| IN THIS ISSUE: Onion Field Day Set for April 9 at 10:30 a.m. New Publication on Irrigation and Salt Management Available Outstanding Yields Harvested from the TAEX Seedless Watermelon Trials in the Winter Garden Vegetable Improvement Center Work continues in Rio Grande Valley Pesticide Container Collection Dates Scheduled Tolerances Established for Admire and Confirm Thrips on onions - check the species Winter Vegetable Field Day at Uvalde |
Onion Field Day Set for April 9 at 10:30 a.m.
This year's Texas A&M onion field day will be held on Wednesday April 9, 1997 beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Griffin and Brand's farm just east of Rio Grande City. The field day will feature A&M's onion breeding lines and other varieties and advanced material from commercial seed companies. Following completion of the trials this spring, data will be available on yield, percent bolting, percent splitting, pyruvic acid content (heat) and sugars. For additional information on the field day contact Mr. Enrique Perez, Starr County TAEX County Agricultural Agent at 487-2306.
New Publication on Irrigation and Salt Management Available
Irrigation Water Quality Standards and Salinity
Management Strategies is the title of a new Extension publication available
to commercial growers for information on this timely subject. Written by
Dr. Guy Fipps Extension Ag Engineer, publication B-1667 provides a basis
for understanding what creates and causes a salinity problem in production
soils and also addresses what to do about those potential problems.
B-1667 discusses water analysis, sodium and salinity problems, classification of irrigation water and soils for salinity and how water quality can effect crop plant yields. It completes the whole story by providing information on strategies to use for salt management including; leaching for salinity management, subsurface drainage, seed placement, and other management strategies. Additionally, the publication includes fifteen different tables to augment the text and a listing of ten different references related to salinity management.
Outstanding Yields Harvested from the TAEX Seedless Watermelon Trials in the Winter Garden: Frank Dainello
As a result of optimum growing conditions, good management practices, and the absence of disease pressure, extremely high yields of quality melons were produced in our seedless watermelon trial conducted on the Willoughby Farms at Batesville.
The trial was transplant-established on April 11, 1996, in a randomized block design having 3 replicates per entry. Plants were field-set at 30 inch in-row spacing on 80 inch wide black plastic mulched raised beds. Drip irrigation was used to supply supplemental water needs. The trial was harvested once on June 27.
Evidence of the improved fruit size and yield potential now available in seedless watermelons can be found in the results of this trial, which are summarized in Table 1. All 17 of the entries yielded in excess of 60,000 lbs/acre (three times the state average for seeded watermelons). The highest yielding lines in this trial were Tri X Shadow (115,000 lbs/acre) and Gem dandy (105,331 lbs/acre). Two other entries also exceeded 100,000 lbs/acre of marketable fruit: Premier (104,983 lbs) and Summer Sweet 5544 (104,809 lbs). Historically, seedless watermelons produced fruit in the 12 to 15 lb average fruit weight range. Summer Sweet 5544 and Summer Sweet 5244 produced 6 percent of their fruit, with an average size of 25 to 29 lbs.
For additional information on the Batesville seedless watermelon trial contact Dr. Larry Stein Extension Horticulturist at Uvalde (210) 278-9151 or Mr. Kenneth White County Extension Agent for Uvalde County at (210) 278-6661.
| Table 1. 1996 Statewide triploid (seedless) watermelon trials, Batesville, Texas | |||||||||
Entry |
Seed source | Marketable yield (Lbs/acre) |
% Of fruit harvested in different weight classes in lbs. | ||||||
| >30 | 25-29 | 20-24 | 15-20 | 10-14 | <10 | % culls | |||
| Tri X Shadow | American Sunmelon | 111,599 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 37 | 36 | 2 |
| Gem Dandy | Willhite | 105,331 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 23 | 31 | 33 | 6 |
| Premier | Colorado Seeds | 104,983 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 46 | 11 | 34 | 7 |
| Summer Sweet 5544 | Abbott & Cobb | 104,809 | 0 | 6 | 17 | 35 | 15 | 19 | 8 |
| Summer Sweet 5244 | Abbott & Cobb | 98,280 | 0 | 6 | 27 | 11 | 22 | 23 | 11 |
| Summer Sweet 35214 | Abbott & Cobb | 97,932 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 54 | 0 |
| Genesis | Shamrock | 94,855 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 30 | 27 | 4 |
| 3F 1004 | CDM Fasttrack | 92,796 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 37 | 27 | 6 |
| Revelation | Shamrock | 91,751 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 77 | 11 | 1 |
| Tri X 313 | American Sunmelon | 90,619 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 51 | 22 | 21 | 2 |
| ASM F469 | American Sunmelon | 88,791 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 41 | 0 | 37 | 16 |
| Tri X Sunrise | American Sunmelon | 83,568 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 12 | 46 | 17 | 14 |
| 3F 855 | CDM Fasttrack | 82,872 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 8 | 53 | 6 | 0 |
| Favorite Ball | CDM Fasttrack | 81,653 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 39 | 46 | 0 |
| Summer Sweet 2532 | Abbott & Cobb | 64,766 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 8 | 32 | 34 | 1 |
| 3F 1273 | CDM Fasttrack | 60,935 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 49 | 15 | 0 |
| 3F 1174 | CDM Fasttrack | 60,761 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 57 | 0 |
Vegetable Improvement Center Work continues in Rio Grande Valley: Brad Abrameit
The Vegetable Improvement Center (VIC), headed by Dr. Leonard Pike in College Station, is continuing its evaluation on breeding lines and varieties of vegetables in the Valley, namely carrots and onions. Over 150 breeding lines of carrots were harvested the week of February 10th and sent to College Station for analysis of compounds such as carotene, sugars and terpenoids. Data on disease resistance was also collected on these lines. Results should be interpreted by mid to late April. Be looking for the results on these lines and particularly the -BetaSweet-TM maroon carrot. Tops will later be sent to Las Cruces, New Mexico where they will be grown out for seed harvest.
