UF/IFAS Standardized Nutrient Recommendations for Vegetable Crop Production in Florida

This publication presents the fertilization recommendations for vegetable crops based on soil tests performed by the UF/IFAS Extension Soil Testing Laboratory (ESTL). It contains the basic information from which ESTL soil test reports and fertilization recommendations are generated. The audiences for this information include commercial and small farmers, crop advisers and consultants, state and local agencies, fertilizer industry, and any interested individuals interested in sustainable nutrient and environmental management. Major revision by Rao Mylavarapu, George Hochmuth, and Guodong Liu; 12 pp. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/cv002

Efficacy of Different Plant Extracts on Fusarium Wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum in Chillies under Field Condition

Chilli (Capsicum annum L.) is vegetable crop belongs to family Solanaceae. It is an important source of vitamin A and C. In developing countries most of chilli diseases are due to fungal attack and cause severe losses in yield. Fusarium wilt of chilli which is caused by Fusarium oxysporium f. sp. capsici is an important disease of chilli which causes heavy yield losses in Pakistan. Present research was planned to evaluate effect of different concentrations of plant based phyto-extracts against Fusarium wilt on chilli pathogen under natural field condition. In research trails the leave extract of Euclayptus globulus, Cassia fistula, Moringa oleifera, Vachellia nilotica and Azadirachta indica were evaluated in the management of fusarium wilt. These trails were planned under Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Three concentrations of above mentioned leaf extracts were used 20%, 30% and 40%. At 40% Eucalyptus, Moringa and Azadiracta gave best results with maximum reduction in Fusarium wilt. While all other extracts results were also satisfactory. So we can use these botanicals as a control for this disease in chilli. Keywords: Capsicum annum, Fusarium wilt, Fusarium oxysporium, Phyto-extracts.

Designing Climate-Smart Brinjal That Can Withstand a Variety of Environmental Conditions: A Perspective

Brinjal is a beautiful vegetable crop with strong nutritional properties specifically folate concentration and total chlorogenic acid content. These vitamins and minerals are very much effective in building up the immune system, whilst chlorogenic acid content protects the human body against heart illnesses, liver issues and diabetes. The quantity of these chemicals changes from cultivar to cultivar largely based upon the location of growth and changing environmental circumstances. Many plant breeding strategies are used to alleviate the losses but have proved to be less successful. Whereas the use of molecular markers and other biotechnology technologies have created a road for creating climate smart brinjal with maximum yields and nutritious contents.

Biostimulants containing amino acids in vegetable crop production

Amino acids can induce defence reactions and reduce the impact of abiotic stresses on plants, yet their impact on the yield of vegetable crops is varied. For this reason, an analysis of the published research on the effect of biostimulants containing amino acids (BCAA) on the quantity and quality of vegetable crop yield was carried out. The results of the research indicate the multidirectional effect of BCAA on vegetable plants and they also show that the use of these biostimulants may increase yield quantity and quality as well as influence biometric features and chemical composition of plants. BCAA may also affect the amount of losses caused by pests and during the storage of vegetables. However, the variability of the effects is very large and depends on many factors: composition of BCAA, time, dose, number and method of application, cultivation cycle, weather conditions, and plant species or even cultivar. Therefore, the effective use of BCAA requires further research, while their proper application in horticultural practice will require taking into account many factors.

Production of Gynogenic Plants of Red Beet (Beta vulgaris L.) in Unpollinated Ovule Culture In Vitro

The unique and balanced components of the biochemical composition, together with high antioxidant activity, make the red beet necessary a dietary vegetable crop, much contributing to healthy food ration. The application of the technology for producing gynogenic plants in vitro increases the genetic diversity and significantly reduces the period of time required to obtain the appropriate homozygous lines used to create the F1 hybrids that are demanded in the market. For induction of gynogenesis, we used IMB medium developed by us with the addition of 55 g/L sucrose, 3 g/L phytogel, 200 mg/L ampicillin, and 0.4 mg/L thidiazuron (TDZ) and cultured at 28 °C in the dark for 4–6 weeks. Shoot regeneration from embryoids and callus was performed on MS medium with 20 g/L sucrose, 3 g/L phytogel, 1 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), and 0.1 mg/L gibberellic acid (GA3). Immersion of the obtained microshoots with 5–7 well-developed leaves for 10–15 s into concentrated sterile indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) solution (50 mg/L) followed by their cultivation on solid medium ½ IMB with 2% sucrose and 3 g/L phytogel was the most efficient method for root formation. The addition of silver nitrate (22 mg/L) to the nutrient medium provoked an increase in the number of induced ovules up to nine per Petri dish (up to 25% of induced ovules). Gynogenic development was produced in six out of 11 genotypes studied, and the plants that were then acclimatized to ex vitro conditions were obtained in three genotypes (Nezhnost’, Dobrynya, b/a 128). The evaluation of ploidy of gynogenic plants that was carried out by flow cytometry and direct counting of chromosomes stained with propion-lacmoide revealed that all obtained gynogenic plants were haploids (2n = x = 9).

