Most of us know a temperature lower than 32°F would kill tender vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, melons, and cucumbers. Home gardeners would wait to plant those crops after the last frost passed, but commercial farmers may take the risk of planting earlier to capture early-season premium prices. Farmers use various strategies, i.e., high tunnels, low…Read more about Check Soil Temperatures Before Planting Cold Sensitive Crops[Read More]
Watermelon
We are happy to announce that Purdue Extension is presenting its annual Fruit and Vegetable Field Day on July 20, 2023, at the Throckmorton/Meigs Horticulture Farm, Lafayette, IN. Registration is now open. To register your spot, visit https://cvent.me/5zevYD The field day schedule is very exciting, something for everyone to look forward to. Sweet corn pest…Read more about Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Field Day – Registration Now Open[Read More]
We are excited to announce that the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center Field Day is scheduled for June 28, 2023, at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC), 4669 N. Purdue Rd. Vincennes, IN. Purdue researchers and NRCS representatives will present their current research and demonstration projects in fruit and vegetable production conducted at SWPAC. The topics…Read more about Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center Field Day _Registration Now Open![Read More]
Purdue Extension presented its first Fruit, Vegetable and Hemp Field Day post-pandemic at the Meigs Ag Center in July 2022. Extension Specialists and Graduate Students presented specialty crop research to 45 attendees. Attendees had only good things to say about the event. ” Great information and research.” “Great variety of experiences and knowledge.” “I felt…Read more about Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Field Day – July 20, 2023[Read More]
The Midwest Vegetable Trial Report series includes reports of applied research relevant to vegetable and melon production in the midwestern U.S. The purpose of the series is to publish results and document the annual results of vegetable and melon research projects. In 2022, 16 trial reports from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota were published. Variety…Read more about Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports. A Great Resource for Growers.[Read More]
Purdue Extension presented its first Fruit, Vegetable and Hemp Field Day post-pandemic at the Meigs Ag Center in July 2022. Extension Specialists and Graduate Students presented specialty crop research to 45 attendees. Attendees had only good things to say about the event. ” Great information and research.” “Great variety of experiences and knowledge.” “I felt…Read more about Purdue Fruit and Vegetable Field Day – July 20, 2023[Read More]
What is Optogen®? The active ingredient in Optogen® (Figure 1) is bicyclopyrone. Corn growers may recognize bicyclopyrone as one of the four ingredients in Acuron® herbicide. Bicyclopyrone is a Group 27 herbicide with pre- and post-emergence activity on select weed species. Group 27 herbicides inhibit an enzyme known as “HPPD”, resulting in an inhibition of…Read more about Optogen®- a New Herbicide Available in Select Vegetables and Strawberry[Read More]
Are you still thinking about varieties for the upcoming season? Purdue has been keeping a record of vegetable variety trials in the Midwest since 1999. The Midwest Vegetable Trial Report series includes reports of applied research relevant to vegetable and melon production in the Midwest. Here are some abstracts of the most recent reports. Visit…Read more about Selecting Vegetable Varieties for your Farm[Read More]
Throughout the growing season, vegetable crop farmers often report suspected herbicide drift injury. Each type of herbicide results in specific types of injury. Knowing what to look for can help us narrow which herbicide or herbicide mode of action could be responsible. To document how watermelon and pumpkin respond to various herbicides, we sprayed a…Read more about Pumpkin and Watermelon Herbicide Injury Symptoms – In Photos[Read More]
We received more than 8 inches of rain since the evening of July 24 at Southwest Purdue Ag Center. This article discusses a few plant physiological disorders we observed after the heavy rains. We noticed a large percentage of cracked fruit on tomatoes at the stem end (Figure 1). Fruit cracking is a physiological disorder…Read more about Physiological Disorders after Heavy Rains[Read More]