pod (OP) 9 Louisiana Green Velvet (OP) Mita #7 (Fl) 9 North & South (Fl) 10 8 Penta Green (OP) 8 SOK 601 (Fl) Spike (Fl) 9

'1=Petoseed; 2=Burpee Seeds; 3=Park Seed; 4=Asgrow; 5=Kelly Seeds; 6=Ferry-Morse; 7=Advance Seed; 8=Sakata; 9=Wilhite; 10=SeedWay 2 DTH=Days to harvest;l=from commercial literature; 2=observed from transplant. 3Large variety.

16 forming hybrid varieties in this test were 'Mita #7', 'North & South', 'Annie Oakley', and 'Spike', while the best performing open pollinated varieties were the standard

ALABAMA

AGRICULTURAL

EXPERIMENT

STATION

'Clemson Spineless', 'Clemson Spineless 80', and 'Penta Green'. The experimental hybrid 'SOK-601' showed good potential for the area.

TABLE 3. YIELD OF OKRA VARIETIES IN THE SPRING OF 2000 AT THE NOTH FLORIDA RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER, SUWANNEE VALLEY Variety Early'~ mkt. wt lbs/ac May mkt. wt lbs/ac June mkt. wt lbs/ac July mkt. wt. lbs/ac 3,729 a 3,498 a 3,711 a 3,247 a 3,951 a 3,983 a 3,449 a 3,043 a 3,130 a 3,281 a 2,501 a 2,817 a 2,695 a 3,549 a 2,509 a 2,872 a 0.59 23 Season mkt. wt lbs/ac 17,500 a 16,782 ab 16,667 a-c 16,223 a-c 16,123 a-c 15,940 a-c 15,334 a-c 14,684 a-c 14,513 a-c 13,372 a-c 12,662 a-c 12,139 a-c 12,133 a-c 11,645 bc 11,254 bc 11,109 c 0.67 20 Average mkt. wt lbs/ac 833 799 794 773 768 759 730 699 691 637 603 578 578 555 536 529

Mita #7 1,269 a North & South 1,275 a Clemson Spineless 1,262 a SOK 601 1,545 a Green Best 1,206 a Annie Oakley 1,425 a Clemson Spineless 80 1,140 a Spike 1,377 a Penta Green 981 a Cajun Delight 1,188 a Big Un 852 a Emerald Green 1,007 a Lee 673 a Baby Bubba 886 a Long Green Pod 781 a La. Green Velvet 712 a R2 0.59 CV 43

3,683 ab 10,089 a 4,059 a 9,225 a 3,508 a-c 9,447 a 4,113 a 8,863 a 3,274 a-d 8,898 a 3,540 ab 8,417 a 3,631 ab 8,254 a 3,648 ab 7,993 a 3,312 a-d 8,071 a 3,264 a-d 6,828 a 2,141 d 8,020 a 2,749 b-d 6,573 a 2,271 cd 7,167 a 2,473 b-d 5,623 a 2,635 b-d 6,110 a 2,271 cd 5,966 a 0.70 0.59 20 26

' Early yield was the sum of the first three harvests; six harvests in May; 11 harvests in June; four harvests in July; 21 harvests for season yield.

2Within columns, means followed by different letters are significantly different according to Duncan Multiple Range Test (5% level).

SPRING

2000

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SPRING 2000 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

17

17

b

Vidalia Onion Variety Trials in Georgia
TABLE 1. RATINGS OF 2000 VIDALIA ONION
VARIETY TRIAL 1

George E. Boyhan, William M. Randle, Reid L.Torrance, David E. Curry, Robert T. Boland, C. Randy Hill, M. Jeff Cook, and Myron D. Graham Four short-day onion variety trials were held at two on-farm locations and at the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center (VOVRC). One on-farm trial was held in Brantley County and one was held in Tattnall County, Georgia. Two additional trials were held at the VOVRC (Table 1). Onion seed were planted at the Brantley County onfarm location on September 14 or September 24. Seed were sown with an Earthway push planter using a 10025 Radish medium plate (Bristol, IN). Onions were transplanted from these direct-seeded onions to their final spacing on December 1 onto raised plastic beds. Two rows of onions were planted approximately six inches apart in the row with a between row spacing of approximately 14 inches. The onions were planted in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Each plot consisted of 40 bulbs. The fertility program followed Georgia soil test recommendations. Disease, insect, and weed control followed Georgia Cooperative Extension Service recommendations. At the Tattnall County on-farm location, onions were seeded on September 13 onto beds treated with Busan 21 days prior. These onions were transplanted to their final spacing on November 15. Plots consisted of four rows of onions planted 18 inches apart and five inches in the row. Each plot was 50 feet long. This is typical of onion production with a 72-inch wheel row spacing. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design. The fertility program consisted of 350 pounds per acre of 6-18-18 with 6% sulfur applied on November 24. A 5-1015 fertilizer was applied on January 6 at 300 pounds per acre. Three hundred sixty-five pounds of 6-12-18 was applied on January 20. Finally, two applications of CaNO 3 at 200 pounds per acre each was applied on February 7 and March 1. Disease and weed control followed Georgia Cooperative Extension Service recommendations. Harvests occurred on April 6, April 13, April 20, April 27, May 3, and May10 as the various varieties matured. At the VOVRC, two variety trials were conducted. The first trial had seed sown on September 23 in high density plant beds (30-50 seed per foot) that had been fumigated with Busan three weeks prior. The fertility program for the seeded onions started with preplant ap-

All locations Rating based on 5 Weather Fertility 5 5 Irrigation 5 Pests 5 Overall 'See introduction for a description of rating scales. plication of 800 pounds of 5-10-15 with 9% sulfur. The fertility program for the seeded onions included 180 pounds per acre of diammonium phosphate applied on September 24. In addition, 180 pounds of CaNO 3 was applied on October 21 as well as 300 pounds of 10-1010 applied on October 28. Finally, 200 pounds of CaNO3 was applied on November 8. Transplants were pulled from the plant beds and set at their final spacing on November 23. The fertility program on these plots consisted of 300 pounds of 6-12-18 with 4% sulfur applied on January 18. In addition, 150 pounds of diammonium phosphate was applied on January 25 as well as 300 pounds of 6-12-18 with 4% sulfur on February 10. The final fertilizer application was on March 1 with 300 pounds of CaNO3. Harvests occurred on April 6, April 12, April 19, April 26, May 4, and May 11 as the onion varieties matured. Weed control consisted of applications of Goal and Prowl herbicides at the rate of 1.5 pints per acre applied on December 3. Disease and insect control followed current Georgia Cooperative Extension Service recommendations. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with four replications. The plot size was 50 feet long with plant spacing similar to the onfarm spacing described above. The second trial at the VOVRC had transplants produced concurrently with transplants for the first trial. Transplants were set on December 21 at the same spacing as the first trial, but consisted of plots 10 feet long. The fertility, weed control, disease, and insect control were the same as the first trial.