The Vegetable Improvement Center's program and goal (to provide solutions, through the development of new technologies and plant materials, for producing quality vegetable products in and efficient, economical system) are supported by not only Texas A&M University, but also by grant funds and a strong contingency of Industry memberships. On March 3-4, the fourth annual VIC meeting was held in College Station to present the Center's work to its constituents, as well as highlight other work by university faculty and graduate students. The VIC Industry Advisory Committee chose to promote research towards improved human nutrition through development of improved vegetable quality and promotion. Next year's annual meeting will be held in mid-march at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
For more information on the Vegetable Improvement Center's programs and membership, contact Dr. Leonard Pike in College Station at the Vegetable Improvement Center or at the Texas A&M University Horticulture Department.
Pesticide Container Collection Dates Scheduled
The TNRCC in conjunction with the Valley Proud Environmental Council will be offering disposal of pesticide containers as well as batteries, automobile tires, and used oil and oil filters. Both plastic and metal pesticide containers will be collected, but must be rinsed properly before collection. Collection sites will be held on April 7th at the Rio Grande Grower's Co-op (10 miles East of Rio Grande City on Hwy. 83), April 8th at the Elsa Co-op Gin Association (3 miles North of Elsa on FM 88) and April 9th at the La Feria Co-op (2.5 miles East of La Feria on Business 83) The collection on April 7th in Rio Grande City will be collecting pesticide containers only. For more information on times and details, contact Patty Alexander at (210) 412-8004.
Tolerances Established for Admire and Confirm: Alton Sparks
As everyone who carefully read their section 18's for Admire and Confirm already knows, the section 18's allowed use of these products but did not allow for treated produce to enter channels of trade until a residue tolerance is established. These tolerances have apparently been established. In the case of Confirm, the latest copy of section 18's on peppers, cole crops, leafy vegetables and turnip tops include the residue tolerances. In the case of Admire, we do not have written confirmation at this point, but we have been told that the tolerance has been established and is in the process of being published. Personally, I can not imagine EPA or any other regulatory agency allowing use of a product and not allowing sell of the produce, but it is always nice to know it has worked out the way it was planned.
Thrips on onions - check the species
I know most onion producers already have been treating thrips for a while this year, but I did want to remind everyone to check the species your fighting, particularly if you have had trouble getting control. Our complex consists of two species, the onion thrips and the western flower thrips. There are a number of ways to tell them apart, but the easiest (at least for me) is to look at the adults (the ones with wings) under a microscope (or 10X lens if you have real good eyes) and look for the setea (hairs) on the dorsal surface of the prothorax (first segment behind the head, look from above). If there is a row of hairs along the front and back of this segment, you have the western flower thrips. If there is not a row of hairs on the front (only on the back edge), then you have the onion thrips. Take a look at numerous individuals from throughout the field to get an estimate of the percentage of each species in a field. Identification is important because the insecticide selection would be different for these two species. The onion thrips is readily controlled by the newer generation pyrethroid insecticides, but these same products generally do not work well on western flower thrips.
Winter Vegetable Field Day at Uvalde
Dr. Danielle Leskovar has announced the 1997 Winter Vegetable Field Day will be held on March 27, 1997 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Texas Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Uvalde, Texas. The field day will feature carrot, cabbage and spinach trials on the station. Also included will be a vegetable industry panel discussion with growers, processors and shippers discussing the cabbage and spinach industry.
Lynn Brandenberger/Editor
The information given herein is for educational purposes only. References to commercial products or trade names are made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Cooperative Extension Service is implied.