Root-knot nematodes (RKN) are a devasting soilborne pest on a wide range of vegetables and fruits. Root-knot nematode infections result in root swellings called galls (Figure 1). Heavily infected crops by RKN display aboveground symptoms such as stunted growth, wilting, and leaf yellowing. We often found root-knot nematode causes damage to watermelons, cantaloupes, and tomatoes[Read More…]
Wenjing Guan
Vegetable Crops Hotline Editor & Clinical Engagement Assistant Professor
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Area(s) of Interest: Commercial Vegetable and Melon Production
Wenjing Guan's website
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture
Area(s) of Interest: Commercial Vegetable and Melon Production
Wenjing Guan's website
August Strawberry Chat will be about plasticulture production. Our guests are Brad Bergefurd, a former horticulture specialist at The Ohio State University; Calvin Beasley from Beasley Orchard in Danville, IN, and Danny VanMeter from VanMeter Family Farm in Clarkson, KY. The live session is on Aug 10, 12:00-1:00 pm EST. If you are interested in[Read More…]
At Southwest Purdue Ag Center (SWPAC), more than 10 inches of rain fell since July 7; over 8 inches happened since the evening of July 24. Soil water content on the unirrigated tomato/pepper/eggplant bed (12’’ under plastic mulch) increased from 10% (early July) to about 15% after 3 inches of rain on July 7-9. The[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…]
We discussed insect pests and weed control during renovation in the July episode. Our special guests are Drs. Stephen Meyers, Samantha Willden, and Mr. David Doud. Steve and Sam are researchers from Purdue. Steve is the weed scientist in the Horticulture department; Sam is a postdoc researcher in the entomology department. David is the owner[Read More…]
We observed a large amount of unmarketable pepper fruit hanging on the plants during on-farm visits and at the research farms recently. Damage appears on the sides or at the bottom of the fruit (Figure 1). The symptoms that occur at the fruit bottom are similar to tomato blossom end rot (BER), a plant physiological[Read More…]
After planting on May 16, we only received 1.4 inches of rain in June. The early-setting tomatoes on plants grown on the unirrigated bed had more than 40% fruit blossom end rot (BER) (recorded on June 23). It was 3% on plants grown in a bed that received 17 irrigation events in June and 10%[Read More…]
Fruit set of seedless watermelons is reliant on growth hormones released by pollen tube growth and fertilization, the same as seeded watermelons. Pollen from the seedless plants, however, is not viable, thus it is crucial to have viable pollen from seeded cultivars transfer to the female flowers of the seedless plants. The plants that contribute[Read More…]
At Southwest Purdue Ag Center (SWPAC) and Pinney Purdue Ag Center (PPAC), we demonstrate irrigation impacts on several fruiting vegetable crops. Tomato, pepper, eggplant, watermelon, and cantaloupe are planted on plastic-covered beds with drip tapes. They grow on beds side-by-side with and without irrigation. We used two approaches to schedule irrigation, one bed is irrigated based on[Read More…]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is now accepting nominations for county committee members. Elections will occur in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for members. LAAs are elective areas for FSA committees in a single county or multi-county jurisdiction. This may include LAAs that are focused on an urban or suburban[Read More…]