scholarly journals 546 PB 090 OPTIMIZING TOMATO YIELDS IN HIGH TUNNELS

HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 509f-509
Author(s):  
Otho S. Wells
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Size ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Row Spacing ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Tomato Production ◽  
Low Input ◽  
High Tunnels ◽  
Comparable Experiment ◽  
Marketable Fruit

Tomato production in high tunnels is very intensive, although relatively low-input. However, optimal use of every square foot of growing space is critical to maximizing returns. Utilizing the basket-weave trellis system, `Ultrasweet' tomatoes were grown in 4 (replicated), 14-foot-wide high tunnels in 4 rows per tunnel at 3.5 ft between rows. In-row spacing of 12, 18, and 24 inches was combined with removal of sideshoots below the first flower cluster: one or three shoots at 18 and 24-inch spacing and none or one at 12-inch spacing. The highest marketable yield per plant was 22 lbs at 24 inches and three sideshoots, while the lowest yield per plant was 13.9 lbs at 12 inches and no sideshoots. The highest yield per sq ft was 4.2 lbs at 12 inches and no sideshoots, while the lowest yield per sq ft was 2.5 lbs at 24 inches and one sideshoot. The yield response to spacing and side-shoot removal was inverse for lbs per plant and lbs per sq ft. There was no difference in fruit size among any of the treatments. In a comparable experiment under field conditions, the highest yield per plant was 12.6 lbs at 24 inches and one sideshoot; and the highest yield per sq ft was 2 lbs at 12 inches and one sideshoot. The percentage of marketable fruit in the tunnels and in the field was 93.0 and 85.1, respectively.

Effect of Bicyclopyrone on Triploid Watermelon in Plasticulture

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew B. Bertucci ◽  
Katherine M. Jennings ◽  
David W. Monks ◽  
David L. Jordan ◽  
Jonathan R. Schultheis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weed Management ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Fruit Number ◽  
Triploid Watermelon ◽  
Marketable Fruit ◽  
Polyethylene Mulch

AbstractField studies were conducted to determine watermelon tolerance and yield response when treated with bicyclopyrone preplant (PREPLANT), POST, and POST-directed (POST-DIR). Treatments consisted of two rates of bicyclopyrone (37.5 and 50 g ai ha–1), fomesafen (175 g ai ha–1), S-metolachlor (802 g ai ha–1), and a nontreated check. Preplant treatments were applied to formed beds 1 d prior to transplanting and included bicyclopyrone (37.5 and 50 g ha–1) and fomesafen (175 g ha–1), and new polyethylene mulch was subsequently laid above treated beds. POST and POST-DIR treatments were applied 14 ± 1 d after watermelon transplanting and included bicyclopyrone (37.5 and 50 g ha–1) POST and POST-DIR, and S-metolachlor (802 g ai ha–1) POST-DIR. POST-DIR treatments were applied to row middles, ensuring that no herbicide contacted watermelon vines or polyethylene mulch. At 2 wk after transplanting (WAT), 15% foliar bleaching was observed in watermelon treated with bicyclopyrone (50 g ha–1) PRE. At 3 WAT, bicyclopyrone (37.5 and 50 g ha–1) POST caused 16% and 17% foliar bleaching and 8% and 9% crop stunting, respectively. At 4 WAT, initial injury had subsided and bicyclopyrone (37.5 and 50 g ha–1) POST caused 4% and 4% foliar bleaching and 4% and 8% crop stunting, respectively. No symptoms of bleaching or stunting were observed at 6- and 8-WAT ratings. Watermelon total yield, marketable yield, total fruit number, marketable fruit number, and average fruit size were unaffected by herbicide treatments. Therefore, registration of bicyclopyrone (37.5 and 50 g ha–1) PREPLANT, POST, and POST-DIR would offer watermelon producers a safe herbicide option and a novel mode of action for weed management.

scholarly journals Potassium Application and Leaf Sufficiency Level for Fresh-market Tomatoes Grown on a Midwestern United States Fine-textured Soil

2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.G. Taber
Keyword(s):  
Growth Habit ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Size Difference ◽  
Fresh Market ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Leaf Petiole ◽  
Indeterminate Growth Habit ◽  
Loam Soil ◽  
Marketable Fruit

