On-farm trial #1: Location: Camden IN Transplant date: Feb. 22 2019 Heating: Plants were grown in a heated high tunnel Plant No. and plants lost: By the end of Mar. 2019, 21 out of 38 non-grafted cucumbers died. None of the 72 grafted plants died. Harvest duration: Apr. 17 – July 23 Yield: Treatment Yield[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
USDA is implementing Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 for agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19. Here is an expanded list of fruits and vegetables eligible for CFAP2. USDA will accept CFAP 2 applications from September 21, 2020 through December 11, 2020. More information about this program can[Read More…]
A new publication High Tunnel Cucumber Production Guide is available and can be downloaded at https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/ID-521/ID-521-W.pdf This cucumber production guide provides resources and recommendations tailored to the distinctive growing environment of high tunnels. Recommendations are based on research efforts conducted in the Midwest U.S. and include cultivar selection, pruning and trellising systems, insect and mite[Read More…]
The Annual Fall/Winter Meeting of the Southwest Indiana Melon and Vegetable Growers is scheduled on Monday, November 30, 2020, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm (EST). This meeting will be held online this year because of COVID-19 restrictions. Dr. Wenjing Guan and Dr. Dan Egel will discuss the results of the 2020 watermelon and cantaloupe variety[Read More…]
This is the final issue of the Vegetable Crops Hotline (VCH) for 2020. Subscribers who receive a paper copy in the mail need to renew. A renewal form is included with this issue. You can check the date on the right bottom corner of your VCH envelope to find what year your subscription lasts through. You can[Read More…]
Thanks to growers’ collaboration and help from Superior Ag, we collected plant tissue samples from 12 watermelon fields at different crop growing stages in Southern Indiana in the 2020 season. In a previous article, we discussed results about magnesium and potassium. In this article, we will discuss another nutrient, Sulfur (S). Sulfur deficiency has become[Read More…]
This article addresses considerations of using grafted watermelon plants in Indiana. Choosing rootstocks Interspecific hybrid squash is the most widely used watermelon rootstock. Many cultivars of the hybrid squash rootstocks that have been developed by different companies, share similar genetic background and thus similar characteristics. All of them have outstanding resistance to Fusarium wilt, but,[Read More…]
North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) will host a Farmer Rancher Grant Program grant webinar on Tuesday, September 22 from 4-5:30pm CDT. This webinar will help guide participants through the process of submitting a grant proposal to NCR-SARE’s Farmer Rancher grant program. Join Joan Benjamin, NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Program Coordinator, to learn how to[Read More…]
Cover crops have been shown to improve water and soil quality, reduce erosion and capture nutrients. Choosing the right cover crop, however, can be difficult. The Midwest Cover Crops Council (MCCC) —made up of representatives from 12 Midwest states and universities, including Purdue, the province of Ontario and other agricultural stakeholders — is rolling out an improved cover[Read More…]
Thanks to growers’ collaboration and help from Superior Ag, we collected plant tissue samples from 12 watermelon fields at different crop growing stages in Southern Indiana in the 2020 season. In this article, I want to discuss two of the issues that standout from these tests. One is the generally low or deficient Magnesium (Mg)[Read More…]