RESEARCH UPDATE
FRUITS &
VEGETABLES
Sweetpotato Clones Show
Variable Yields
Nine sweetpotato clones were
evaluated in AAES research at the E.
V. Smith Research 
Center, Shorter,
and Chilton Area Horticulture Sub-
station, Clanton. Plantings were made
in late June, using between- and
within-row spacings of 42 and 12
inches, respectively. Per acre rates of
N-P
2
0O-K
2
0 were 90-70-150 pounds
at Shorter and 50-100-150 at Clanton.
Fertilizer was incorporated at plant-
ing at Clanton. At Shorter, all fertil-
izer except half of the nitrogen was
incorporated at planting; the re-
maining nitrogen was applied 6
weeks later. Irrigation was used at
Shorter but not at Clanton. Harvest
was made 115 days after planting at
Shorter and 123 days after planting
at Clanton. Detailed results are given
in the table.
Shorter results. Highest yields of
U.S. No. 
1,
canner, and
total market-
able were ob-
tained with
L-86-33 and
Cordner.
Yields of MD-
607,NC-1406,
and Beaure-
gard were
considerably
less than yields of L-86-33 and
Cordner. Poor yields were produced
by Jewel, Georgia Red, Nugget, and
TI-155. Georgia Red's production of
464 bushels per acre of culls indicates
that variety's high yield potential.
Clanton results. Highest yields
of total marketable roots were
obtained with MD-607, Beaure-
gard, L-86-33, and TI-155. Highest
yields of jumbo roots were obtained
with TI-155 and Cordner. Lowest
marketable yields were produced by
NC-1406, Georgia Red, and Nugget.
Trends in U.S. No. 1 yields were
similar to trends in total marketable
yields at both locations. Yields were
lower than expected at Clanton be-
cause of poor stands.
J. M. Dangler, W. T. Hogue, and J. M. Pits
Black Plastic Mulch Increases Muskmelon Yields
The use of black plastic mulch in
the production of vegetable crops
has received greater attention as
farmers consider vegetable produc-
tion as an alternative farm enterprise.
Black plastic mulch and row covers
offer greater latitude in crop produc-
tion systems, with the potential for
two- to three-fold increases in yields
and earlier maturity of certain crops.
AnAAES study focusingon the use
of black plastic mulch and row covers
in the production of muskmelons was
conducted on a sandy loam soil (ph
continued on page 2
LowELL T. k DRTAU R UI s ,A 1M
Production by Nine Sweetpotato Clones, Shorter and Clanton, 1990
Yield/acre, Shorter Yieldacre, Clanton
Clone 
U.S. Canner 
Market- U.S. 
Canner Market-
No. 1 able No. 1 able
Bu.
1  
Bu. Bu. Bu. Bu. Bu.
L-86-33 ............ 240 39 306 65 23 95
Cordner ........... 152 46 203 44 19 74
MD-607 ........... 98 25 126 76 32 120
NC-1406 .......... 99 25 125 32 22 57
Beauregard ...... 83 24 122 74 25 107
Jewel ......... 51 18 85 65 23 88
Ga. Red ....... 45 22 70 33 16 51
Nugget............ 34 21 61 26 18 47
TI-155 ........... 5 3 9 40 19 83
Bushel = 50 pounds.
Black Plastic Mulch, continued
7.1) in Jefferson County, Alabama.
Treatments were: (1) black plastic
mulch (BPM), (2) BPM plus clear,
slitted plastic (CSP) row tunnel, (3)
BPM plus white, tinted, slitted plas-
tic (WTSP) row tunnel, (4) BPM plus
spunbonded polyester (SPE) floating
row cover, and (5) bare soil (control).
Fertilization and weed and pest con-
trol were according to recommended
practices, and irrigation was applied
as needed.
On April 12, BPM (3 mils thick, 3
feet wide) was applied to rows 20 feet
long, spaced 5 feet apart. AU-Rora
muskmelons, seeded in peat cubes in
March in the greenhouse, were field
transplanted in April and spaced 2
feet apart within rows. Shortly after
transplanting, the different row
cover materials were applied over
the row. After 3 weeks, row covers
were removed; however, BPM re-
mained in place as a mulch.
Mulches and row cover treatments
were the most productive, ranging
Table 1. Effect of Black Plastic Mulch and
Row Cover on Production of Muskmelon
Production
Treatment 
Early' Total
Pct. No.