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) response to potassium (K) fertilization on a well-drained, central Iowa loam soil testing low in exchangeable K was evaluated over a 3-year period. Each year the experimental design was a factorial, split-plot randomized complete block with K rate as the whole unit (0 to 332 lb/acre). The subunit was cultivar, either `Mountain Spring' (determinate growth habit) or `Jet Star' (indeterminate growth habit). Fruit harvest began the first week of August and continued weekly for 5 to 8 weeks. For all years there was a significant K rate and cultivar effect for all parameters, but no interaction except for marketable fruit size and unmarketable fruit produced. Increasing the K rate to 103 lb/acre increased fruit size of both cultivars to a maximum of 8.9 oz, but year accounted for greater fruit size difference than the choice of cultivar. Maximum marketable yield for both cultivars occurred at 220 lb/acre K with `Jet Star' producing 13% more fruit than `Mountain Spring', 359 vs. 319 cwt/acre, respectively. Cullage was high, mostly as a result of blotchy ripening disorders, with `Jet Star' consistently producing more culls than `Mountain Spring'. Increasing K rate did not reduce the percentage of culls, which remained constant at about 29% of total yield. Whole-leaf K and leaf petiole sap K levels linearly increased with additional K rate for the two sample periods at flowering and mid-harvest. The whole-leaf K sufficiency level for both cultivars at the flowering stage of growth was determined to be 3.15% and dropped to 1.30% K by mid-harvest. Critical petiole leaf sap K values (using a dilution of 1:1 sap to water) could not be determined at flowering, but at mid-harvest the critical value was about 2200 to 2800 ppm K.

scholarly journals Effects of Mulch Type and Planting Date on Tomato Earliness within a High Tunnel

HortScience ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 867A-867
Author(s):  
Lewis Jett* ◽  
Andrew Read
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Plastic Mulch ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Tomato Production ◽  
High Tunnel ◽  
Row Covers ◽  
High Tunnels ◽  
Clear Plastic ◽  
Black Plastic ◽  
Growing Conditions

High tunnels are passive solar greenhouses that are used to extend the traditional growing season for many horticulture crops. Growing conditions within a high tunnel are significantly different from growing conditions encountered in field production. Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) are wells suited for high tunnel culture having an upright growth habit and a significant economic premium for precocious harvest. The objective of this research was to investigate three planting dates (15 Mar., 30 Mar., and 10 Apr.) and three mulch types (black plastic, bareground, and clear plastic) with or without row covers, for early tomato production within a high tunnel in the Central Great Plains. High tunnels increased the average daily temperature by ≈6 °C. Early planting (i.e., mid- to late March) resulted in significantly earlier yield (i.e., early July). Using clear plastic mulch increased total marketable yield, but was not significantly different from black plastic. Row covers and plastic mulch are necessary for early tomato production. Row covers are specifically necessary for frost protection, but can be removed when the risk of frost has decreased.

scholarly journals In-row Distance in Triploid Miniwatermelon Cultivars Affects Yield and Quality in Diverse Environments in the Southeastern United States

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 538-545
Author(s):  
Richard L. Hassell ◽  
Jonathan R. Schultheis ◽  
Wilfred R. Jester ◽  
Stephen M. Olson ◽  
Gilbert A. Miller
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Citrullus Lanatus ◽  
Fruit Weight ◽  
Soluble Solids ◽  
Row Spacing ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Marketable Fruit ◽  
Eastern North Carolina ◽  
Location Interaction

The goals of these studies were to determine how miniwatermelon (Citrullus lanatus) cultivars differed and responded to plant in-row spacing in terms of percentage of marketable fruit and yields, and if plant spacing impacted internal fruit quality. Three genetically diverse triploid miniwatermelon cultivars (Mohican, Petite Perfection, and Xite) were selected. These cultivars were evaluated in field locations at northern Florida (Quincy), central South Carolina (Blackville), coastal South Carolina (Charleston), and eastern North Carolina (Kinston) at five within-row distances. Within-row distance included 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 inches. All plots were15 ft long with row middles 9 ft apart. Fruit were categorized as marketable if they weighed between 3.1 and 9.0 lb per fruit. Within this range further categories were divided as follows: ≤3.0 lb (cull), 3.1 to 5.0 lb (small), 5.1 to 7.0 lb (average), 7.1 to 9.0 lb (large), and ≥9.1 lb (cull). There was a cultivar by location interaction, suggesting that the three cultivars responded differently at each of the four locations. ‘Petite Perfection’ was among the highest yielding at all locations except Quincy, where it was the lowest yielding cultivar. As with total yields, the percentage of marketable fruit was similar for some cultivars across locations. Cultivar Petite Perfection produced the highest percentage of marketable fruit at three of the four locations. The exception was the Quincy site where ‘Xite’ had the highest percentage of marketable fruit. Within-row plant distances and populations affected total marketable yield, both for fruit weight and number per plant, regardless of cultivar and location. As the plant population increased from eight plants per plot (21-inch in-row spacing) to 12 plants per plot (15-inch in-row spacing), total marketable miniwatermelon fruit yields increased in total fruit number as well as total weight. There was a cultivar by location interaction for the percentage of soluble solids and the rind thickness measurements, suggesting that some cultivars responded differently at each of the four locations. Quality effects were more apparent with ‘Mohican’ and ‘Xite’, as they were more responsive to location than ‘Petite Perfection’.

