Horticulture Commons^™

Effects Of Phosphate-Solubilizing Fungi On Phosphorus Availability, Retention, And Soil Chemical Properties In Shallot Cultivated On Andisols Of North Sumatra, Agustina Erlinda Marpaung, Tengku Sabrina, Abdul Rauf, Dwi Ningsih Susilowati

Jurnal Kultivasi

The availability of phosphorus (P) is one of the main limiting factors for plant productivity in Andisol soils due to the strong fixation of P by allophane clay minerals, aluminum and iron oxides. Giving the phosphate solubilizing fungi (PSF) is an alternative to increase available P which plants can use to increase the yield. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of phosphate-solubilizing fungi (PSF) in improving P availability on Andisol. The experiment used a block randomized design (BRD) with three replications. The first factor is Andisol soil origin (Soil 1 and Soil 2) and the second is isolate of …

Silage Sorghum Variety Trial: Broome 2023-2024 Wet Season, Carla Milazzo, Aimee Grieves, Christopher Ham, Geoff Moore

Grain and other field crops research reports

Seven sorghum varieties suitable for silage production were planted at the start of the wet season when high temperatures and increasing day length promoted rapid growth.

Late maturing varieties were the highest yielding – producing up to 44 t/ha dry matter over 125 days.

Metabolisable energy content increased as plants matured to the soft dough growth stage, to 8.5 MJ/kg dry matter, falling short of the target 10 MJ/kg for high liveweight gains in cattle.

Evaluation Of 18 Broccoli Cultivars For Summer Harvest In Southwest Michigan In 2025, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A broccoli cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Rijk Zwaan (RZ), Sakata (SK), and Tozer (TZ) seed companies donated 18 broccoli cultivars for plastic mulch-bedded hand harvest. Overall, the trial quality was good for collecting data on stressed plants from both heat and fertility.

Evaluation Of 9 Cauliflower Cultivars For Summer Harvest In Southwest Michigan In 2025, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A cauliflower cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Rijk Zwaan (RZ), Sakata (SK), and Tozer (TZ) seed companies donated nine cauliflower cultivars for plastic mulch-bedded hand harvest. Overall, the trial demonstrated poor growth in cauliflower before heading amidst high heat, resulting in small plants, small heads and poor head quality.

Evaluation Of 14 Round Tomato Cultivars In Southwest Michigan In 2025, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A round tomato cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Enza Zaden (EZ), North Carolina State University (NCSU), PanAmerican (PA), and Sakata (SK) seed companies donated 14 cultivars for plastic mulch-bedded hand harvest. Overall, the trial quality was good, with periods of high heat slowing ripening.

Evaluation Of Eight Parthenocarpic Slicing Cucumber Cultivars And Four Production Systems In Southwest Michigan In 2025, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

In the machine-harvested pickling cucumber system, parthenocarpic (parth) varieties make up about 50% of the market, and is growing. The seed cost is higher, but this is offset by not needing to contract or truck bees and an increased yield when planted at half the population of standard varieties. Additionally, they hold their shape and size better when moisture and temperatures fluctuate, reducing docked payments from graders. In pickling cucumbers, a breakeven yield is approximately 250 bushels per acre with a plant population of 30,000 plants per acre. Plant populations can play a strong role in economic viability, as demonstrated …

Extending The Fruiting Season With Container Grown Primocane-Fruiting Blackberries Grown In A High-Tunnel, Edwin James Tucker Iii

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Blackberry production has become an important part of many small fruit orchard operations because they’re easy to grow, produce a large crop, and sell well at market. The current blackberry season in Missouri extends from mid-June to mid-August, depending on the cultivar chosen. This fruiting season is common for floricane-fruiting blackberry cultivars (cultivars that fruit on one-year old canes). Primocane-fruiting blackberry, or blackberries that fruit on current season growth, have the potential to further extend the harvest season of blackberry into September and October especially if grown in a high-tunnel. This study had two objectives. The first objective was to …

Evaluation Of Nine Sh2 Sweet Corn Cultivars In Southwest Michigan In 2025, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A bicolor sh2 sweet corn cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Seeds were donated by Crookham (CK), and Rupp (RP) seed companies. Two synergistic varieties were donated by Chris Difonzo from the Bt resistance project and were treated as unsprayed late-season checks against caterpillar infestation. Overall trial conditions were hot and dry, with moisture stress throughout the trial on a sandy hill. Overhead irrigation provided some relief. A new seeder was used that planted at a lower population than desired. As such, yield suffered in this trial.

Evaluation Of Six Roma Tomato Cultivars In Southwest Michigan In 2025, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A Roma tomato cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). HM Clause (HM), Lark (LK), and Sakata (SK) seed companies donated 6 cultivars for plastic mulch-bedded hand harvest. Overall, the trial quality was good, with periods of high heat slowing ripening.

