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 the Midwest Vegetable Trial Report webpage (https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/mwvtr/) for more information.
Colored Sweet Bell and Tapered Pepper Cultivar Evaluation for High Tunnel Production in West-Central Indiana, 2023, Petrus Langenhoven and Dennis Gustavo Toc Mo
Colored sweet bell-shaped and tapered pepper is a summer crop that is grown by many small and medium-sized farming operations in Indiana. Growers can choose to grow peppers out in the field or plant them under a protective structure. Sweet peppers, in particular, benefit from the unique growing environment created by a high tunnel. Planting of peppers can start at least 2-4 weeks earlier in the spring, and production can continue into the fall until the first hard freeze. Pepper variety performance data for Indiana is not readily available. We are working hard to change that. To date, we have evaluated thirty pepper varieties, and each variety is assessed in two production cycles. This paper reports on five sweet bell and five tapered pepper entries evaluated at the Purdue Student Farm, West Lafayette, Indiana.
2023 Cantaloupe Cultivar Evaluation in Indiana, Wenjing Guan and Dennis Nowaskie
Traditionally, eastern-type cantaloupe is produced in Indiana. Longer shelf-life cultivars were developed and have been grown in Indiana. This report includes 11 cantaloupe cultivars, including some newly developed ones.
2023 Personal-sized Seedless Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation in Indiana, Wenjing Guan and Dennis Nowaskie
Indiana ranks sixth in watermelon production in the U.S., following Florida, Georgia, Texas, California, and North Carolina in 2022. A total of 7,000 acres of watermelons were planted, with a production value of $71 million (USDA, 2023). Watermelons grown in Indiana are primarily red flesh seedless, and around 10% are personal-sized seedless watermelons (6-8 lbs).
2023 Seeded Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation in Indiana, Wenjing Guan and Dennis Nowaskie
Watermelons grown in Indiana are primarily red flesh seedless, and a small portion of personal-sized red flesh seedless. Seeded watermelons are typically not grown in large acreages, but they may be used as pollenizer plants for growing seedless watermelons. The 2023 seeded watermelon cultivar trial included 15 seeded watermelon cultivars.
2023 Standard-sized Seedless Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation in Indiana, Wenjing Guan and Dennis Nowaskie
The annual watermelon cultivar evaluation trial is conducted at Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC), in Vincennes, Indiana. The trial evaluates yield, fruit quality, and overall plant performance of commercial watermelon cultivars and advanced breeding lines. The trial is financially supported by Purdue Extension and seed companies. The 2023 standard-sized triploid watermelon cultivar trial had 35 cultivars, including six with solid dark-green rind patterns and one with a solid light-green rind pattern.
Chile pepper variety evaluation and profitability analysis at three farms in Minnesota and Wisconsin, 2022, Natalie Hoidal, Charlie Rohwer, Ryan Pesch, Rodrigo Cala, Javier García, Griselda Bernabe Suarez, and Fernando Alejandro García Loyo
Latino fresh market vegetable farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin are interested in growing hot peppers for local markets, both for fresh and dried pepper sales. This variety trial is the third and final trial of a 3-year project. We trialed 14 varieties of peppers representing jalapeño, serrano, habanero, poblano, and “other” types. The varieties included the top varieties from 2020 and 2021, alongside new varieties. We measured yield, fruit size, and Scoville heat units. In addition to the variety trial, we conducted an enterprise analysis to determine the profitability of hot pepper production in the Upper Midwest.
Evaluation of 11 Broccoli Cultivars for Summer Harvest in Southwest Michigan in 2023, Ben Phillips and Leah Freeman
A broccoli cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Clifton (CL), Sakata (SK), and Tozer (TZ) seed companies donated 11 broccoli cultivars for plastic-mulch bedded hand harvest. The trial quality was good for collecting data on stressed plants. A dry start and cabbage maggot attack reduced stand with replacement plants lagging behind, and heat around head formation created a high proportion of non-marketable heads.
Evaluation of Five Cauliflower Cultivars for Summer Harvest in Southwest Michigan in 2023, Ben Phillips and Leah Freeman
A cauliflower cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Clifton (CL), Sakata (SK), and Tozer (TZ) seed companies donated five cauliflower cultivars for plastic-mulch bedded hand harvest. The trial quality was good for collecting data on stressed plants. A dry start and cabbage maggot attack reduced stand with replacement plants lagging behind, and heat around head formation created a high proportion of non-marketable heads.
Evaluation of 13 Round Tomato Cultivars in Southwest Michigan in 2023, Ben Phillips and Jenny Schoonmaker
A round tomato cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Enza Zaden (EZ), Seminis (SM), Sakata (SK), and Seedway (SW) seed companies donated round tomato cultivars for plastic-mulch bedded and trellised hand harvest. Overall, trial quality was excellent despite a dry start that brought in insects and hard rains that flared bacterial diseases.
Evaluation of 23 Pickling Cucumber Cultivars for Machine Harvest in Southwest Michigan in 2023, Ben Phillips and Jenny Schoonmaker
A pickling cucumber cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.088261, -86.351980, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Nunhems (NU), Rijk Zwaan (RZ), and US AgriSeed (UA) seed companies donated parthenocarpic (seedless) cultivars for mechanical once-over harvest. Overall, trial quality was good despite a droughty start, though picking could have started sooner.
Evaluation of Five Roma Tomato Cultivars in Southwest Michigan in 2023, Ben Phillips and Jenny Schoonmaker
A Roma tomato cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). HM Claus (HM), PanAmerican (PA), and Sakata (SK) seed companies donated five Roma tomato cultivars for plastic-mulch bedded and trellised hand harvest. Overall, trial quality was excellent despite a dry start that brought in insects and hard rains that flared bacterial diseases.
Evaluation of Six Slicing Cucumber Cultivars in Southwest Michigan in 2023, Ben Phillips and Jenny Schoonmaker
A slicing cucumber cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Clifton (CL), Seedway (SW), Seminis (SM), and Syngenta (SY) seed companies donated five slicing cucumber cultivars for plastic-mulch bedded hand harvest. The trial quality was OK, with a dry start that created an uneven stand and some deer browsing.
Strawberry Production in an Elevated Bench Growing System inside a High Tunnel in Southern Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dean Haseman, Laura Ingwell, Samantha Willden, and Dan Egel
The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of eight strawberry cultivars grown in an elevated bench system. Yield and quality parameters were measured. This report also includes a discussion on production challenges and economic considerations of this production system.