Emmalea Ernest, Extension Fruit & Vegetable Specialist; emmalea@udel.edu
Many of my 2023 field research projects are completed and over the next few months I will be preparing trial reports and presentations for winter meetings. I look forward to sharing some interesting and useful results during the Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association of Delaware’s educational meetings during Ag Week. The Fruit Session will be on Monday, January 8, the General and Fresh Market sessions will be on January 9, and the Processing Session will be January 10. In the meantime, I am sharing some photos from this past season’s trials. Thank you to the Carvel farm crew and the Veggie Team (seasonal employees Austin Truitt, Ketsia Murat, Lily Hearn, Paige Sammons, Arely Arriaga-Gonzalez and Mya Jones, and technician Rob Hanifin.)
About 130 experimental baby lima varieties from the UD lima breeding program were tested for yield, maturity and quality characteristics. About 50 varieties were also tested to determine yield under root-knot nematode pressure.
Heat tolerant lettuce varieties performed well in summer plantings. Other trials tested effects of mulch color and shade cloth.
We evaluated yield and quality for ten watermelon varieties, many of which were new to the trial.
Twenty-eight Fordhook type limas from the UD breeding program were tested for yield, maturity and quality traits.
Some varieties in the snow and snap pea trial produced beautiful flowers and impressive quality pods.
Experimental pole limas from the UD breeding program were tested at the research farm and with seven farmers.
Two snap bean trials were a great test of heat tolerance. One very wet harvest day was a good test of grit for the Veggie Team.