scholarly journals Bloom and Postbloom Applications of NAD/NAA Mixture Have Minimal Effects on Yield and Fruit Size of Field-grown Tomatoes and Peppers

HortScience ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 1263-1264 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.W. Stover ◽  
P.J. Stoffella ◽  
S.A. Garrison ◽  
D.I. Leskovar ◽  
D.C. Sanders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Development ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Fruit Weight ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Naphthaleneacetic Acid ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Commercial Mixture ◽  
Minimal Benefit

A commercial mixture of 1-naphthaleneacetamide and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (Amcotone) was applied to tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) at various timings from early bloom through early fruit development to evaluate effects on fruit size and both early and total marketable yield. Amcotone was applied at rates from 10 to 40 mg·L-1, at three sites for each of the species studied. Measured yield response variables in tomato did not differ between the control and Amcotone treatments, regardless of location. Amcotone treatments did not affect yields or fruit size for pepper at the New Jersey or Texas sites. However, at Ft. Pierce, Fla., early marketable yield of pepper was increased in plots receiving three Amcotone applications at 10 mg·L-1, but total marketable yield was significantly reduced in all plots receiving more than two Amcotone sprays, and mean fruit weight was reduced by all Amcotone treatments. Early and total marketable yield of pepper at Ft. Pierce were markedly reduced in plots receiving four applications of 40 mg·L-1, which was a high rate used to assess potential phytotoxicity. While minimal benefit from auxin application was observed in this study, earlier studies suggest that these results may have been influenced by favorable environmental conditions for fruit development or negative effects on unopened flowers during all Amcotone spray applications.

scholarly journals Yield in Nonpungent Jalapeño Pepper Established at Different In-row Spacings

HortScience ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 2018-2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent M. Russo
Keyword(s):  
Capsicum Annuum ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Row Spacing ◽  
Plant Spacing ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Marketable Fruit

It is not known how plant spacing affects fresh yield in transplanted nonpungent jalapeño peppers (Capsicum annuum L.). Transplants of a nonpungent jalapeño, cv. Pace 105, were established at 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, and 48 cm between plants in mid-April of 2006 and 2007 and in early July in 2007. Fruit were harvested once when 5% of marketable-sized pods in rows were red. Distance to first flower and yield characteristics were determined. Fruit were culled based on pod size and presence of blemishes. Height on the stem to the first flower averaged 15.8 cm over all treatments. Plants in the Spring 2006 season had the highest marketable and cull yields. Numbers of marketable fruit/ha were higher at the 8-cm spacing than at the 40- or 48-cm in-row spacings. There was little difference in marketable yield as a result of in-row spacing. The greatest number of cull fruit per plant was on plants spaced 48 cm apart. Plant spacing had no effect on number of cull fruit or cull yield/ha. Culls accounted for ≈22% of total yield. Individual cull fruit weights were ≈50% less than for marketable fruit. Spacings tested did not appear to greatly affect development or yield of this pepper. This will allow producers to have the option of either using fewer plants on the same amount of land or more plants on less land without much reduction of quantity or quality of yield.

scholarly journals Tomato Yield and Fruit Size Did Not Respond to P Fertilization of a Sandy Soil Testing Very High in Mehlich-1 P

HortScience ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 653-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Hochmuth ◽  
Osmar Carrijo ◽  
Ken Shuler
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Size ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
Soil Test ◽  
P Fertilization ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Size Category ◽  
Tomato Yield ◽  
P Fertilizer ◽  
P Application ◽  
Very High

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) was grown in southeastern Florida on sandy soils that tested very high in Mehlich-1 P to evaluate the yield response to P fertilization. One location was used in 1995–96, another in 1996–97. Prefertilization soil samples contained 290 (location 1) and 63 (location 2) mg·kg–1 Mehlich-1 P. Both soil test results were interpreted as very high in P, and P fertilizer was not recommended for the crop. Fertilizer treatments at both sites were 0, 25, 50, 100, 150, and 200 kg·ha–1 P. Neither total marketable yield nor yield in any fruit size category was affected by P fertilization in either season. Amounts of cull (undersized or misshapened) fruits increased quadratically with P fertilization in the second season. Whole-leaf P concentrations increased linearly or quadratically with P application, depending on sample periods, and were always above sufficiency values. Although many tomato growers apply P fertilizer irrespective of soil test recommendations, our results showed that added P was not needed on soils testing very high in P. Furthermore, withholding P applications to soils with high P concentrations will minimize potential P pollution of surface water and groundwater.