Plant-Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria Emerging as an Effective Bioinoculant to Improve the Growth, Production and Stress Tolerance of Vegetable Crops

Vegetable cultivation is a promising economic activity, and vegetable consumption is important for human health due to the high nutritional content of vegetables. Vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and several phytochemical compounds. However, the production of vegetables is insufficient to meet the demand of the ever-increasing population. Plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) facilitate the growth and production of vegetable crops by acquiring nutrients, producing phytohormones, and protecting them from various detrimental effects. In this review, we highlight well-developed and cutting-edge findings focusing on the role of a PGPR-based bioinoculant formulation in enhancing vegetable crop production. We also discuss the role of PGPR in promoting vegetable crop growth and resisting the adverse effects arising from various abiotic (drought, salinity, heat, heavy metals) and biotic (fungi, bacteria, nematodes, and insect pests) stresses.

Onion yield and its dependence on plant density in vegetable crop rotations on Ergenin Upland chestnut soils

Abstracts. The years of experiment were from 2016…2020 in a farm on the Ergenin Upland chestnut soils in Volgograd region. The experiments were placed in five fields of vegetable crop rotation with the total area of 165 ha. During the presented period, a competitive test was carried out to identify the most productive samples of onions. The objects of the study were samples -the zoned variety Volgodonets (control variety) of domestic selection, hybrids of foreign selection Pandero F1, Benefit F1, Valero F1, Manas F1. It was found that hybrids give more than twice the yield over the control variety in almost all the variants. But the most optimal and more productive in all cases proved to be option No. 2 hybrid Benefit F1 with the parameters: the seeding rate of 1,000,000 pcs of seeds per hectare with viability of 97.31%, which provided for harvesting 973,100 plants per hectare and achieved a yield of 143.41 t/ha on average for repetitions in 2020. Thus, we can conclude that the seeding rate is 1,000,000 pcs of seeds per hectare in the conditions of chestnut soils of the Ergenin Upland is optimal in the conditions of the existing agricultural technology.

Edibility of Trachyandra ciliata (L.F.) kunth - an underutilized vegetable from South African Western Cape Coast: A review

security and nutrition and promote sustainable crop production by 2050. However, climate change, increasing soil salinization and the inadequate availability of fresh water have negatively affected crop production around the world including South Africa, making it difficult to meet the required target. This necessitates the use of wild edible plants that are adapted to adverse conditions such as drought and salinity in order to mitigate this problem. The genus Trachyandra (Asphodelaceae) consist of three edible species (T. ciliata, T. divaricata and T. falcata) which are native to the dry saline environments of the western Cape coastal sand dunes. The genus is less studied with no record of cultivated species, although the existing literature states that T. ciliata, (wild cabbage) was originally used as a food source by the indigenous Khoi-san people who lived on the South African Cape coast. Colonization and removal of indigenous people from cultural lands led to erosion and detachment from the knowledge of the land and its useful plants. The species is used in selected restaurants where the inflorescence is steamed and eaten as a vegetable or added into a stew. This review explores the importance of Asphodelaceae family, T. ciliata as a vegetable crop and its potential as a pharmaceutical candidate. Furthermore, this review examines potential technological advances such as hydroponics that could be used for sustainable crop production of T. ciliata. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) was utilized in the selection of articles in this review. The existing literature provided useful information on the potential of T. ciliata as a vegetable crop and the importance of using halophytes to achieve food security. This appraisal is expected to serve as a template for researchers, food enthusiasts, potential farmers and policy makers who may be keen in exploring further nutritional composition and medicinal potential of this plant.

Tuta absoluta; A Devastating Pest of Tomato: A Review

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a very important vegetable crop of the world. However, there is a huge loss in tomato production due to pest and disease incidence. Tomato leaf miner is a devastating pest of tomato and other Solanaceous crops in many vegetable crop growing areas around the world and it also attacks non-solanaceous crops. The larva is the most devastating stage of tomato leaf miner. After egg hatching, the larvae feed on tomato fruits, leaves, flower buds, and young shoots and create mines and galleries. Larval feeding may reduce tomato production by 80-100 % in an open field as well as in a plastic house if no control measures are carried out. Chemical control has been found ineffective due to a wide host range and has developed resistance to dozens of pesticides. Hence, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices involving mass trapping of the pest using pheromone trap, biological control by a predator, parasitoid, entomopathogenic microbes, including cultural practices should be implemented for the effective control of this pest.