18

ALABAMA

18
The trial at the VOVRC is summarized in Table 2. Field yields ranged from 1,107 50-pound bags per acre for 'Savannah Sweet' to 554 50-pound bags per acre for 'SSC 6372'. Post-cure yields ranged from 879 50-pound bags per acre for 'Savannah Sweet' to 15 50-pound bags per acre for 'Centaur'. This points out one of the problems with the later harvested onions. They tend to have much higher disease incidence, which dramatically reduces yields through the curing and grading process. This was also the case at the on-farm location in Tattnall County. Pungency is measured as umoles pyruate per gram fresh weight. Values above 5 will have a detectable pungency to the taste. The pungency values at the VOVRC ranged from 5.4 for 'Georgia Pride' to 2.4 for 'Sweet Sun'.

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
At the on-farm location in Tattnall County field yields ranged from 1,164 50-pound bags per acre for 'DPS 1033' to 508 50-pound bags per acre for 'DPS 1058' (Table 3). The post cure yields ranged from 916 50-pound bags per acre for 'DPS 1033' and 0 50-pound bags per acre for 'Centaur'. Pungency ranged from 4.0 umoles per gram of fresh weight (umole/gfw) for 'Evita' to 2.1 umole/gfw for' Centaur'. The two additional trials were of grano-type shortday onions. These onions differ from the typical shortday onions grown in southeast Georgia in that they are round, instead of flattened, yellow onions. In addition, these onions tend to mature later than the granex types typical in this part of Georgia.

AGRICULTURAL

EXPERIMENT

STATION

TABLE 2. THE 2000 VIDALIA ONION VARIETY TRIAL, VIDALIA OMNION AND VEGETABLE RESEARCH CENTER Entry Savannah Sweet SXO 1519 DPS 1032 WI-609 DPS 1039 Sweet Vidalia Sweet Success SSC 6371 F1 Granex 1035 WI-3115 Yellow Granex Imp. (Sun Fl) Sweet Melody DPS 1033 PS 7092 Granex 33 (Y33) SSC 6436 F1 XP 6995 Georgia Pride Fl RCS 1919 DPS 1058 SSC 6372 Fl Sweet Sun Nikita 1015Y Pegasus Evita F1 Centaur
R2

Seed source

Post cure Field Large yield yield 50-1b bags/ac 50-1b bags/ac <3.5 in. 879 861 821 783 755 749 720 688 670 658 657 656 647 631 612 606 579 563 556 547 481 472 362 204 197 160 15 0.865 41% 142 184 233 519 339 481 292 159 339 423 344 339 342 254 316 291 287 228 252 243 199 169 243 135 78 93 54 10

Jumbo >3.5 in. 654 487 79 291 124 328 486 89 85 91 239 190 302 88 244 36 265 83 12 21 17 64 107 83 74 66 4

Harvest date 5/4/2000 4/26/2000 4/19/2000 4/6/2000 4/19/2000 4/26/2000 5/4/2000 4/12/2000 4/26/2000 4/6/2000 4/26/2000 4/26/2000 5/11/2000 4/19/2000 5/4/2000 4/12/2000 5/4/2000 4/6/2000 4/12/2000 4/12/2000 4/12/2000 5/4/2000 5/4/2000 5/11/2000 5/11/2000 5/11/2000 5/11/2000

Bacterial diseases no/50-ft plot 32 26 42 13 29 17 56 20 47 28 29 42 50 58 77 55 74 18 70 30 33 71 187 50 131 41 131 0.720 90% 42.4

Pungency um/gfw 3.4 4.5 4.8 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.0 4.9 4.7 5.2 4.4 3.9 4.1 4.3 3.5 5.1 3.1 5.4 5.0 4.7 5.0 2.4 3.7 3.1 2.5 4.3 3.3 0.741 23% 0.8

1,107 Petoseed 1,064 Sunseeds 956 D. Palmer Seed Wannamaker Intern. 882 D. Palmer Seed 850 916 Rio Colorado 1,014 Sunseeds 764 Shamrock 849 Seedway Wannamaker Intern. 746 Sunseeds Rio Colorado D. Palmer Seed Petoseed Asgrow Shamrock Asgrow Shamrock Rio Colorado D. Palmer Seed Shamrock Sunseeds Rio Colorado Asgrow Asgrow Shamrock Asgrow 858 860 1,020 752 891 711 953 663 622 611 554 697 560 815 967 1,045 880 0.769 21% 140

CV lsd

SPRING

2000

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19

TABLE 3. THE 2000 VIDALIA ONION VARIETY TRIAL, TATTNALL COUNTY Entry DPS 1033 DPS 1039 Sweet Vidalia Sweet Success SSC 6436 F1
WI-609

Seed source D.PalmerSeed D. Palmer Seed Rio Colorado Sunseeds Shamrock

Post cure First harvest Yield yield date Large 50-lb bags/ac SO-lb bags/ac <3.5 in. 1,164 1,027 972 973 818 916 880 813 787 715 688 682 679 650 638 623 621 610 605 568 557 483 451 432 64 9 0 0.818 49% 197 5/3/2000 4/20/2000 4/20/2000 4/27/2000 4/13/2000 4/6/2000 5/3/2000 4/27/2000 4/6/2000 4/27/2000 4/27/2000 5/3/2000 4/13/2000 4/13/2000 4/27/2000 4/27/2000 4/6/2000 5/3/2000 4/13/2000 5/10/2000 5/10/2000 5/10/2000 194 348 234 240 380 220 193 190 275 318 251 159 271 325 198 234 203 118 135 14 2 0

Jumbo >3.5 in. 660 444 483 471 191 327 428 370 260 184 325 427 191 90 281 232 137 284 37 42 3 0

Bacterial diseases no/SO-ft plot 10 13 11 11 12 4 38 6 3 11 20 15 4 19 18 17 8 27 7 20 13 45 0.710 84% 11

-

Pungency -.ur/gfy 3.2 3.5 3.0 3.5 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.2 3.5 3.1 3.0 3.5 3.9 3.4 3.2 3.5 3.2 2.9 3.1 4.0 2.1 0.407 18% 0.8

Wannamaker Intern. 735

Granex 33 (Y33) SXO 1519 WI-3115 Granex 1035 Savannah Sweet XP 6995 SSC 6371 F1 SSC 6372 Fl
Yellow Granex Imp.