BPM ................. ............... 67 8,385
BPM plus CSP ................. 73 9,910
BPM plus WTSP .............. 39 7,841
BPM plus SPE ............... 73 8,382
Bare soil ............................ 28 3,812
1
Harvested June 20-30 as a percentage of
the harvest period extending through July 14.
from 105 to 160 percent increase in
yield, with 39 to 73 percent of total
production during the first 2 weeks of
the harvest period, table 1. The lowest
yield was on the bare soil treatment,
which produced only 28 percent of
melons during the first 2 weeks of the
harvest period. Higher yields and
early maturity with BPM and row
covers reflect an increase in air and
soil temperatures in the plant-grow-
ing environment, table 2, as well as
increased soil moisture content and
decreased weed population. In-
creased vine growth 3 weeks after
Table 2. Air and Soil Temperature as Affected
by Black Plastic Mulch and Row Cover
Treatment 
Av. 2 p.m. 
temp.
Air Soil
Deg. F Deg. F
BPM ...... .................. 86 80
BPM plus CSP ............ 108 85
BPM plus WTSP ........ 93 79
BPM plus SPE ................ 96 82
Bare soil .......................... 79 76
'Recorded daily for 3 weeks following estab-
lishment.
field planting was positively corre-
lated with an increase in melon matu-
rity under the row covers.
When compared to the bare soil
check, all treatments produced
higher yield and greater economic
returns, and melon size was the same
for all treatments. If earliness of pro-
duction takes preference over total
yield, the BPM plus WTSP and the
bare soil treatments, respectively,
would be the last choice of produc-
tion practices.
J.E. Brown and T.A. Glover
Surfactant Promising as Peach 
Thinner
Fruit thinning to a suitable crop
load is one of the costliest production
practices for peaches in years when
trees set a heavy crop. Currently,
hand thinning is required because
there are no chemical thinning mate-
rials available for use. Current re-
search is centered on blossom thin-
ning since there are no promising fruit
thinning agents being developed.
Materials that desiccate blossoms,
such as ammonium nitrate, ammoni-
um thiosulfate, and surfactants, have
been evaluated as a means of remov-
ing a portion of the potential peach
crop by destroying part of the
blossoms. However, the fertilizer
materials ammonium nitrate and
ammonium thiosulfate have not
consistently removed an adequate
number of blossoms to satisfy the
thinning requirement.
In 1990 AAES tests, applications of
the surfactant 
Effect of
Triton AG-98
showed promise 
Rate of
as a blossom r
thinner. A single
application 
of Tri- None 
...............
ton AG-98 was 2.0 pct. .............
made during full 4.0 pct. ...............
bloom using a 
6.0 pct ...............
bloom using 
a
hand-held nozzle
on a tractor-mounted sprayer, ap-
plied to the point of run-off. Rates
evaluated were 0, 2, 4, and 6 percent
on Surecrop peaches. The fruit on
the untreated trees were hand
thinned to a normal crop load for
comparison with the four rates of
Triton AG-98.
Blossom thinning resulting from
Triton AG-98 increased linearly
with increasing rates, see table.
Fruit number and fruit total yield
decreased and average fruit weight
Triton AG-98 on Surecrop Peach, 1990
Percent Total Total Average Fruit 2 1/2
blooms fruit yield fruit inches or
emoved weight larger
Pct. No. Lb. Oz. Pct.
17 784 191 4.0 65
52 555 157 4.8 78
73 292 96 5.4 85
72 284 88 5.1 89
and the percent of the crop 2 1/2
inches and larger increased with in-
creasing rates of Triton. This indi-
cated over-thinning with the higher
concentrations of Triton. The 2-per-
cent rate of Triton resulted in the
most promising degree of thinning
and eliminated the need for further
hand thinning. However, more re-
finement in application rates is
needed.
W.A. Dozier, Jr., A.W. Caylor,
J.A. Pitts, and K.S. Short
Auburn-Developed
Plums Adapted to
Commercial Market
Two new AAES plum cultivars,
AU-Rubrum and AU-Rosa, have the
appearance and taste that consumers
prefer and quality that commercial
growers demand. Both varieties have
proven to be high yielding and rela-
tively free of diseases that restrict
production of other commercial
cultivars in Alabama.
In cooperative tests at the USDA's
R.B. Russell Research Center in Ath-
ens, Georgia, AU-Rubrum met stor-
age and shipping requirements in ex-
tensive tests.