2025 Standard-Sized Seedless Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie, Cesar Escalante

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Indiana ranked fifth in watermelon production in the United States. In 2024, Indiana growers planted approximately 8,100 acres of watermelons. Watermelon cultivar evaluation trials have been conducted annually at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC) in Vincennes, IN, for over 30 years. In 2025, 25 standard-sized seedless watermelons were evaluated, and yield and fruit quality parameters were assessed.

2025 Personal-Sized Seedless Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie, Cesar Escalante

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Indiana ranks fifth in the United States for watermelon production in 2024. Most of the state’s production consists of red-flesh seedless cultivars with fruit weighing 9 lbs and above. A small portion of watermelon production devoted to mini seedless types. Meanwhile, interest in watermelon production among small and diversified vegetable farms is increasing, where smaller-sized watermelons are likely fit better at these farms. In this report, we summarize the performance of 12 personal-sized watermelon cultivars evaluated at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC) in Vincennes, IN, during the 2025 season.

2024 Seeded Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

The annual watermelon cultivar evaluation trial is conducted at Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC) in Vincennes, Indiana. It evaluates yield, fruit quality, and overall plant performance of commercial watermelon cultivars and advanced breeding lines. Purdue Extension and seed companies financially support the trial. The 2024 seeded watermelon cultivar trial evaluated 15 cultivars.

2024 Personal-Sized Seedless Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

The annual watermelon cultivar evaluation trial is conducted at Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC) in Vincennes, Indiana. It evaluates yield, fruit quality, and overall plant performance of commercial watermelon cultivars and advanced breeding lines. Purdue Extension and seed companies financially support the trial. The 2024 personal-sized triploid watermelon cultivar trial evaluated 18 cultivars.

2024 Standard-Sized Seedless Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of 23 Pickling Cucumber Cultivars For Machine Harvest In Southwest Michigan In 2024, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A pickling cucumber cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.088261, -86.351980, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Nunhems (NU), Rijk Zwaan (RZ), and US AgriSeed (UA) seed companies donated parthenocarpic (seedless) cultivars for mechanical once-over harvest. Overall, trial quality was good despite a droughty start, though picking could have started sooner.

Disentangling Genotype And Environment Specific Latent Features For Improved Trait Prediction Using A Compositional Autoencoder, Anirudha Powadi, Talukder Zaki Jubery, Michael C. Tross, James C. Schnable, Baskar Ganapathysubramanian

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In plant breeding and genetics, predictive models traditionally rely on compact representations of high-dimensional data, often using methods like Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and, more recently, Autoencoders (AE). However, these methods do not separate genotype-specific and environment-specific features, limiting their ability to accurately predict traits influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. We hypothesize that disentangling these representations into genotype-specific and environment-specific components can enhance predictive models. To test this, we developed a compositional autoencoder (CAE) that decomposes high-dimensional data into distinct genotype-specific and environment-specific latent features. Our CAE framework employed a hierarchical architecture within an autoencoder to effectively separate …

Evaluation Of Five Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkin Cultivars In Southwest Michigan In 2024, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A jack-o-lantern pumpkin cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Rupp (RP) seed company donated pumpkin seeds. Overall trial conditions were excellent, and the crop was harvested early due to the environmental conditions compounded with black plastic mulch pushing the plants to produce and ripen fruit early.

Evaluation Of 10 Specialty Pepper Cultivars In Southwest Michigan In 2024, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A specialty pepper cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Tozer (TZ) and United Genetics (UG) seed companies donated specialty pepper cultivars for plastic-mulch bedded and trellised hand harvest. Overall trial conditions were excellent, however our pre-plant fertilizer mixing was outsourced this year, and a spreader was rented from the same company. Due to either a mixing error or a misapplication with a piece of unfamiliar or malfunctioning equipment, the plots received a toxic level of boron, which remained in plant tissues for the whole season.

Evaluation Of 18 Bell Pepper Cultivars In Southwest Michigan In 2024, Ben Phillips

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A bell pepper cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Clifton (CL), Enza Zaden (EZ), Sakata (SK), Seminis (SE), and United Genetics (UG) seed companies donated bell pepper cultivars for plastic-mulch bedded and trellised hand harvest. Overall trial conditions were excellent, however our pre-plant fertilizer mixing was outsourced this year, and a spreader was rented from the same company. Due to either a mixing error or a misapplication with a piece of unfamiliar or malfunctioning equipment, the plots received a toxic level of boron, which remained in plant …

Growth And Yield Of Lettuce (Lactuca Sativa Var. Crispa) In Varying Irrigation Water Salinity And Leaching Fractions, Berkant Odemis, Derya Kazgöz Candemi̇r, Koray Çapar

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

This study aimed to determine the response of yield and yield parameters of the ‘Cospirina’ lettuce plant, known to be moderate salinity tolerant, to different levels of salt water applications and different leaching rates in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Hatay Province, Türkiye. Lettuce was irrigated at three different irrigation water salinity levels (EC0 = 0.5 dS m^-1-control, EC2 = 2 dS m^-1, EC4 = 4 dS m^-1) and four different leaching fractions (LF0 = 0%, LF1 = 10%, LF2 = 20%, LF3 = 30%). Irrigation water salinity was adjusted by adding different amounts …