955 Asgrow Sunseeds 1,034 Wannamaker Intern. 740 Seedway 838 Petoseed 1,015 Asgrow 1,013 711 Shamrock 726 Shamrock Sunseeds Petoseed Shamrock Rio Colorado D. Palmer Seed Asgrow Shamrock Asgrow 896 888 591 921 508 979 717 914 0.786

(Sun Fl) PS 7092 Georgia Pride Fl Sweet Melody DPS 1058 Pegasus Evita F1 Centaur R2

CV
lsd

-

21% 139

---

---

--------- --

20 20

ALABAMA

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

AGRICULTURAL

EXPERIMENT

STATION

Strawberry Cultivars

'Camarosa' and 'Chandler' Still Best
Kent Cushman and Thomas Horgan Eight strawberry cultivars were planted in a plasticulture production system at the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center located in Verona. Soil type was a Quitman silt loam soil and the experimental design was a randomized complete block design with four replications. Yield data from only six of the entries were analyzed due to the extremely poor performance of two entries: 'Gaviota' and 'Cardinal'. Plant beds were formed six inches high and 30 inches across the top with a press-pan-type bed shaper. Beds were spaced five feet apart, center to center. Black plastic mulch and drip irrigation tubing were applied immediately after bedding. Fresh-dug, bare-rooted runners of 'Chandler', 'Camarosa', 'Diamante', 'Gaviota', and 'Seascape' were obtained from Norcal Nursery Inc. of Red Bluff, California. Fresh-dug, bare-rooted runners of 'Sweet Charlie', 'Earliglow', and' Cardinal' were obtained from Lewis Nursery and Farms Inc. of Rocky Point, North Carolina. All plants were planted through the plastic by hand November 4, 1999. Two rows were planted on top of each bed. Plants were spaced 12 inches apart within rows and between rows. Plots were 15 feet long and contained 30 plants. Sprinkler irrigation was applied daily for a week to establish plants. Preplant fertilizer was broadcast before bed formation at the rate of 50 pounds N, 100 pounds P205, and 60 pounds K20 per acre. Soluble fertilizer was applied throughout the spring growing season via the drip (trickle) irrigation system. Soluble fertilizers contributed an additional 70 pounds N and 70 pounds K20 per acre. Frost protection was provided once, on April 9, during this study. Pesticides were not used due to low levels of insect damage or disease. Harvest began April 4 and ended May 31 for a total of 22 harvests. Fruit were normally picked on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Fruit from each plot was separated into marketable and cull and then counted and weighed. Cull categories were established as small, diseased, misshapen, and insect or bird damage. Most culls were in the small category. 'Camarosa' and 'Chandler' again produced the greatest total marketable yields in trials located in northern Mississippi (see table). 'Camarosa' and 'Chandler' were also the highest yielding cultivars in the 1999 trial. 'Diamante' and 'Seascape' were included for the first time, but yields were low for both of these new cultivars. Percent marketable yield and average fruit weight, however, were significantly greater for 'Diamante' compared to 'Camarosa' or 'Chandler'. The 1999 trial did not include 'Seascape', 'Diamante', or 'Earliglow'. 'Sweet Charlie' and 'Earliglow' performed poorly in the 2000 trial. The cultivars 'Gaviota' and 'Cardinal' were also included in this trial, but yields were so poor that they were not included in the analysis of yield data.

STRAWBERRY MARKETABLE YIELD

Entry

Total marketable yield'
lbs/ac

Average weight 2
% oz

Camarosa Chandler Seascape Diamante Sweet Charlie Earliglow
R2 CV lsd

18,400 17,800 13,800 13,000 5,800 3,200
0.90 20 3,600

89 85 85 90 82 58
0.97 3 4

0.93 0.93 0.69 1.08 0.62 0.53
0.87 12 0.144

' Total marketable yield of 22 harvests. 2 Average weight per marketable fruit. 3Relative number of marketable fruit as percent of total harvested (marketable plus culls).

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21 21

Tomato Varieties Produce High Yields in North Alabama
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Arnold Caylor A tomato variety trial was conducted at the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center (NAHRC) in Cullman, Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). Five-week-old tomato plants were transplanted on May 9 on to raised beds covered with silver plastic mulch. Drip irrigation was used. Plots were 12 feet long and five feet wide. Within-row spacing was 18 inches which created a stand of approximately 5,800 plants per acre. Plants were staked and tied. Preplant fertilizaion 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 per acre. Insects were controlled by applications of Spintor (at a rate of three ounces per acre), Mattach (at a rate of two quarts per acre), and Asana XL (at a rate of 9.6 ounces per acre). Fungicides used were Bravo (at a rate of three pints per acre), Ridomil (at a rate of 2.5 pounds per acre), and Man-Kocide (at a rate of 2.5 pounds per acre). Tomatoes were harvested once per week beginning July 25 and ending August 14 for a total of five harvests. Fruits were harvested at the breaker stage, weighed, and graded. Grades and corresponding fruit diameters (D) of fresh-market tomato were adapted from the Tomato
TABLE 1. RATINGS OF 2000 TOMATO VARIETY
TRIAL'

Location NAHRC Weather 4 Fertility 5 Irrigation 5 Pests 5 Overall 5 'See introduction for a description of rating scales. Grader's Guide (Circular ANR 643 from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System) and were Jumbo (D>3.5 inch), Extra-large (D>2.9 inch), Large (D>2.5 inch) or Medium, (D>2.3 inch). Marketable yield was calculated by combining the Jumbo, Extra-large, and Large grades (Tables 3 and 4). There was very little difference in yield overall. The experimental varieties 'PS861894' and 'PS870494' performed as well as standard varieties such as 'Sunpride'. 'Floralina', a variety developed from a collaboration between the University of Florida and the University of North Carolina, did not perform as well as most other varieties in the early season but performed well overall.

