Vegetarian Newsletter

Vegetarian 99-03
March 1999

CONTENTS

VEGETABLE CROPS CALENDAR

COMMERCIAL VEGETABLES

VEGETABLE GARDENING

(Note: Anyone is free to use the information in this newsletter. Whenever possible, please give credit to the authors.
The purpose of trade names in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing information and does not necessarily constitute a recommendation of the product.)

May 18, 1999. 43^rd Vegetable Field Day. Gulf Coast Research & Education Center - Bradenton. FL. Contact Don Maynard (941)751-7636.

April 6 and 7, 1999. A National Science and Education Conference: Toward Implementing the Guide to Minimize Microbial Hazards on Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. Orlando, FL. Contact Steve Sargent (352)392-1928 ext. 215.

Rimsulfuron (Shadeout) Labeled on Tomatoes

Rimsulfuron has been labeled for use on tomatoes under the trade name Shadeout. Shadeout may be applied preemergence to tomatoes.

For preemergence applications to the crop, apply after seeding at 2.0 oz. product/acre. If weeds are present at application, use a nonionic surfactant. For activation, best results are obtained if treatment is made to moist soil and moisture is supplied by rainfall or sprinkler irrigation no later than 1 week after application. For mulched row middle applications, adjust the equipment to keep the applications off the mulch and use proportionally less mixture based on the soil area actually sprayed.

For postemergence applications, apply Shadeout at 1.0-2.0 oz. product per acre to young, actively growing weeds after the crop has reached the 2 leaf stage. Usually, small weeds (less than 1" in height or diameter) are most easily controlled. Use a nonionic surfactant at a rate of 0.125-0.25% v/v with all postemergence applications.

Applications may be applied preemergence followed by single or multiple postemergence applications. Do not exceed 2.0 oz. product/acre applied preemergence to the crop and 2.0oz. product applied postemergence in the same growing season. Do not apply Shadeout within 45 days of tomato harvest.

Tank mixtures of Shadeout plus Lexone are labeled for postemergence applications. This tank mix may be applied for a broader spectrum of weed control.

Read the label and follow all directions and precautions.

(Stall, Vegetarian 99-03)

World Vegetable Production

The area harvested (1000 ha), yield (kg/ha) and total production (1000 MT) of the world's most important vegetables according to the FAO Production Yearbook are shown in Table 1. In terms of area harvested, dry bean, potato, and cassava are the most important crops, whereas artichoke, green bean, and cauliflower are relatively unimportant. Highest yields are obtained from tomato, cabbage, and carrot. The dry legumes (bean, chickpea, and lentils) produce the lowest yields per ha because of their low moisture content. Total world production is highest for potato, sweet potato, and cassava; the root crops that provide massive amounts of energy and that can be stored for extended periods to provide foodstuff when otherwise unavailable. Vegetables entering into commerce on a global basis are harvested from over 118 million ha and produce more than 1 billion MT. Since much of the population in developing countries is engaged in subsistence farming where farm produce, including vegetables, does not enter into traditional commerce it is clear that total world wide production is much greater than that reported.

The ranking of the primary countries in production (MT) of vegetables also according to FAO is shown in Table 2. This listing is related to the size of the country, its population, presence of a favorable climate for vegetable production and ethnic culinary habits of the population. Even a casual examination of Table 2 will reveal the overwhelming importance of China as a vegetable producing country. Of 25 vegetables or vegetable groups listed, China ranks first in 15. India, the next most frequent listing appears four times as the leading producer. According to data developed by the Chinese Ministry of Agricultural Statistics in1991, the 21 major vegetables in China were grown on 4, 365,000 ha which produced more produced more than 142 million MT.

