Horticulture Commons^™

Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors: Iv. Seedling Culture And Transplanting, Wesley Crump, Taun Beddes, Michael Caron, Milena Oliveira

All Current Publications

The period between seedling emergence and planting outdoors for the growing season is a time of rapid plant growth and development and is critical to long-term production success. In this last fact sheet in this series, we cover the main topics crucial to growing seedlings into quality, usable plants for outdoor production, including air circulation, temperature, light, water, fertilizer, indoor transplanting, hardening off, and transplanting outside.

Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors: Ii. Materials, Wesley Crump, Taun Beddes, Michael Caron, Milena Oliveira

All Current Publications

This second of four fact sheets in this series explores materials needed to start seeds indoors—specifically, seeds, containers, soilless mix (potting soil), lights, water, fertilizer, a heat source, fans, labels, and a general growing space. Our focus is mainly starting vegetables. However, the principles discussed apply to starting herbs and other ornamental annuals and perennials. Online propagation protocols, books on plant propagation, and other Utah State University (USU) Extension resources discuss how to start other unique and less common plants.

Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors: I. Planning, Wesley Crump, Taun Beddes, Michael Caron, Milena Oliveira

All Current Publications

For many Utah gardeners, starting vegetable seeds indoors offers both an exciting opportunity to experiment with new varieties and a practical necessity for ensuring the successful growth and production of certain crops in their unique environmental conditions. Vegetable gardening involves inherent risks, particularly for the plants, with weather being a significant and largely uncontrollable factor. Because of this, many gardeners are unsure about when to start certain crops and whether the crops should be started indoors or sown directly in the garden. This fact sheet, the first in a series of four, discusses planning considerations when starting seeds indoors.

Evaluation Of High Tunnel Tomato Cultivars For Yield And Quality, Wenjing Guan

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

Tomatoes are a highly popular crop in Indiana's local food markets. They are most commonly grown in high tunnels to extend the harvest season and enhance yields. Beyond yield, fruit quality is a key factor for market success. This study evaluated the performance of eight determinant tomato cultivars grown in a high tunnel at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center in 2023.

Arkansas Corn And Grain Sorghum Performance Tests 2024, J. F. Carlin, R. D. Bond, J. C. Mccoy, T. C. Swanson

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

Corn and grain sorghum performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The tests provide information to companies marketing seed within the state and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating recommendations for producers.

The 2024 corn performance tests contained 44 hybrids and were conducted at the Northeast Rice Research and Extension Center (NERREC) at Harrisburg, the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station (LMCRS) near Marianna, the Rohwer Research Station (RRS) near Rohwer, and the Rice Research and Extension Center (RREC) near Stuttgart. The 2024 grain sorghum performance tests contained 16 …

Performance Of Eight Lettuce Cultivars In A Water Culture System, Ricky C. Young, Hudson M. Cox, Jacob D. Frodge, Mollie K. Mayabb, Brycen C. Shephard, Alireza Rahemi

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is one of the most well-known vegetables in the world. About 27 million tons of lettuce were produced in the world in 2022 and global demand for lettuce is increasing steadily, driven by the importance of fiber consumption. Lettuce can be grown in multiple media, including hydroponic systems in a controlled environment agriculture (CEA) system. Growing lettuce in hydroponic systems is an alternative to lettuce production optimization. Since little information is available about lettuce cultivar trials in hydroponic systems, a research project was developed and executed to study the ability of different types of lettuce …

Improving Fertilizer Efficiency In Containerized Nursery Production Through Substrate Temperature Management Techniques, Ashley R. Edwards

LSU Master's Theses

Resource efficiency, particularly regarding mineral nutrients, is a critical factor in the long-term success of the nursery industry. Fertilizer release is controlled by water and temperature in container-grown ornamental nursery production systems. Thus, it was hypothesized that pragmatic management of substrate temperature and moisture could extend the longevity of controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) in a container system. This study was conducted to determine the effect of irrigation scheduling, container color, and stratified substrates on substrate temperature and the subsequent use and longevity of CRF in a crop production setting. ‘Limelight’ Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) liners were planted in either black …

Genome-Wide Association Studies In Lettuce Reveal The Interplay Of Seed Age, Color, And Germination Under High Temperatures, Sookyung Oh, Ezekiel Ahn, Ainong Shi, Beiquan Mou, Sunchung Park

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Thermoinhibition, the suppression of seed germination by high temperatures, is an adaptive trait that ensures successful seedling establishment in natural environments. While beneficial for wild plants, thermoinhibition can adversely affect crop yields due to uneven and reduced germination rates, particularly in the face of climate change. To understand the genetic basis of thermoinhibition, we conducted a comprehensive genetic analysis of a diverse panel of Lactuca spp. accessions. Our findings revealed that L. serriola, a wild ancestor of cultivated lettuce, showed relaxed thermoinhibition response compared to cultivated lettuce, suggesting that this trait may have been positively selected during early domestication in …