TABLE 2. SEED SOURCE, Variety Floralina Marina
PS864894 PS870494 Sunguard

FRUIT CHIARACTERISTICS, AND

RELAITIVE EARLIU Fruit color
'Red

SS OF SELECTED TOMATO VARIETIES

Type' OP, FM Fl, RO
Fl, FM Fl, FM F1, FM

Seed source PetoSeed Sakata
PetoSeed PetoSeed Asgrow

Plant habit2 Det. Det
Det Det Det

Days to harvest 74 -

Disease claims3 FW,VW ASC,FW,ST,VW
-

Years evaluated 00 00
00 00 00

Red
Red Red Red

-

-

Sunpride

F,F,FM

Sunpride

Det

Red

80

ASC,FW,ST,VW

94-00

- = not available from seed catalogues. 'Type: Fl = Hybrid; OP = Open pollinated; FM = Fresh Market; RO = Roma (Elongated Fruits);

'Plant habit: Det = Determinate

'Disease claims: FW = Fusarium Wilt; VW = Verticillium Wilt; ASC = Alternaria Stem Canker; ST = Stemphyllium (gray leaf spot).

22

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TABLE

3. EARLY PRODUCTION AND GRADE DISTRIBUTION OF SELECTED FRESH-MARKET TOMATO
VARIETIES GROWN AT THE NORTH ALABAMA HORTICULTURE RESEARCH CENTER Early marketable weight lbs/a 20,258 17,646 14,616 13,493 12,660 0 0.70 38 7,441 Early jumbo weight lbs/a 12,013 12,841 9,780 10,688 9,981 0 0.53 50 6,791 Early jumbo number #/a 20,873 19,330 16,880 17,424 17,333 0 Early extra-large weight lbs/a 6,755 4,115 3,793 2,517 2,246 0 Early extra-large number #/a 16,517 10,255 9,983 5,354 5,990 0 Early large weight lbs/a 1,491 691 1,043 288 433 0 Early large number #/a 5,445 2,450 3,630 1,089 2,178 0 Early medium weight lbs/a 5,196 3,614 2,764 3,545 2,451 485 Early medium number #/a 16,517 9,347 9,166 9,166 6,262 2,269

Variety

PS861894 Sunpride Sunguard PS870494 Floralina Marina R2 CV lsd

TABLE

4. TOTAL PRODUCTION AND GRADE DISTRIBUTION OF SELECTED FRESH-MARKET TOMATO
VARIETIES GROWN AT THE NORTH ALABAMA HORTICULTURE RESEARCH CENTER Total marketable weight lbs/a 41,928 36,701 34,986 31,633 30,516 12,400 0.40 46 20,473 Total jumbo weight lbs/a 26,757 18,480 14,780 15,564 17,062 415 0.41 70 16,055 Total jumbo number #/a 28,949 29,222 27,407 27,951 29,131 3,721 Total extra-large weight lbs/a 8,030 11,804 11,540 9,962 8,323 5,015 Total extra-large number #/a 20,328 29,131 28,314 25,501 20,963 9,801 Total large weight lbs/a 1,832 2,254 2,654 2,542 1,871 6,486 Total large number #/a 6,534 8,258 9,529 9,983 8,258 16,244 Total medium weight lbs/a 5,309 4,163 6,013 3,566 3,261 485 Total medium number #/a 12,977 10,890 17,969 12,614 8,621 2,269

Variety

PS870494 Sunpride PS861894 Sunguard Floralina Marina R2 CV lsd

SPRING

SPRING 2000 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

2000

COMMERCIAL

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VARIETY

TRIALS

23

23

Watermelon and

e/

/1

Cantaloupe Variety Trials in Southeast Georgia
George E. Boyhan, Darbie M. Granberry, and C. Randy Hill Two watermelon variety trials and one cantaloupe trial were held at the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center (VOVRC) in Toombs County, Georgia. Thirty-nine watermelon varieties and seven cantaloupe varieties were included in the trials. Initially, 33 varieties were to be tested, but four of the varieties had insufficient germination to be included in the trial. These varieties included 'Revolution (4034)', 'EX 4590339', 'EX 4590249', and 'AU-Sweet Scarlet SS'. Three of the four, 'Revolution (4034)', 'EX 4590339', and 'EX 4590249' were triploid varieties, which are known to be difficult to germinate. Watermelon plants for the first trial and the cantaloupe plants were started in the greenhouse on April 14 in a peatlite mix. All trials were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Each plot within the trials consisted of ten hills planted five feet apart in the row with six feet between rows. A 1010-10 fertilizer was applied on May 15 at a rate of 800 pounds per acre. Transplants for the first watermelon trial and the cantaloupe trial were planted on May 15. On May 26 Sonolan herbicide was applied at a rate of one quart per acre to the first watermelon and the cantaloupe trials. In addition, Poast was applied on June 1 (at a rate of one pint per acre), Basagran was applied on June 9 (at a rate of 1.5 pints per acre), and Alanap was applied on June 13 (at a rate of five quarts per acre). Hand weeding was also done as needed. Finally, 400 pounds per acre of 15-0-14 was applied on June 14. The second watermelon trial was seeded in the greenhouse on May 3 and transplanted to the field on May 31. The second watermelon trial had 800 pounds of 10-1010 broadcast preplant. In addition 400 pounds of 15-014 was sidedressed on the crop one month after transplanting. Weed control consisted of Sonolan herbicide applied as a preemergent herbicide applied at one quart per acre directly after transplanting. In addition, hand weeding was done as necessary. Herbicide selection and application rates and timing for all these trials do not reflect current accepted practices for Georgia.
TABLE 1. RATINGS OF 2000 WATERMELON
1 VARIETY TRIALS

All locations Location 5 Weather 5 Fertility 5 Irrigation 5 Pests 5 Overall 'See introduction for a description of rating scales. Three harvests were made on the first watermelon trial and two harvests on the cantaloupe trial. The first harvest was on July 24 and the second on July 27 as the melons ripened. The number of fruit and the total weight was recorded for each plot. In addition, two representative fruit from each plot were cut and measured for length, width, rind thickness, and soluble solids (percent sugar). In addition, melon type and flesh color was noted. Melon types are indicated by representative varieties, which help describe the melon types. 'Jubilee' is a relatively large oblong melon with a dark green stripe on a light green background. 'Crimson Sweet' is a round, medium-sized melon with a stripe pattern similar to 'Jubilee'. 'Allsweet' is a medium-sized oblong melon with a light stripe on a dark green background. 'Sugar Baby' is a small dark green melon usually weighting less than 10 pounds. Seedless melons are not really seedless, but have a 3n (triploid) number of chromosomes. This prevents the development of hard, mature seed, which instead remain soft and edible. The second watermelon trial was harvested on August 14 and the same data as mentioned previously was collected. In the first watermelon trial, the range of yields was from 48,627 pounds per acre for 'Stars n Stripes' to 12,828 pounds per acre for 'WX 57' with a least significant difference (lsd) of 17,910 pounds per acre(Table 1). The highest yield for a seedless variety was 39,229 pounds per acre for Asgrow's experimental variety 'EX 4203337'. Seedless varieties performed much better in