AU-Rosa per-
formed as well
inlimited tests,
with addi-
tional experi-
mentsplanned
for next year.
Plums were
picked at the
half red color
stage and
Variety
stored at 32
0
F for 5 weeks and then
ripened at 68o
. 
The plums developed
a full red color with no significant loss
in quality when compared to tree-
ripened fruit.
The USDA tests confirm that AU-
Rubrum and AU-Rosa have the kind
of storage and shipping qualities
needed for commercial cultivars. Most
plums currently found in supermar-
kets are Japanese types that are grown
in California.
The two varieties averaged more
than 100 poundsof fruitper treebythe
fourth year of growth in Alabama
tests. Data on fruit characteristics
and disease response are listed in
the table.
J.D. Norton, G.E. Boyhan, and
B.R. Abraham
Fruit
characteristics
Size 
Soluble
solids
Disease index'
Bacterial Black Plum leaf
leaf spot knot scald
In. Pct.
AU-Rosa ........... 2.0 17.6 0 0 1
AU-Rubrum ....... 1.9 15.6 0 0 1
Santa Rosa....... 1.7 16.7 5 5 5
'Disease index: 0=0, 1=1-20, 2=21-40, 3=41,60, 4=61-80, and 5=81-100
percent of fruit, leaves, and trees infected.
Drip Irrigation and Black Plastic Mulch Promote
Bell Pepper Yields Ef
The use of black plastic
mulch and drip irrigation has
increased greatly 
in recent years 
Bli
in efforts to increase crop yields BlI
and maximize economic re- Ba
turns. Use of this cultural prac- Ba
tice in the production of bell
peppers was studied at the Sand
Mountain Substation, Crossville, to
evaluate plant growth and perfor-
mance.
Four treatmentswere included: (1)
black plastic mulch alone, (2) black
plastic mulch plus drip irrigation, (3)
bare soil plus drip irrigation, and (4)
bare soil alone. Recommended herbi-
cide and fertilizer applications were
fect of Black Plastic Mulch and Drip Irrigation on
Pepper Production
Treatment Marketable yield/acre Culls
Lb. No. Pct.
ack plastic + drip.... 19,125 76,375 16
ack plastic.......... 17,320 69,764 14
re soil + drip.......... 8,874 41,532 23
re soil .................... 3,033 13,844 29
made just prior to planting, and an
additional 45 pounds per acre of ac-
tual N was sidedressed when the
pepper plants began to flower.
Black plastic mulch (1.5 mil and 3
feet wide) and the drip irrigation tub-
ing were laid simultaneously with a
plastic layer on rows in plots 20 feet
long, spaced 7 feet apart. Bell pepper
(Keystone Resistant #4) was trans-
planted on May 6, through punched
holes, spaced 18 inches apart in the
row in black plastic mulch and on
bare soil. Peppers were harvested as
needed from July 19 to October 4.
Yields of bell peppers were similar
with the black plastic mulch plus
drip irrigation and black plastic
mulch alone treatments, see table.
These treatments produced 8 and 7
tons more per acre, respectively, than
on bare soil without drip irrigation.
Percentage of cull fruits was greater
on the bare soil treatment than on the
other treatments. As in other studies,
fruits produced on bare soil were
more likely to be stressed and af-
fected by pathogenic organisms than
fruits produced on black plastic and
under irrigation. On plots where
mulch was used, pepper fruits were
prevented from contact with the
ground, which may increase the num-
ber of marketable fruits.
J.E. Brown, J.T. Eason, M.E. Ruf,
and D.W. Porch
Pole Bean Variety Trials
Provide Useful
Comparisons
Pole beans are widely grown in
Alabama home gardens and for local
fresh markets. And there is increasing
interest in commercial production.
Dade, McCaslan, and Kentucky
Wonder 191 are traditional varieties,
but several new varieties have also
been introduced. These new ones
were tested along with familiar vari-
eties in 1990 at the Chilton Area Hor-
ticulture Substation, Clanton, and
North Alabama Horticulture Sub-
station, Cullman. Data from the
Cullman location are reported here.
The Cullman trial was planted May
1, 1990, with plants spaced 6 inches
apart in 5-foot rows. A two-wire
string trellis was used in growing
the 16 varieties. All had green pods
continued on page 4
Fruit Characteristics and Disease Response of Cultivars
Pole Bean Variety Trials, continued
Pole Bean Variety Comparisons, North Alabama Horticulture Substation, Cullman
Days to Number Total
Variety 
Pod Pod 
first of 
yield/
length width harvest harvests acre
In. In. No. No. Lb.
