Search Results
Abstract
The use of degree-day accumulations showed little advantage over calendar days when the ease of calculation for calendar days was considered. Calendar day measurements appeared to be more practical and more reliable than degree days. However, when calendar days from transplanting were compared to calendar days from the date that the stem stopped enlarging, it was found that the latter criterion was more reliable for estimating the time when the earliest maximum yield occurred. In fact, it was the most reliable criterion of many that were studied (1). Similar results were reported by Vollbrecht (5), however he stated that a more practical method is still needed to predict optimum harvest periods.
Abstract
Fruits of rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Read cv. Tifblue) were harvested by hand and an overrow mechanical harvester for 2 years. Machine harvest increased ground loss of marketable fruit over hand harvest. Hand-harvested fruit were 29 to 37% firmer than machine-harvested fruit. When held for 7-11 days at 15.5°C, machine-harvested fruit had more than twice the amount of soft and unmarketable fruit than hand-harvested fruit. Pruning rabbiteye blueberry plants increased the harvesting efficiency of the machine.
Abstract
Prior to 1964 work relating morphological changes of the tomato plant to the occurrence of the earliest once-over maximum yield of ripe fruit had not been reported. In studies of growth and fruiting characteristics of several tomato cultivars to develop an objective method to predict the harvest date, Austin determined that the cessation of stem enlargement was the best index. Measuring stems, however, with calipers at 3-and 4-day intervals is laborious.
Abstract
Repression of specific growth parameters of Tetragonia tetragonioides (Pall.) Kuntze (syn. Tetragonia expansa Murray) was studied after application of two types of growth regulators. Succinic acid-2,2-dimethylhydrazide (SADH) decreased stem height and dry weight progressively with increased concentration. Ratio of leaf dry weight to stem dry weight increased with concentration. Maleic hydrazide (MH) caused substantial reduction of fruit weight, with fruit number decreasing only at higher concentrations. Whole plant fresh weight and leaf area decreased only with a multiple 500 ppm application of MH. Leaf to fruit fresh weight ratio increased with concentration and number of applications. A formulation C6 to C12 fatty alcohols (Off-Shoot T) had little effect on fruit development and leaf area.
Abstract
One-wire, 2-wire, and overhead trellis systems of the muscadine grape, Vitis rotundifolia, Mich., cv. Hunt, were compared for 20 bearing years. Initially, plants trained to the 2-wire trellis had the highest yield; but for each of the next 18 years, the highest yield was obtained from the overhead trellis. All training systems exhibited alternate bearing after the 7th crop year. The alternate bearing pattern was the same as the state pecan production.
Abstract
Plants set 6.1, 6.4 and 6.7 m apart in each of 3.0-, 3.7- and 4.3-m rows of the muscadine grape, Vitis rotundifolia, Michx., cv. Hunt, were compared for 25 years. The highest plant density, 477 plants/ha, gave the greatest yield per m2 almost consistently for 25 years. The highest yields per plant were obtained from the wider in-the-row spacings. Alternate bearing was rather consistent from 1949 through 1963, but irregular thereafter.
Abstract
The Coastal Plain Experiment Station announces the release of ‘Georgia Upright’ Brassica oleracea L. (Acephala group) which is resistant to bolting and has upright leaf petioles.
Abstract
The response of rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei Reade, cv. Tifblue) to 3 plant spacings and 3 fertilizer levels was compared for 6 years. Tifblue did not respond to fertilizer levels during the first 5 years, but beginning the 3rd year in the field, higher yields were obtained with higher plant population (2315 plants/ha). Increasing fertilizer levels increased unmarketable fruit, the amount of pruned wood and the time required to grade fruit. The best combination of spacing and fertilizer were 1.8 m in-the-row spacing and 67-30-40 kg/ha of N-P-K, respectively.
Abstract
Seed counts of 2 size grades from 3 fruit sizes were made from 30 fruits each of 21 rabbiteye (Vaccinium ashei Reade) cultivars and selections. Total seeds/berry ranged from 110 for ‘Briteblue’ to 28 for selection T-111. Generally, larger fruit had more total and large seeds than smaller fruit; however, this relationship was not constant for all cultivars. Total seed number and number of large seeds per fruit appear to be heritable.
Abstract
Chemical and mechanical treatments were applied to 3 cultivars of field grown sweet potatoes, Ipomoea batatas (Lam.), in an attempt to reduce the amount of skinning injury from harvest and handling. Treatments that destroyed the leaves and vines, i.e. sodium arsenite, paraquat, and mowing at soil level, reduced skinning of fleshy roots later during harvest. The reduction in fleshy root skinning from harvest treatments was significant but not visually apparent in field containers.
Thickness of periderm of the sweet potatoes was not influenced by chemical or mechanical treatments but dates of application and time of harvest influenced periderm development. Skinning was most severe when the periderm was thickest.
There appeared to be an association between low soil temperature (60° F) and skinning.
Changes in carbohydrate composition of ‘Nemagold’ roots were partly associated with changes in soil temperature. Accumulation of carbohydrates in roots varied with cultivar and season, and there was no relationship between the carbohydrate composition and severity of skinning.
Yield of roots was reduced in most plots where vines were killed or stunted by treatments, especially those made early in the harvest season and in treatments applied 2 weeks prior to harvest.