24
these trials compared to previous years. In the 1998 trials, for example, all of the seedless varieties had yields at least 5,000 pounds per acre less than the lowest yielding F1 hybrid. In contrast, in this year's trial two of the five top-yielding varieties were seedless varieties. The second watermelon trial consisted primarily of varieties from D. Palmer Seed Company, which arrived late for the first trial. Included in this trial were 'Pifiata' and 'Stars n Strips' both of which are good yielding F1 hybrid varieties. The range of yields for this trial was from 30,401 pounds per acre to 4,622 pounds per acre with an lsd of 11,126 pounds per acre (Table 2). The best yielding D. Palmer variety was 'Buttercup' a yellowfleshed, small, Crimson Sweet type melon. This trial in-

ALABAMA

AGRICULTURAL

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STATION

cluded several Sugar Baby seedless types. These varieties yielded significantly lower than the top performing varieties in this trial. Of the top five yielders in this trial, two were seedless varieties. The trend to seedless watermelons in the Southeast continues with an increase in performance overall for these varieties. The cantaloupe trial consisted of seven varieties. Four of these varieties were actually seed saved from specific melon types and are indicated as open-pollinated in Table 3. The other three varieties, 'Vienna', 'Athena', and 'SXM 7119' are Eastern types from their respective companies. The range of yields was from 18,263 pounds per acre to 8,770 pounds per acre; however, the difference was not significant.

TABLE

1.

FIRST WATERMELON VARIETY TRIAL, VIDALIA ONION AND VEGETABLE RESEARCH CENTER1

Variety Stars n Stripes AU-Jubilant WX55 WX22 EX 4203337 W 5036 EX 4510759 Slice N Serve 830 W 5052 Premiere Fl WX57 Dumara EX 4569319 WX15 Legacy Athens (5025) Festival Pifiata WX8 SXW 5023 AU-Allsweet BL W 5051 AU-Golden Producer AU Producer ZYMV AU Sweet Scarlet Lady WX30 Freedom (3022) XP 452547 R CV lsd

Seed source Asgrow Hollar Seed Co. Willhite Seed Willhite Seed Asgrow Sunseeds Asgrow Southwestern Sunseeds Southwestern Willhite Seed Sunseeds Asgrow Willhite Seed Willhite Seed Sunseeds Willhite Seed Willhite Seed Willhite Seed Sunseeds Auburn Univ. Sunseeds Hollar Seed Co. Auburn Univ. Hollar Seed Co. Sunseeds Southwestern Sunseeds Asgrow

Yield lbs/ac 48,627 43,549 30,242 47,956 39,229 39,160 38,434 27,824 26,169 22,800 12,828 38,355 37,981 37,175 35,044 34,478 32,975 31,704 31,164 29,138 19,947 15,863 37,552 37,066 35,465 34,129 32,176 23,512 20,441 0.429 44% 17,910

Sugar content % 9.9 9.4 10.7 10.4 9.8 10.1 10.6 10.3 10.4 10.6 9.9 10.3 10.0 10.0 9.7 10.0 9.6 9.1 10.1 10.7 10.6 10.3 10.7 9.7 10.3 9.6 9.9 11.1 10.5 0.371 8% NS

Fruit length in 17.4 16.9 10.3 14.1 10.8 15.5 11.5 10.7 10.7 10.9 11.6 14.0 15.3 12.6 16.2 14.2 13.8 15.1 14.5 15.3 15.1 12.5 11.1 11.0 11.3 12.3 13.4 12.5 16.1

Fruit width in 8.2 8.4 9.2 9.4 8.7 8.2 8.9 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.7 9.2 8.5 9.3 8.6 8.9 8.2 9.2 8.9 8.9 9.7 8.2 9.6 9.7 9.8 8.9 9.0 8.2 8.0

Rind Fruit thickness weight in lbs 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.7 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.9 0.9 0.9 0.6
15.6

Melon type 1 1 1 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5
5

Flesh color Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Yellow
Red

19.4 12.6 17.9 11.7 15.6 13.9 11.8 12.6 10.8 13.1 16.0 16.9 15.8 19.3 15.8 17.1 16.8 15.9 15.1 16.2 13.2 15.0 14.4 14.6 15.4 15.0 17.5 13.1

5 6 6 7 8

Red Red Red Red Red

'Harvested July 24, July 27, and August 2.2 Melon type: 1-Jubilee, 2=Blocky Crimson Sweet, 3= Crimson Sweet Seedless, 4=Allsweet, 5-Crimson Sweet, 6=Blocky Jubilee, 7=Seedless Jubilee, 8=Smokey Jubilee.

SPRING

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25

TABLE Variety

2. SECOND WATERMELON VARIETY TRIAL, VIDALIA ONION AND VEGETABLE RESEARCH CENTER
Seed source Willhite D. Palmer D. Palmer D. Palmer D. Palmer D. Palmer D. Palmer D. Palmer Asgrow D. Palmer D. Palmer D. Palmer Yield lbs/ac 30,401 11,986 28,085 27,791 24,216 19,410 19,097 12,084 20,797 7,560 5,496 4,622 0.667 61% 11,126 Sugar content % 9.2 9.3 10.4 10.1 10.5 10.9 10.9 11.5 10.4 10.9 11.9 10.4 0.672 10% 1.0 Fruit length in 13.7 16.2 10.7 11.6 10.8 9.4 11.6 10.5 15.5 7.6 8.2 7.6 Fruit width in 8.2 8.3 8.5 8.8 9.3 8.7 9.3 7.9 7.4 7.3 7.4 6.9 Rind Fruit thickness weight in lbs 0.7 0.4 0.5 0.5 1.0 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.8 0.5 0.5 15.0 16.5 11.5 12.6 12.1 10.3 13.2 10.7 12.6 6.5 7.2 6.4 Melon type2 4 4 5 3 3 3 3 3 1 9 9 9 Flesh color Red Red Yellow Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red

Pifiata Sweet Amigo Buttercup DPS 4571 Big Charlie Sweet Caroline Imp Enchantment DPS 4586 Stars n Stripes DPSX 4599 DPSX 4598 WT-1 R2 CV lsd

'Harvested August 14. 2 Melon type: 1=Jubilee, 2=Blocky Crimson Sweet, 3= Crimson Sweet Seedless, 4=Allsweet, 5-Crimson Sweet, 6=Blocky Jubilee, 7=Seedless Jubilee, 8=Smokey Jubilee 9=Sugar Baby Seedless.