(Maynard, Vegetarian 99-03)

Grape Tomatoes

Grape tomatoes are a new type of specialty tomato being grown in Florida and elsewhere that seems to be quickly gaining some market share. When I say market share, I'm not sure where it is taking market share from. Is it California grapes, or is it Florida cherry tomatoes? By now most of you have seen them and they are mostly the shape of a Thompson seedless grape and about that size, sometimes a little larger. Grape tomatoes are much smaller than cherry tomatoes and are oblong, at least the ones I've seen. Richard See, Seed Sales Manager, Seedway, says the tomatoes are much sweeter than cherry tomatoes and that even the children enjoy eating them just as they do grapes. The ones I've tasted do not taste like a grape and as far as I know the flavor characteristic was not where the name "grape" came from, obviously it's the shape. They are somewhat sweeter than cherry tomatoes and seem to have a more edible texture. I've had some at a few salad bars and have made one visit to a commercial field of grape tomatoes in the Jennings, Florida area which is about as close to Georgia as you can get when traveling I-75.

The grower of the Jennings area grape tomatoes came to the Gadsden Tomato Forum on December 3 last year and invited me to come visit the field. The following week I got a chance to go and I was somewhat astonished at what I saw. They were just getting through with the last harvest which had been going on for two months and were in the initial stages of field clean-up. The tomatoes had been transplanted in early August and here it was December 9. Keep in mind 1998 was the year for hurricane weather, particularly in North Florida. The grower said that they had 18 inches of rain in September. Back in Gadsden County (Quincy area) the Fall tomato crop was down about 40% from average yields due to the wind and rainy weather. Bacterial spot disease and other pathogens took a toll. Fruit set ran about 3 weeks late and with the shorter days and cooler nights that came when the plants finally set fruit, the Quincy tomato crop was about a month late in harvest. That same sequence of events was mostly what these grape tomatoes had been through. However, unlike a bunch of ragged late season tomatoes, these grape tomatoes looked incredibly good and tolerant to bad weather conditions. Frost generally comes prior to December 9 in North Florida, although one time in Gadsden County I picked a red ripe tomato on January 2. Most of the time November brings a killing frost and North Florida tomatoes are long gone before Thanksgiving. The grower said that the variety he had planted on this 44 acres was an exclusive and he didn't know the exact name of this grape tomato variety. According to Richard See, there are not many grape tomato seed distributors and his company imports the seed from two different companies, Makata (China) or Mikita (Japan). Seedway supplies three varieties; Juliet, Santa Clause and Red Cherry (no Florida research data and no variety claims as to yields, reliability, etc.) The grower did not know where his company had obtained seed. These Jennings area tomatoes were extremely tall, taller than most cherry tomatoes. The grower was using 72 inch stakes and was talking about going to 84 inch stakes next year. You would think he would have been on 6 foot row spacings in order to get some sunlight. He was on 5 foot spacing and was well pleased and was not anticipating going to wider row spacing, in spite of his plans to grow a taller crop next year. There were still plenty of tomatoes on the bushes and they were quite tasty.

Grape tomatoes do grow in a cluster, although it is not near as tight as a Thompson grape cluster. Of course you're thinking that's how they are harvesting these grape tomatoes, in clusters. The recent gaining popularity of the greenhouse cluster tomatoes would lead you to believe his would be the only way. Harvesting grape tomatoes in clusters may be a good idea, however, these were picked individually. Another drawback in harvesting grape tomato clusters appears to be that these tomatoes are not firmly attached and are easily dislodged. The tomatoes were harvested in strawberry harvesting containers and then loaded on trucks in (approximately 20 lb.) Containers and were then trucked to a strawberry packing facility in the Palmetto-Ruskin area and packaged in clear plastic clam shell type containers before shipping. Harvest costs are much higher than for conventional tomatoes, even if you didn't have to make such a long haul to the packinghouse. The grower was not at liberty to say what his yields were, although he did say the crop was quite profitable and they were pleased with the yields.

