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Southernpeas, Vigna unguiculata, are a popular vegetable in the southeastern United States. Southernpeas (cowpeas) are widely known by the many different horticultural types, i.e., blackeye, pinkeye, purple hull, cream, cowder, etc. `Elegance' was widely tested under the designation Ark 96-918. It was entered in the Regional Southernpea Cooperative Trials from 1997–2002, where it performed well. It is a root-knot nematode resistant cream that exhibits an upright bush habit with concentrated pod set and good yield potential. The seed are medium size and produce a high quality canned product. `Elegance' is unique in the fact that it is a purple hull cream with the pods turning from dark green to purple when the seed reach the green mature stage. The second release, Ark 98-348, is a selection out of `Chinese Red' that is less viney and has a more concentrated pod set and maturity than the `Chinese Red' types that are commercially grown. It was tested in the observational Regional Southernpea Cooperative Trials from 2000–02. In trials at the University of Arkansas Vegetable Substation, it outyielded industry standard `Chinese Red' types Ark 93-640 and 93-641, by 30%.
A fresh-market tomato trial was conducted in 2003 at two locations in Arkansas (Fayetteville and Kibler) to evaluate new and old tomato varieties of interest to home gardeners and farmers' markets. The observational trial consisted of 43 varieties, indeterminates and determinates. Heirloom tomatoes comprised a large portion of the trial due to increasing popularity. Heirlooms are unique and can be very eye-catching. There is immense variety in shape, size, and color. They can be large or small, many times the shape is irregular, and the fruits flawed (cracking, cat-facing, green shoulders). The fruit may not store or ship well; most are grown and sold locally. Some heirlooms are better than others. A few of the varieties that stood out in the trial were Costoluto Genovese, Abraham Lincoln, Dona, and Persimmon. Costoluto Genovese, a uniquely ruffled red tomato, was the highest yielding variety at the Kibler location. Fruit quality remained high even in the highest temperatures. One of the most promising was a orange variety called Persimmon, it produced large fruit and the plants provided excellent cover. Dona and Abraham Lincoln, both reds, yielded well and had good flavor. San Marzano and Arkansas 7985 were the best paste types. Arkansas varieties such as Bradley, Ozark Pink, and Arkansas Traveler 76 also did well. Brandywine varieties had low yields and lesser quality fruit. Green zebra, a green striped fruit with good flavor, yielded less due to Blossom End Rot. Cherokee Purple and Carbon were two from the purple/black category that did not do well; yields were low and the fruit cracked.