TABLE 3. CANTALOUPE VARIETY TRIAL, VIDALIA ONION AND VEGETABLE RESEARCH CENTER'
Variety Vienna Athena SXM 7119 Santa Claus Western Shipping Juan Canary Crenshaw R2 CV Isd 'Harvested July 24. Seed source Asgrow Rogers Sunseeds Open-pollinated Open-pollinated Open-pollinated Open-pollinated Yield lbs/ac 18,263 13,914 13,449 14,353 11,514 10,222 8,770 0.367 40% NS Sugar content % 7.9 9.3 7.2 6.2 8.4 8.0 8.3 0.530 22% NS Fruit length in 7.5 6.9 7.4 10.3 6.0 8.2 8.1 Fruit width in 7.1 6.4 6.9 6.3 5.6 5.7 7.1 Rind Fruit thickness weight in lbs 2.0 1.9 1.9 2.1 1.6 1.6 2.0 5.2 4.1 4.3 4.9 2.3 3.6 5.7 Melon type Eastern Eastern Eastern Santa Claus Western Juan Canary Crenshaw Flesh color Orange Orange Orange Green Orange Green Salmon

26

ALABAMA

26

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

AGRICULTURAL

EXPERIMENT

STATION

Several New Watermelon Varieties In 2000
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, Ron McDaniel, Malcomb Pegues, Larry Wells, Brian Gamble, and Arnold Caylor TABLE 1. RATINGS OF 2000 WATERMELON
VARIETY TRIALS 1

Watermelon trials were conducted at the Gulf Coast Research and Extension Center (GCREC) in Fairhope, Alabama, the Wiregrass Research and Extension Center (WREC) in Headland, Alabama, and the North Alabama Horticulture Research Center (NAHRC) in Cullman, Alabama. A watermelon trial was also conducted at the Lower Coastal Plain Research Station in Camden (Tables 1 and 2). Low yields due to excessive predation led to the termination of the study.

Location Weather Fertility Irrigation Pests Overall

GCREC 3 5 5 5 4

WRED 3 5 5 5 4

NAHRC 4 5 5 5 5

'See introduction for a description of rating scales.

TABLE 2. SEED SOURCE, FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS, AND RELATIVE EARLINESS
OF SELECTED WATERMELON VARIETIES

Variety Athens Big Stripe Carnival Crimson Glory Dumara Festival Fiesta Jubilee II Pinata Royal Sweet Stars'N Stripes Starbrite StarGazer SWD 7303 Sweet Favorite SXW 5040 Tigar Baby Variety #800 WX8
WX22 WX30

Type' AS AS, F1 AS, Fl CS, Fl AS IB, Fl AS, Fl JU, OP AS, Fl AS, F1 AS, F1 JU, Fl AS, Fl AS JU CS CS AS IB
AS AS

Seed source Sunseeds Willhite Novartis Petoseed Sunseeds Johnny's Novartis Asgrow Willhite Petoseed Asgrow Asgrow Asgrow Sakata Sakata Sunseeds Petoseeds Abbott & Cobb Willhite
Southwest Southwest

Fruit shape Blocky Oblong Blocky Round Elongaated Round Elongated Elongated
-

Flesh color Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Red Yellow Red Red
-

Days to harvest 85 86 82 75 85 90 85 85 85 85 85 85 83 80
-

Disease claims2 FW ANT,FW FW *ANT, *FW
-

Years eval. 00 99 97 96,97 00 99 97 94,97,98 99 94,96,97 97-99 97 98,99 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00

Elongated Elongated Oblong Elongated Elongated Oblong Oblong Round Oblong Round
-

ANT,FW *ANT, *FW FW *ANT, *FW -

*FW *ANT,*FW
-

-

-

Yellow Doll

IB

Petoseed

Oval

Yellow

68

-

00

*Race 1 only. - = not available from seed catalogues. Disease claims: ANT = Anthracnose; FW = Fusarium Wilt; AS = Allsweet. CS = Crimson Sweet; IB= Icebox; JU = Jubilee; xxx = Triploid (seedless).

SPRING

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27

27

At all locations, watermelons were direct seeded on five foot by 60 foot plots. At NAHRC watermelons were grown on silver plastic mulch with a five-foot within row spacing. At WREC and GCREC plants were grown on bare ground with a within row spacing six feet and were planted on April 26 and April 10, respectively. At NAHRC, 55 pounds per acre of ammonium nitrate was applied on May 9. Fertilization consisted of weekly injections of six pounds of nitrogen per acre until harvest. Alnap 4L fertilizer was applied on June 1 at a rate of eight quarts per acre. Other herbicides used were Round-Up Ultra on July 29 at a rate of 4.7 pints per acre and Gramoxzone at a rate of three pints per acre on June 1. Fungicides used were Bravo Weather Stik at a rate of three pints per acre on June 9, June 26, and July 10. Insecticides used were Adios (at a rate of 1.5 pints per acre) on June 9 and Asana XL (at a rate of six ounces per acre) on June 19, June 26, and July 10. At GCREC, 500 pounds per acre of 10-10-10 were applied preplant on March 23. Fertilization consisted of 220 pounds per acre of ammonium nitrate on May 16

and May 24. Preemergence herbicides used were Curbit (at a rate of three pints per acre) and Roundup (at a rate of 1.5 pints per acre) on April 10. Bravo fungicide was applied weekly between May 25 and June 30 at a rate of 1.5 pints per acre. At WREC, 50 pounds per acre of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were applied preplant on April 17 to meet soil test recommendations. Fertilization consisted of one application of ammonium nitrate (at a rate of 60 pounds nitrogen per acre) on May 26. Fungicides used were Bravo 720 (at a rate of three pints per acre) on June 2, and Bravo Ultrex (at a rate of 2.8 pounds per acre) on June 16 and 26. Weeds were controlled with one application of Sonalan (at a rate of three pints per acre) on April 26. High yields were observed at all locations despite this year's drought. At GCREC and NAHS there were little or no differences among all sweet types. At WREC several types of varieties were included in the trial. 'Sweet Favorite' (a jubilee type) had the highest yield though not significantly higher than that of the experimental variety 'WX8'.

28

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AGRICULTURAL

UTRLEP

EXPERIMENT

IMN SAIO

STATION

TABLE 3. THE 2000 DIPLoID WATERMELON VARIETY TRIAL Variety
Type

Stand
%

Marketable yield

Marketable fruits

Cull weight

Cull
number

Individual
fruit wt.