Grape tomatoes appear to be a viable alternative crop. Dr. Steve Olson, NFREC Vegetable Specialist has obtained two grape varieties for his variety trials this spring. He said the seed was hard to come by and the salesman gave him only a few seed. Steve has another (first-timer) interesting new type variety in his 1999 spring trials in Quincy. This is a field grown cluster tomato from Israel. If this variety does good it may make some of the greenhouse folks in Colorado and Canada a little nervous. I was noticing last week in Winn Dixie where they were getting an extra dollar per pound for greenhouse cluster tomatoes compared to regular tomatoes. It appears that consumers like them because about 25% of their shelf space was devoted to cluster tomatoes, in spite of the higher price.

(Castro, Vegetarian 99-03)

Chemical Stimulation of Plant Growth of Vegetables in Florida

Florida farmers cultivated over 290,000 acres of vegetables in 1997, forty three percent of which were established from transplants. While possibly best known for tomato production, FL sweet corn, potato (fresh and chipping), watermelon and snap bean acreage all rival that of tomato. Like farmers everywhere, FL growers want healthy plant growth and development that is free of disease and insect pressure. To raise better crops, FL growers often avail themselves of chemical opportunities to stimulate plant growth and increase yields. The following discussion will focus on chemical plant growth regulators (PGR's), often called biostimulant products (seaweed extracts and various hormone mixtures) as opposed to classical uses such as ethylene for in-field fruit ripening or anti-GA's for growth control.

In December 1998, FL vegetable extension agents were asked to contact 2 growers who used PGR's to help document crop use acreage and satisfaction with the products. The survey, while admittedly limited in scope, revealed that PGR's were used in all major vegetable production areas throughout the state with the exception of a corridor from Gainesville northwest to Quincy. PGR products were used on all the major vegetable crops on a total of about 12,300 acres and satisfaction ranged from poor to fair. Products that appeared repeatedly in the survey results included Acadian Seaweed (Acadian Seaplants, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia), Early Harvest (Griffin Corp., Valdosta, GA), Folizyme (Stoller Chemical, Houston, TX), Goemar (Agrimar Corp., Atlanta, GA), Key Plex (Morse Enterprises, Miami, FL), and Triggrr (Westbridge, Vista, CA).

A survey of three local purveyors of these products in the Immokalee/Homestead area documented sales on over 40,000 acres of vegetables treated with PGR's in south FL alone. These figures in conjunction with county agent survey results would bring the total vegetable acreage treated with PGR's to slightly over 52,300 or approximately 17% of FL's total vegetable acreage. It is suspected this number is an under estimate.

Phrases that surfaced during discussions with growers, suppliers, and agents about the performance of PGR products included:

• "inconsistent results from year to year"
• "better performance under stressful conditions"
• "everybody has one, but they are generally too expensive for regular use"
• "snake oil"

Csizinszky (1996), who has more published works than anyone in FL on the subject, sums up five years of tomato PGR research on both spring and fall crops thus:

• inconsistent results - increased fruit size and yield one year, but not the next
• a tendency to increase the uptake of micronutrients resulting in phytotoxicity
• cultivars vary in response to application
• foliar application is the most efficacious route

Our lab (SWFREC) has documented crop to crop response variation with mode of application (Fig. 1), critical timing and rate issues that complicate efficacy (Fig. 2) and general non-significance across the board regarding yield.

With such a diversity of variation in "controlled" trials (cultivars, mode of application, rate and timing) one can see why researchers and growers alike have reached the conclusion that these products are inconsistent. However, statewide use figures seem to indicate some growers may still believe the beneficial effects of PGR's outweigh the inconsistent results.

(Vavrina, Vegetarian 99-03)

Fig. 1. Crop Response to Mode of PGR* Application

Fig. 2. Rate & Timing Issues with PGR* Applications

Vegetable Grower Profile: Osceola Organics

"Innovation + Business Savvy + Location = Success"

Osceola Organics is a family owned and operated organic vegetable farm located in Vero Beach. They have been steadily growing on their 10 acre farm since they opened in 1993. Kevin and Wendy O'Dare are the owners, and produce fresh salad greens herbs, edible flowers and solanaceous vegetables.