scholarly journals (313) Climatic Effectson Four Low-chill Peach Cultivars in North Central and Central Florida

HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 1026D-1027
Author(s):  
Todd Wert ◽  
Jeffrey G. Williamson ◽  
Robert E. Rouse ◽  
E. Paul Miller
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Average Length ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Soluble Solids ◽  
Flower Buds ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
North Central ◽  
Central Florida ◽  
Marketable Fruit ◽  
Vegetative And Reproductive Growth

Four low-chill peach cultivars were evaluated for vegetative and reproductive growth, fruit quality, and yield in north central and central Florida. Twenty-trees (five of each cultivar) were planted at each site in Feb. 2002. Prior to budbreak in the spring of 2004 and 2005, three shoots of average length and diameter were selected at a height of 1.5–2.0 m and the number of vegetative and flower buds was recorded for each shoot. Percentage of bloom was estimated, and the number of open flowers on selected shoots was measured weekly. Trees were harvested twice per week starting in mid-April in central Florida, and in late April in north central Florida. Total number and weight of marketable fruit was measured for each tree. Ten representative fruits were selected from each tree at each harvest. Fruit were measured for blush, weight, and size. Soluble solids, TAA, and pressure were determined for five fruit from each 10-fruit sample. Preliminary results indicate a higher mean number of blind nodes in central Florida and a higher mean number of flower buds in north central Florida. In central Florida, 90% bloom was about 4 days earlier than north central Florida. Fruit number and individual fruit size, weight, and marketable yield were higher in north central Florida than in central Florida. Fruit blush was higher in central Florida than in north central Florida and tended to increase as the season progressed. In north central Florida, blush decreased slightly throughout the season.

scholarly journals Effect of Shade on Quality of Greenhouse Tomato

HortScience ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 759A-759
Author(s):  
Martin P.N. Gent*
Keyword(s):  
Light Transmission ◽  
Total Yield ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Greenhouse Tomato ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Shade Cloth ◽  
Marketable Fruit ◽  
Greenhouse Tomatoes

Shading a greenhouse increased the fraction of tomatoes that were marketable, and the marketable yield, in a comparison of greenhouse tomato yields across years, in some of which the greenhouses were shaded. In 2003, the yield and quality of greenhouse tomatoes were compared directly when grown in spring and summer in Connecticut in identical greenhouses that differed only in the degree of shade. Each half of four greenhouses was either unshaded or shaded using reflective aluminized shade cloth rated to reduced light transmission by 15%, 30%, or 50%. Each shade treatment was repeated in two houses. Tomatoes were germinated in February and transplanted in March The houses were shaded when fruit began to ripen in early June. Picking continued through August. The effect of shade on total yield developed gradually. Yields in June were unaffected by shade, but in August yield under no shade was about 30% higher than under 50% shade. In contrast, there was an immediate effect of shade on fruit size. Fruit picked in June from plants under 50% shade was 16% smaller than from plants grown under no shade. This difference declined later in the season, to 6 and 9%, in July and August respectively. The highest yield of marketable fruit in 2003 was picked from houses under no shade, but this was only 10% more than picked from the houses under 50% shade. Shade increased the fraction of marketable fruit, from 54% under no shade to 63% under 50% shade. Certain defects were decreased by shade. For instance the fraction of fruit with cracked skin was decreased from 33% to 25%. In general, effects on fruit quality varied linearly with the degree of applied shade.

scholarly journals Plant Spacing and Variety Affect Pumpkin Yield and Fruit Size, but Supplemental Nitrogen Does Not

HortScience ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1037-1039 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Reiners ◽  
Dale I.M. Riggs
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Cucurbita Pepo ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Fruit Size ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Plant Spacing ◽  
Nitrogen Application ◽  
Marketable Yield ◽  
Fruit Number ◽  
Marketable Fruit

Field studies were conducted at two locations in 1995 to determine the effect of spacing, nitrogen application, and variety on pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) marketable yield. Pumpkin yield was unaffected by three rates of applied N (67, 112, or 157 kg N·ha-1). Marketable fruit number per hectare increased with both 'Howden' and 'Wizard' pumpkins as in-row plant spacing decreased from 1.2 to 0.3 m. Average fruit size significantly decreased at the closer spacing, but the decline in mass was much greater in nonirrigated as compared to irrigated plots. This resulted in a significantly greater yield in the irrigated plots at the closer spacing, while there was no significant increase in yield without irrigation. The results demonstrate that growers may increase the number of fruit per unit area with closer spacing but optimal soil moisture may be a prerequisite for the increase.

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