Soluble
solids 0 BrLx

Hollow
heart in

lbs/a

#/a

lbs/a

#/a

lbs

Gulf Coast Research and Extension Center Starbrite Stars and Stripes Variety #800 Pinata WX22 Royal Sweet Stargazer Fiesta Dumara WX3O Athens 5WD7303 R2 CV lsd AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS AS 61,050 59,977 48,803 47,397 46,472 46,102 45,769 42,106 41,588 41,070 40,626 36,075 0.59 15 19,363 3,330 3,312 2,831 2,424 2,590 2,720 2,757 2,923 2,590 2,276 2,276 2,442
*

*

18 18 17 20 18 17 17 15 16 18 18 15 0.55 9 2.09

11.0 10.9 10.9 11.1 10.8 10.6 11.1 11.1 10.8 11.2 10.3 11.0 0.15 6 0.96

4 4 2 2 2 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0.30 158 3

Wiregrass Research and Extension Center Sweet Favorite WX8 Jubilee II Yellow Doll Tiger Baby SXW 5023 Crimson Glory TWC-7 TWC-9 TWC-5 Festival R20.50 CV lsd JU JU JU lB CS CS CS CS CS CS AS 100 73 100 100 93 100 100 93 100 100 100 53,056 45,907 39,668 20,238 51,345 47,890 40,495 36,395 33,771 25,669 45,639 30 17,110 2,719 1,921 1,740 2,864 5,836 2,719 2,465 2,538 1,921 2,501 2,429 2,422 2,610 4,133 0 0 2,001 1,646 2,066 964 355 3,745 0.27 140 3,669 181 145 145 0 0 109
73

19 24 27 7 9 18
18

145 73 36 181

14 18 10 19 0.76 20 7

"*

North Alabama Horticulture Research Center Pinata
Starbrite

AS
AS

* *

46,546
43,000**

**

**8.0" **

11.2" " " "

Royal Sweet WX22 Fiesta Dumara 5WD7303
Stars

and Stripes

AS AS AS AS AS
AS

* * * * *

42,547 36,510 35,268 34,443** 34,414**
33,638**

** ** **

11.3" 10.5"
11.0"

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SPRING 2000 COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE VARIETY TRIALS

29 29

'Gold Slice' Squash Outperforms Standard Varieties Early
Joe Kemble, Edgar Vinson, and Randy Akridge A yellow summer squash variety trial was conducted at the Brewton Research Field (BRF) in Brewton, Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). Squash varieties were direct seeded at a one inch depth in single row plots, five feet wide and 20 feet long. In-row spacing was 18 inches, which provided a stand of approximately 6,000 plants per acre. Beds were drip irrigated and covered with plastic mulch. Preplant fertilization consisted of 60 pounds of nitrogen per acre. Insect control was provided by Sevin at a rate of two quarts per acre on June 17. To control weeds, atrazine was applied at a rate of two quarts per acre on May 9. Squash were harvested eight times between June 7 and June 23. In order to be graded as US#1, summer squash must be harvested frequently while they are fairly young and tender. Fruits were graded as US#1, US#2, or cull according to the United States Standards for
TABLE

1. RATINGS

OF

2000 SUMMER SQUASH

VARIETY TRIAL 1

Location BRF Weather 3 Fertility 5 Irrigation 5 Pests 5 Overall 5 'See introduction for a description of rating scales.

Grades of Summer Squash (U.S. Dept. Agr. G.P.O. 1987180-916:40730 AMS). Marketable yield was calculated by adding the US#1 and US#2 yields. Early yields were determined by combing the yields of the first four harvests. During the early harvests (Table 3) there were no significant differences between the standard variety 'Prelude II' and other varieties suchas 'Gold Slice', "HMX8714' and 'General TABLE 2. SEED SOURCE, FRUIT TYPE, AND RELATIVE EARLINESS Patton'. Total production OF SELECTED SQUASH VARIETIES (Table 4) reveals that Variety Type' Seed Days to Disease Years Slice and "Gold source harvest claims2 evaluated 'HMX8714' out performed 'Prelude II'. CMV,WMV,ZYMV 97-00 Destiny 1I* F1 Asgrow 94-96,98,00 Dixie F1 Asgrow 41 General Patton F1 Asgrow 41 PYG 00 00 Petoseed 45 Gold Slice F1 HMX 8714 F1 Harris Moran 45 WMV,ZYMV,PRSV 00 Hurricane (Z) Fl Sunseed 42 00 I enependence II (Z) F1 Asgrow 43 WMV,ZYMV 00 00 Asgrow 41 PYG Meigs(Z) Fl Midas F1 Willhite 53 PM 00
Pic-N-Pic Seedway 50 00

Prelude II Suwannee
Sundance

F1 Fl
F1

Asgrow Sunseed
Petoseed

40 42
45

PM,WMV,ZYMV
-

97,98,00 00
00

* Precocious Variety; - = none; from seed catalogues

PYG = Precocious Yellow Gene, masks symptoms of some viruses Disease claims: PM = Powdery Mildew; CMV= Cucumber Mosaic Virus; ZYMV = Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus; WMV = Watermelon Mosaic Virus; PRSV=Papaya Ringspot Virus

30

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30
TABLE

ALABAMA AGRCLUA

XERMN

TTO

3. EARLY PRODUCTION AND GRADE DISTRIBUTION OF SELECTED SUMMER SQUASH VARIETIES
GROWN AT BREWTON RESEARCH FIELD Early marketable wt.
lbs/a

Variety

Stand
%

Early US#1 wt.
lbs/a

Early US#2 wt.
lbs/a

Early US#l no. #a

Early US#2 no.