Their key to success with such a small operation is to produce sufficient income during the season to allow for startup capital for the next season, funds for reinvestment, salary for a few seasonal employees and a profit to live on. They estimate they earn $500-600 per week in gross sales during the season. The weather this spring has been ideal for a longer than usual season; tomatoes have been produced from November through the first of March.

Kevin feels his prior retail business experience has been invaluable in knowing how to operate his business. Too often people enter organic production with great enthusiasm but lack knowledge of how to run a business. Another part of their success is due to the location. They have discovered and developed a niche market with local upscale restaurants and grow produce to meet market demands. Indian River County has a significant tourist industry with many upscale restaurants. While the idea of organic produce is desirable to the restaurants, their primary requirement is that produce be extremely fresh and consistently available.

Osceola Organics emphasizes the production of pre-washed and cleaned salad greens. They rely on composted yard waste, applications of composted chicken manures, and fish emulsion as their sources for crop nutrition. Wendy and other farm employees deliver 80% of their daily production directly to about 20 local restaurants up and down Indian River County's 20 mile long coastal areas.

The first two years of their operation were a real struggle. Their original plan was to sell produce out of a retail stand on the farm site. They first felt that salad greens would be a small part of their production. An accidental bit of good luck parleyed the operation in this right direction. The O'Dares inherited a sizable assortment of seed from a fellow grower that could not make a go if it. Part of the seed lot was a seed container with a mixture of many different lettuce varieties. Kevin couldn't separate the varieties out, so he planted this mixture in the seed bed. Up came a wonderful pre-mixed salad product. It was well accepted by local eateries and health food enthusiasts, and provided the direction for their direct marketed restaurant product.

Today he continues to plant a lettuce variety mixture to create the product desired by restaurants. Included lettuce varieties are green and red oak leaf, Lolla rosa, Rubin Red Romaine, green romaine, Bibb and Tango Curly leaf. Weed control was and is the biggest production challenge - soil solarization and plasticulture has allowed them to stay ahead of the weeds without chemical herbicides. Another change this season was to increase the size of their seedling trays, resulting in a 25% increase in production.

Impediments to future expansion are that the farm is located on a dead end dirt road and the farm site lacks bathrooms. Such limitations have encouraged them to keep up the restaurant market.

They are acutely aware of urbanization, and strive to not only grow quality organic products but teach people about their approach as well. Their farm is readily available for tours and a small farm stand provides fresh product to an ever expanding loyal customer base.

Kevin has been a real asset to this county's extension office, is always willing to share his knowledge with others. He recently spoke at the 1998 Florida Small Farm Conference in Brooksville, and assists with an annual organic farming workshop coordinated by the St. Lucie County Extension Agents Anita Neal, Jack Hebb, and Sue Munyan.

(Culbert, Vegetarian 99-03)

Certified Sweet Potato Plant Growers - 1995 Georgia list (1999 update)

Many of you agents will be asked by gardeners and growers where to obtain sweet potato transplants for the 1999 season. Since the Florida Department of Agriculture can not certify Florida growers as a source of plants, we must rely on our neighboring states (Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi) for plants.

The following list of growers had plants in 1995 from Georgia farms. This list may be useful in advising your growers of possible plant sources. If need be, you can contact the Department of Agriculture in those states I mentioned for their most current lists.

1995 Georgia Certified Sweet Potato Plant Growers

(Stephens, Vegetarian 99-03)

Prepared by Extension Vegetable Crops Specialists

Dr. D. J. Cantliffe, Chairman

Dr. T. E. Crocker, Professor

Dr. G. J. Hochmuth, Professor

Dr. D. N. Maynard, Professor

Dr. S. M. Olson, Professor

Dr. S. A. Sargent, Professor

Dr. W. M. Stall, Professor

Mr. J. M. Stephens, Professor

Dr. C. S. Vavrina, Assoc. Professor

Dr. J. M. White, Assoc. Professor