Alabama No. 1 ..................... 5.8 0.5 67 
9 16,194
Belmonte ............................. 7.1 .6 49 
13 19,794
Bertina ................................. 5.4 .5 
56 10 21,533
Blue Lake ............................ 5.2 .5 57 
11 10,088
Dade .................................... 6.4 .5 
54 11 9,690
Genuine Cornfield ............... 59 .5 67 
9 14,361
Goldmarie ............................ 6.8 .6 49 
13 18,293
Kentucky Wonder ............... 6.7 .5 60 
9 15,896
Kentucky Wonder 191 ......... 6.3 .5 58 
11 14,485
McCaslin .............................. 6.5 .5 
58 10 8,562
Novax .................................. 5.2 .4 
51 13 13,444
Precores .............................. 6.8 .6 
51 12 16,053
Rattlesnake ......................... 6.4 .5 60 
9 20,067
Rinox ................................... 5.2 .5 56 11 
16,799
Selma Star ........................... 5.9 .5 54 
10 16,079
Selma Zebrina ..................... 6.2 .5 54 11 
12,882
except Goldmarie, whose pods were
yellow. Rattlesnake and Selma
Zebrina had striped pods.
Although results in the table are
preliminary (1 year only), growers
may benefit from small plantings of
new varieties. Some of the varieties
tested were of European origin and
may not be found in local seed
markets.
A.G. Hunter, M.H. Hollingsworth,
and O.L Chambliss
New Watermelons Perform Well in Cultivar
Evaluations
Sixteen watermelon varieties were
evaluated in AAES trials during
1988-90 at five locations throughout
Alabama. The ranges in yields for the
five locations are recorded in the table,
with varieties grouped as Charleston
Gray, Jubilee, Icebox, and Crimson
Sweet type melons.
Charleston Gray type. Charlee, a
new release from the Florida Agri-
cultural Experiment Station, gave
the best overall results. It offers
greater disease resistance than
Charleston Gray.
Jubilee type. The AAES-devel-
oped AU-Jubilant compared favor-
ably with the Jubilee cultivar in yield
and quality. It has higher disease
resistance than Jubilee.
Icebox type. Mickylee and Minilee
were higher in yield, quality, and dis-
ease resistance than SugarBaby. These
melons also do not have the problem
Watermelon Yield Comparison, Range at
Five Locations
Variety
Charleston Gray type
Charleston Gray ..............
C harlee ............................
Sweet Charlie ..................
Charleston Elite ...............
Jubilee type
Jub ilee .............................
AU-Jubilant ......................
Icebox type
Sugar Baby ......................
M ickylee ..........................
M in ile e .............................
Crimson Sweet type
Crimson Sweet ................
AU-Producer ....................
S ugarlee ..........................
D ixielee ............................
Mirage LS ........................
AW-83-1001-CSY ............
Crimson Tide ...................
Range, lb./acre
18,126-29,274
19,889-40,196
17,794-33,148
14,531-30,825
15,343-25,881
16,951-38,124
10,388-20,202
13,768-29,251
9,936-33,488
12,774-31,114
17,919-30,486
14-617-31,061
12,754-26,179
20,386-51,996
12,952-30,596
19,541-38,803
of sun scald that Sugar Baby exhibits.
Crimson Sweet type. AU-Pro-
ducer compared favorably with
Crimson Sweet in yield, quality, and
disease resistance. Sugarlee and
Dixilee, two varieties with high sugar
content and intense red color, had a
shorter storage life than others be-
cause discoloration developed in the
flesh. The hybrids Mirage LS and
Crimson Tide did extremely well.
Hybrids generally have great vigor
and uniformity, but seed costs are
extremely high.
A yellow fleshed mutant of AU-
Producer, identified as AW-83-1001-
CSY, compared favorably with the
Crimson Sweet types in yield, quality,
and disease resistance. The yellow
fleshed variety and another AAES
line, AW-82-50CS, have performed
well in the Southern Cooperative
Watermelon Trials (at nine locations
in the Southeast).
AW-82-50CS is an open pollinated
line that has a deep red flesh and high
sugar content. Its shape is similar to
Crimson Sweet, but it hasa light green
rind with a dark green stripe.