Yellow Crookneck Gold Slice IMX8714 Prelude II General Patton Sundance Suwanne Dixie Destiny III Midas 100 98 100 100 100 100 75 100 100 6,922 6,128 6,030 5,579 5,476 5,019 4,829 4,627 4,366 3,268 2,876 2,795 3,105 2,648 2,327 2,354 2,398 1,604 Zucchini Hurricane Meigs Independence II R2 CV lsd 100 100 100 5,410 4,709 4,187 0.47 18 1,354 2,811 2,485 1,577 0.41 28 993 2,599 2,224 2,610 6,199 15,008 3,371 3,480 6,525 3,589 3,654 3,252 3,235 2,474 2,828 2,692 2,474 2,229 2,762 11,745 6,308 15,986 12,398 15,116 11,854 12,289 11,963 6,416 7,939 4,350 7,721 5,220 7,721 8,265 6,416 7,504 7,178

TABLE 4. TOTAL PRODUCTION AND GRADE DISTRIBUTION OF SELECTED SUMMER SQUASH VARIETIES GROWN AT BREWTON RESEARCH FIELD Variety Stand
%

Total marketable wt. lbs/a

Total US#1 wt. lbs/a

Total US#2 wt. lbs/a

Total Cull lbs/a

Total US#1 no. #/a

Total US#2 no. #/a

Individual US#1 fruit wt. lb

Yellow Crookneck

Gold Slice HMX8714 Prelude II General Patton Sundance Suwanne Dixie Destiny III Midas

100 98 100 100 100 100 75 100 100

13,806 12,474 11,707 13,077 11,098 8,961 8,488 10,271 9,015

6,840 4,671 6,199 7,047 5,851 4,709 4,676 5,274 3,899

6,965 7,803 5,508 6,030 5,247 4,252 3,812 4,997 5,117

2,267 7,058 3,485 2,789 2,577 2,659 3,703 3,154 2,909

23,490 11,419 30,015 26,861 29,689 23,708 26,100 27,079 17,618

13,594 9,135 12,724 11,854 13,050 12,071 8,809 13,811 12,180

0.29 0.41 0.21 0.27 0.20 0.20 0.18 0.20 0.22

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31

Seed Sources
Abbott and Cobb, Inc. To order: (800)-345-SEED In TX: (800) 227-8177 Tech Rep: Pete Suddarth 4517 Tillman Bluff Rd. Valdosta, GA 31602 Ph: (912) 249-8135 Asgrow Seed Co. To order: (800) 234-1056 Tech. Rep: Duaine E. Kief 412 Holly Hill Ct. Tallahassee, FL 32312 Ph: (805) 570-1791 E-mail: duaine.kief@svseed.com Tech Rep: Rusty Autry 2221 North Park Ave. Tifton, GA 31796 Ph: (912) 392-0255 Tifton Seed Distribution Center Tech. Rep: Van Lindsey Ph: (912) 382-1815 Ferry-Morse Seed Co. To order: (608) 837-6574 Tech Rep: Glenn McKay P.O. Box 392 Sun Prairie, WI 53590 Ph: (608) 837-6574 Harris Seeds To order: (800) 544-7938 Tech Rep: Mark Willis P.O. Box 22960 60 Saginow Dr. Rochester, NY 14692-2960 Ph: (716) 442-0410 Fax: (716) 442-9386 Tech Rep: John Kemery 615 Weston Ridge Dr. Walland, TN 37886-2010 Ph: (423) 681-3509 Fax: (423) 983-7034 E-mail: jkemery998 @aol.com Harry Moran Seed Co. To order: (209) 579-7333 Tech. Rep: Laura Isaac P. O. Box 4938 Modesto, CA 95352 Ph: (209) 579-7333 Fax: (209) 527-8674 Hollar Seeds To order: (719) 254-7411 P.O. Box 106 Rocky Ford, CO 81067-0106 Ph: (719) 254-7411 Fax: (719) 254-3539 Website: www.hollarseeds.com Johnny's Select Seeds To order: (207) 437-4395 Tech. Rep: Steve Woodward 1 Foss Hill Road RR1 Box 2580 Albion, ME 04910-9731 Fax: (800) 437-4290 Kelly Seed Company To order: (800) 654-0726 Tech. Rep: Jack Stuckey 100 Shilo Rd P.O. Box 370 Hartford, AL 36344 Fax: (334) 588-6144 Lewis Taylor Farms Bill Brim P.O. Box 822 Tifron, GA 31793 Ph: (912) 382-4454 (Produced transplants for Alabama trials) Liberty Seed Co. To order: (800) 541-6022 New Philadelphia, OH 44663-0806 Ph: (330) 364-1611 Fax: (330) 364-6415 Petoseed To order: (850) 894-8026 Tech. Rep: Cameron Sutherland 6604 Tomy Lee Tallahassee, FL 32308-1643 Ph:(850) 894-8026 Fax: (850) 894-8036 Rupp Seeds To order: (800) 700-1199 Tech. Rep: Roger Rupp 17919 County Road B Wansiom, OH 43567 Ph: (419) 337-1841 Fax: (419) 337-5491

32

ALABAMA

32

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

AGRICULTURAL

EXPERIMENT

STATION

Seed Sources, continued
Sakata Seed America, lnc.
To order: (914) 369-0032 Tech. Rep: Atlee Burpee P.O. Box 1103 Lehigh, FL 33970-1103 Ph: (941) 369-0032

Seedway
To order: (800) 952-7333 Tech. Rep: James J. Pullins 1225 Zeager Rd. Elizabethtown, PA 17022 Ph: (717) 367-1075 Fax: (717) 367-0387
E-mail:

Stokes Seeds Inc.
To order: (800) 263-7133 Tech. Rep: Joe Butwin P.O. Box 548
Buffalo, NY 14240-0548

Fax: (905) 684-8499

Sandoz Rogers/Novartis
To order: (912) 560-1863 Tech. Rep: Curt Pollard Ph: (912) 560-1863, (912) 244-2922
E-mail:

info@seedway.com

Willhite
To order: (800) 828-1840 Tech Rep: Don Dobbs P.O. Box 23 Poolville, TX 76487 Fax: (817) 599-5843

Shamrock Seed Co., Inc
To order: (408) 351-4443 Tech Rep: Estella Barajas, Jim Davis 3 Harris Place Salinas, CA 93901 Ph: (800) 351-4443 Fax: (408) 771-1517

cuapollar@seeds.novartis.com

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 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 publication process for the next regional bulletin (fall 2000). When: March 29, 2001 Deadline for fall 2000 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 first five regional bulletins. *Include 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: evinson@acesag.auburn.edu, or jkemble@acesag.auburn.edu

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY 1. North Mississippi Research and Extension Center, Verona, MS
THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

2. North Florida Research and Extension Center*Suwannee Valley, Live Oak, FL THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA On-farm locations in 3. Brantley, 4. Toombs, 5. Tattnall, and 6. Screven counties, GA 7. Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Farm, Reidsville, GA NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY 8. North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service Granville County Center, Oxford, NC AUBURN UNIVERSITY 9. Gulf Coast Research and Extension Center, Fairhope, AL 10. Brewton Research Field, Brewton, AL 11. Wiregrass Research and Extension Center, Headland, AL 12. Chilton Area Research and Extension Center, Clanton, AL 13. North Alabama Horticulture Research Center, Cullman, AL
14. Sand Mountain Research and Extension Center, Crossville, AL