Accurate Measurement Of Field Size Is Essential For Analysis Of Smallholder Survey Data, Rica Joy Flor, Shen Yuan, Gonzalo Rizzo, Fahmuddin Agus, Anny Ruth P. Pame, Akhara Ouk, Rathmuny Then, Sokheng Keo, Virender Kumar, Particio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Context: Agronomic surveys play a vital role in identifying on-farm yield constraints and opportunities to increase productivity, input-use efficiency, and farmer profit. These surveys typically rely on farmer-reported data, where crop yield and applied inputs per hectare are estimated based on farmer-reported total harvested output and applied inputs per field and associated field size. At question is how accurate field size is, which is vital in the case of smallholders as small inaccuracies can lead to large biases in estimated yield and inputs.

Objectives: The goals of this study are to assess current approaches to determine field size …

Evaluation Of Five Roma Tomato Cultivars In Southwest Michigan In 2023, Ben Phillips, Jenny Schoonmaker

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A Roma tomato cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). HM Claus (HM), PanAmerican (PA), and Sakata (SK) seed companies donated five Roma tomato cultivars for plastic-mulch bedded and trellised hand harvest. Overall trial quality was excellent, despite a dry start that brought in insects, and hard rains that flared bacterial diseases.

Evaluation Of 13 Round Tomato Cultivars In Southwest Michigan In 2023, Ben Phillips, Jenny Schoonmaker

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A round tomato cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Enza Zaden (EZ), Seminis (SM), Sakata (SK), and Seedway (SW) seed companies donated round tomato cultivars for plastic-mulch bedded and trellised hand harvest. Overall trial quality was excellent, despite a dry start that brought in insects, and hard rains that flared bacterial diseases.

Evaluation Of 23 Pickling Cucumber Cultivars For Machine Harvest In Southwest Michigan In 2023, Ben Phillips, Jenny Schoonmaker

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A pickling cucumber cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.088261, -86.351980, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Nunhems (NU), Rijk Zwaan (RZ), and US AgriSeed (UA) seed companies donated parthenocarpic (seedless) cultivars for mechanical once-over harvest. Overall trial quality was good despite a droughty start, though picking could have started sooner.

Evaluation Of Five Cauliflower Cultivars For Summer Harvest In Southwest Michigan In 2023, Ben Phillips, Leah Freeman

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A cauliflower cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Clifton (CL), Sakata (SK), and Tozer (TZ) seed companies donated five cauliflower cultivars for plastic-mulch bedded hand harvest. The trial quality was good for collecting data on stressed plants. A dry start and cabbage maggot attack reduced stand with replacement plants lagging behind, and heat around head formation created a high proportion of non-marketable heads.

Evaluation Of 11 Broccoli Cultivars For Summer Harvest In Southwest Michigan In 2023, Ben Phillips, Leah Freeman

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A broccoli cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Bejo (BJ), Clifton (CL), Sakata (SK), and Tozer (TZ) seed companies donated 11 broccoli cultivars for plastic-mulch bedded hand harvest. The trial quality was good for collecting data on stressed plants. A dry start and cabbage maggot attack reduced stand with replacement plants lagging behind, and heat around head formation created a high proportion of non-marketable heads.

Evaluation Of Six Slicing Cucumber Cultivars In Southwest Michigan In 2023, Ben Phillips, Jenny Schoonmaker

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A slicing cucumber cultivar trial was planted at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (42.081985, -86.354087, Benton Harbor, Michigan). Clifton (CL), Seedway (SW), Seminis (SM), and Syngenta (SY) seed companies donated five slicing cucumber cultivars for plastic-mulch bedded hand harvest. The trial quality was OK, with a dry start that created an uneven stand, and some deer browse.

2023 Personal-Sized Seedless Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Indiana ranks sixth in watermelon production in the U.S., following Florida, Georgia, Texas, California, and North Carolina in 2022. A total of 7,000 acres of watermelons were planted, with a production value of $71 million (USDA, 2023). Watermelons grown in Indiana are primarily red flesh seedless, and around 10% are personal-sized seedless watermelons (6-8 lbs).

2023 Seeded Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Watermelons grown in Indiana are primarily red flesh seedless, and a small portion of personal-sized red flesh seedless. Seeded watermelons are typically not grown in large acreages, but they may be used as pollenizer plants for growing seedless watermelons. The 2023 seeded watermelon cultivar trial included 15 seeded watermelon cultivars.

2023 Standard-Sized Seedless Watermelon Cultivar Evaluation In Indiana, Wenjing Guan, Dennis Nowaskie

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

The annual watermelon cultivar evaluation trial is conducted at Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC), in Vincennes, Indiana. The trial evaluates yield, fruit quality, and overall plant performance of commercial watermelon cultivars and advanced breeding lines. The trial is financially supported by Purdue Extension and seed companies. The 2023 standard-sized triploid watermelon cultivar trial had 35 cultivars, including six with solid dark-green rind patterns, and one with a solid light-green rind pattern.