J.D. Norton, G.E. Boyhan,
and B.R. Abraham
Trunk Wraps, Mist
Irrigation Reduce Freeze
Damage to Kiwis
Freeze injury is a potential problem
for kiwi production in Alabama. Be-
cause of this, AAES research has in-
vestigated methods of protecting
plants against freeze injury. Two ap-
proaches, wrapping of trunks and use
of mist irrigation, showed promise in
the tests.
The tests were conducted at the
Chilton Area Horticulture Substation
in the winter of 1989-90, with male
selectionsAU-1M, Mutua, and Tomuri
and female selections Hayward and
AU-1F. Freeze prevention treatments
compared were:
1. Five 13 1/2-inch-long Reese
clip-on trunk wraps were stacked
around the trunk of each plant and
the joints sealed with duct tape to
provide protection from the soil line
continued on page 5
Trunk Wraps, continued
to the trellis wire.
2. Two Maxi-Jet mist nozzles were
placed at each plant, one 39 inches
above the soil lineto wet the trunk and
the other 22 inches above the plant to
wet the canopy. Water application
was controlled by thermostat to begin
when air temperature dropped to 33'
F. The jets delivered 10 gallons of
water per hour at 20 p.s.i.
3. Other plants were left unpro-
tected for comparison.
December 1989 was unusually cold,
averaging 5 degrees below normal at
Clanton. Temperatures dropped to
15' F December 16 and 17and to 2
, 
00,
10, 80, and 240, respectively, on De-
cember 22-26.
The trunk wraps were removed
April 2, 1990, and vine damage de-
termined. Winter-killed vines were
cut back to the soil line April 10 and
regrowth was measured in the fall.
Winter injury sustained by the 4-
year-old vines was characterized by
bark splitting or death of the cam-
bium layer, or both. Injury began
near the soil line and extended up the
vine trunk to 38 inches on unpro-
tected plants and 5-6 inches on plants
either wrapped or misted. Height of
injury was greater on the AU-1M
plants protected with trunk wrap and
greater on Hayward protected with
mist. There was no difference in
trunk dia meter among treatments, but
vine injury was less with both trunk
wrap and mist treatments than with
no protection.
Variety differences were observed.
There was less injury on Tomuri with
the trunk wrap than with the mist
treatment. None of the AU-1F vines
protected by either treatment were
injured, and wrapped Hayward plants
were not injured. All unprotected
vines of each cultivar were injured.
Most of the injured vines developed
sprouts from the root system and the
vines grew rapidly through summer.
In October, the vines had grown the
length of the allotted trellis space (8
feet), and had developed lateral
branches. There were no treatment
effects on cane length or number of
lateral branches developing from the
main cane.
Regrowth measurements show
that trunk diameters were larger on
mist-protected plants(1.2 inches) than
on trunk-wrapped or unprotected
plants (0.9 inch for both). The trunk
diameter of Hayward, a weak-grow-
ing cultivar, was less than Mutua and
Tomuri, but did not differ from AU-
IM and AU-1F. There were no treat-
ment effects on mortality of injured
plants. However, 22 percent of the
AU-IM and 11 percent of the Mutua
plants died, whereas none of the
Tomuri, AU-1F, and Hayward plants
were killed. In addition to showing
that freeze damage can be reduced by
trunk wraps or low-volume mist irri-
gation, results also show that plants
on their own roots sprout quickly to
restore their fruiting potential.
W.A. Dozier, A.W. 
Caylor,
D.G. Himelrick, and J.A. Pitts
Dormex Helps Retain Fruiting Potential Despite
Inadequate Chilling
Insufficient chilling was received
at the Gulf Coast Substation in
Fairhope during the 1988-89 dor-
mant season to satisfy the chilling
requirements of 17 cultivars of
peaches and nectarines being evalu-
ated there. All cultivars requiring 650
chilling hours or less bloomed and
foliated during or before March ex-
pect for one cultivar, La White. Some
cultivars with reported chilling re-
quirements of 750 hours, such as
Sunbrite, Brighton, and Sunland, foli-
ated and bloomed normally.
The trees were 4 years old and had
foliated and fruited normally in pre-
vious seasons. Not only was insuf-
ficient chilling received during the
1988-89 dormant season, higher tem-
peratures occurred than in previous
years to provide further negative ef-
fects. Floral bud abortion had oc-
curred and various stages of terminal
dieback were evident by April 13 on
the 17 cultivars.
A study was un-
dertaken to deter-
mine if treatments of
hydrogen cyanamide
applied after the time
of normal bud break
would induce the
buds to break and
thus salvage the trees
for future fruiting.