Nebline, January/February 2025

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

2024 Extension Highlights

4-H Engaged 34,177 Youth

Nebraska Extension’s Strategic Direction

Reflflection, Growth and Whole-Person Wellness for 2025. Emily Gratopp

Recipe of the Month: Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup, Emily Gratopp

Extension’s 2025 Master Gardener Volunteer Training Begins Soon

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

Upcoming Green Industry Conferences

ProHort Lawn and Landscape Update

2025 Pesticide Applicator Trainings

Crop Production Clinics

Leaving a Lasting Legacy for Midwestern Farm Women

At Ag Literacy Festival, Students Learn How Agriculture Impacts Their Daily Lives

Managing Hard Water, Becky Schuerman

Don’t Let Fungus Gnats Bug You and Your Plants, Kait Chapman

2025 Lincoln …

Letter From The Faculty Editor, Beth Kegley

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Clbbm And Clplt2 Function Redundantly During Both Male And Female Gametophytes Development In Watermelon, Qiyan Liu, Dongfen Han, Jinfan Chen, Jie Wang, Denghu Cheng, Xiner Chen, Jiao Jiang, Shujjuan Tian, Jiafa Wang, Man Liu, Haizheng Xiong, Li Yuan

Horticulture Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a prerequisite for sexual reproduction, gametophyte development is an interesting process involving cell proliferation, differentiation and specialization. Gametogenesis has been extensively explored in model plants, but the regulatory mechanism of gametophyte development largely remains unknown in Cucurbitaceae species. In present study, we have shown that watermelon ClBBM and ClPLT2, two AP2/ERF transcription factors, participated in both male and female gametophyte development. Clbbm and Clplt2 single mutants resembled wild-type phenotypes in both vegetative and reproductive development. But Clbbm/Clplt2 double mutant showed partial pollen abortion and bore less seeds comparing to WT. Our results indicated that the abnormal pollen grains were …

Contents, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 26 2025, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Dean, Jeff Edwards

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Featured Faculty Mentor/Student Team, Kelly Loftin, Eva Berryhill

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Hydroponics- 2025-2026 Workshop Handbook, Stacy A. Adams

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Hydroponically grown plants grow faster than traditional production systems, with greater productivity, greater palatability, and having optimal visual character. Three principal components of a system include the plant support platform, a nutrient solution reservoir, and an interface for the root-solution. This publication provides in-depth explanation to system design, evaluation of water quality, nutrient formulation, and prototype systems that can be easily constructed for those wanting to explore hydroponics, such as educators, organizational leaders, or home enthusiasts.

Effects Of Round-Up On The Environment, Sandra J. Marcu

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Many people around the world have used and still currently use Roundup but are unaware of the effects it has on the environment. Roundup is a spray on application weedkiller that is widely used around the world today both residentially and commercially. It enables its user to grow a garden or a field of crops with a no-tilling approach to eliminate weeds. It is a well-known and popular choice for killing weeds that has been around since the mid 1970’s (Oca, 2017). John Franz, a Monsanto scientist discovered that glyphosate (main ingredient in Roundup) was an herbicide or weedkiller, and …

Modeling The Impact Of Climate Change On Plant Hardiness Zones Across The Contiguous United States Using Empirical Bayesian Kriging Regression Prediction, Daniel Donkor

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Mapping plant hardiness zones is crucial to understanding and predicting the spatial distribution of plants in response to climatic conditions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed the plant hardiness zones based on the average of annual extreme minimum temperatures using the Parameter elevation Regression on Independent Slope Model (PRISM). While the USDA’s 2012 and 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone maps remain standard references, they offer limited geostatistical transparency that causes more complications in replicating. This study applies Empirical Bayesian Kriging Regression Prediction (EBKRP) method to generate Plant Hardiness Zone maps, analyze spatial and temporal shifts in the plant hardiness …

Eggplant Variety Demonstration Results For West-Central Indiana, 2024, Petrus Langenhoven, Lizeth Sofia Catucuamba Tuquerrez

Midwest Vegetable Trial Reports

A non-replicated demonstration of eggplant varieties was conducted at Purdue University's Meigs Horticulture Facility to evaluate eight varieties, including four Italian-type and four Asian-type varieties, under Indiana growing conditions. Plants were transplanted on May 14, 2024, with 30 plants per variety in 180-foot rows. Weekly harvests occurred from weeks 8 to 18 after transplanting. Italian varieties consistently produced higher marketable yields than Asian types, with Nigral achieving the highest yield at 55,446 pounds per acre (17.7 fruits per plant, averaging 11.2 ounces per fruit). Rolandia produced the heaviest individual fruits, with an average weight of 12.3 ounces. Among Asian varieties, …