Treatments were ap-
plied April 13 and
consisted of 0, 1, and
2 percent Dormex?
(hydrogen cyana-
mide) plus 0.25 per-
cent X-77 surfactant.
Dormex treat-
ments resulted in
more buds breaking
Effect of Dormex Treatments on Bud Break of Peaches and
Nectarines Following Insufficient Chilling, 1989
Chilling Bud break, by Dormex rate
Cultivar requirement 
1% 2%
Hours Pct. Pct. Pct.
Peach
BY78-289 ............ ? 28 45 79
Goldilocks ............ 750 0 10 36
La Premier ........ 1,050 17 33 67
La White .............. 650 13 61 87
Loring ............... 750 14 46 70
Redskin ............ 750 17 70 63
Sun Prince ........... 800 19 66 77
White Hale........... 750 16 41 64
Wild Rose ............ 750 10 29 49
Winblo .............. 850 10 30 66
Nectarine
Summer Beaut .... 750 16 46 73
Early Bird............. 750 12 47 85
Carolina Red ....... 750 25 68 80
Crimson Gold ...... 750 15 46 74
Durbin ............... 850 7 25 57
Red Gold ............. 850 24 39 86
Sun Glo ............... 850 27 54 77
Average ............... 16 45 71
and maturing on last year's growth,
more terminal buds breaking, and
less shoot dieback than on the
untreated portions of the trees.
However, in each case the 2 percent
continued on page 6
Dormex, continued
rate was more effective than the 1
percent rate of Dormex. New growth
arising from the Dormex-treated
shoots was more vigorous than
growth from the untreated shoots.
Goldilocks was the only cultivar
that lost major scaffold limbs. How-
Broiler Litter Fertilizer for
Tomatoes Boosts Yield,
Advances Harvest
Results of recent Alabama Agri-
cultural Experiment Station research
indicate that poultry litter is an ideal
fertilizer for vegetable crops. Appli-
cation of 10 tons per acre of poultry
litter produced about 11,629 pounds
per acre more tomatoes than from
using commercial fertilizer. And the
broiler litter treatment speeded matu-
rity for earlier harvest.
The objectives of the study at the
Sand Mountain Substation, Crossville,
were to determine the effects of two
poultry litter rates, compared to com-
mercial fertilizers, on tomato growth
and yield. The tests were done on
Wynnville sandy loam soil, using
Mountain Pride tomatoes (trans-
plants) spaced 15 inches apart in 5-
foot rows.
Poultry litter rates of 10 and 20 tons
per acre were applied in the fall. The
commercial fertilizer treatment con-
sisted of 400 pounds per acre of 13-13-
13 (according to soil test recommen-
dations) applied in the spring. Nitro-
gen sidedressing consisted of 68
pounds of N per acre.
EDITOR'S NOTE
Mention of company or trade names does not indicate
endorsement by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment
Station or Auburn University of one brand over another.
Any mention of non-label uses or applications in excess of
labeled rates of pesticides or other chemicals does not
constitute a recommendation. Such use in research is
simply part of the scientific investigation necessary to
fully evaluate materials and treatments.
Information contained herein is available to all persons
without regard to race, color, sex, or national origin.
February 1991 9M
ever, much of the previous season's
growth died on the untreated por-
tion of trees of all cultivars. This
dieback, coupled with reduced bud
break and vigor, could reduce the
following year's fruiting potential.
Though the 1989 crop was lost due
to flower bud abortion which occurred
Yields of both large (5x6) and me-
dium (6x6) packs were increased by
the 10-ton-per-acre rate of litter: large-
5,838 pounds with commercial fertil-
izer and 11,376 pounds with broiler
litter; medium-17,220 pounds with
commercial fertilizer and 22,428
pounds with broiler litter. Applica-
tion of 20 tons per acre resulted in
before treatment, the Dormex-treated
portion of the trees did not experience
a reduction in fruiting potential for
the next season's crop due to the en-
hanced vegetative growth.
W.A. Dozier, Jr., A.A. Powell, 
A.W. Caylor,
W.R. McDaniel, and E.M. Carden
similar yields.
These data show that broiler litter
enhanced tomato yield by about 20
percent compared to standard com-
mercial fertilization practices. In ad-
dition, earlier harvest occurred when
broiler litter was used.
J.E. Brown, D.W. Porch, C.H.Gilliam,
R.L Shumack, and J.T. Eason
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