pumpkin production issues and trials, 2017 -...
TRANSCRIPT
Pumpkin Production Issues and Trials, 2017 - 2018
R. Allen Straw
Crop Consultant / Grower
Weather
One of the, if not thee wettest year on record.– 24 inches of rain in 3 weeks. – Close to 30 inches in the first hurricane in
Eastern North Carolina.– Disease Issues– Quality Issues
Hot / Intense Sun
Fusarium Fruit Rot
Worst when extremely wet conditions follow heat and or drought stress
Reduce Stress Calcium Fertilization Fungicides (?)
– Preventively
Sunburn
Intense sunshine– Often on sales lot– This year in field
after windrowing– Varietal differences
Orange Sunrise Specter
– Late season chlorothalonil applications
Sunburn and Secondary Disease
A sunburned fruit a few days after harvest.
Secondary disease infection beginning.
Likely Fusarium
Slugs
Several Calls– Losing stand
Birds ? Herbicides ?
– SLUGS! When examining at
night as many as 7 slugs per leaf
– Damage during harvest
Slug Damage on Fruit
In dry years, the damage looks like this.
In wet years, the damage rots.
Very hard to control. Baits are not
labeled.
Severe Slug Damage
Squash Vine Borer - Larvae
Squash Vine Borer - Adult
Squash Vine Borer
Usually not an issue in “commercial” production.
Delayed sprays– Neonic seed
treatments– 4 to 5 weeks before
first sprays
Generally use pyrethroid insecticides for vine borers.– Very effective– But kill Beneficial's– Flare aphids
Aphids
Lady Bugs
Insecticide Sprays / Aphids
Control– Scout, don’t spray
unless necessary– Minimize pyrethroid
applications– Use aphid materials
late season Beleaf Exirel Fulfill Harvanta Sivanto
Late Season Worm Control
Late Season Worm Control
A late season spray or2 may be necessary.
BtCoragenExirelHarvantaRadiant
pH and Nutrient Availability
Proper pH Range– 6.0 – 6.5
Optimum nutrient availability
Soil Sample in the Fall Lime in the Fall
– Agricultural lime is variable in size and reacts over time 6 months is generally
required to see much activity
pH
Range of 6.0 – 6.56.2
Optimum nutrient availabilityLess than 5.5
Magnesium deficiency Molybdenum deficiency Manganese toxicity
Greater than 6.8 Nutrients become unavailable
Magnesium Deficiency
Manganese Toxicity
Pumpkin Spacing
Traditionally– 6 – 8’ between rows– 4’ in-row– 24 – 32 ft2
Grower Practices– 3 – 4’ between rows– 3’ – 5’ in-row– 12 – 20 ft2
Plant TypeBush
12 – 18 ft2
Semi-Bush18 – 32 ft2
Prolific Vining32+ ft2
Extremes– 12 ft2– 100 ft2
Spacings for Specific Pumpkin Varieties
Wholesale Jack-O-Lantern ‘Aladdin’
12 – 24 ft2 ‘Gladiator’
15 – 30 ft2 ‘Magician’
12 – 24 ft2
10 – 12 ft2
School tours ‘Magic Lantern’
12 – 32 ft2
‘Cronus’48 – 60 ft2
Large Fruited18 – 36 ft2
‘Big Doris’ ‘Captain Jack’ ‘Early Giant’
Small Fruited (“Pies”)– 12 – 18 ft2
‘Hybrid Pam’ ‘Mystic Plus’ ‘Pik-A-Pie’
12 – 18 ft2 ‘Iron Man’ ‘Cannon Ball'
Spacing Work on Varieties
Would like to do some more spacing work
Cronus– HMX 0685– Optimize Yield– Optimize Size
Magician– Tighten up spacings
to make “school tour” pumpkin. 8 to 12 square feet
Pie Pumpkins– Optimize Yield
8 to 12 square feet on restricted vine varieties
Pollination
Rule of thumb:– 1 hive/A
Observations0 hives/A
Native beesCucumber beetles
2 hives/ACompetition
No-Till Considerations
Preparation is KEY!– NT into sod is a
gamble– Ron Morse has
developed some very good guidelines
– Prepare for no-tillWork soil in the fallSow appropriate
cover crop
Control the cover at the appropriate time in the spring
– Too short – not enough cover
– Too tall – hard to control
Fertility– Concern: surface
application of urea– Nutrisphere (?)
Water (Irrigation)Allelopathic Effects
(?)
Tillage
I like strip tillage. Left was old sod,
never tilled. Right had been tilled
for cauliflower the season before.
Which Cover Crop?
Rye– Most growth– Best “mulch”– Grows very rapidly in
the spring– Use 1 bu/A– 2 bu/A often gets too
thick
Wheat– Less growth than rye– Not as much “mulch”– Doesn’t grow as fast– 1 to 2 bu/A
Vetch– Adds N– Harder to kill
Austrian Winter Peas
Rodent Control
Rodents– Field mice have
been bad the last couple of years
– Worse in NT production
– Control• Admire• Furadan (?)• Whatever Means ?
Fruit Size / Market
Traditionally– 40 count– 35 count– 30 count– 25 count– larger
Lot of Interest– 40 – 45 count– 50 count– 60 count– Even some 70
count
Warty Gobblin
Not a “chain store” variety– Good variety– Local sales– Specialty– Large stores
don’t know how to handle
Wildlife Control
Deer Control
Fencing– Expensive
$500 to $2,000/AElectricSlant
RepellentsBiosolidsHairSoapHuman Scent
Get to familiar Lose activity over time Reapplication
Repellents (cont.)– Blood or Blood Meals
Expense Longevity Reapplication
Noise– Air Cannons
Lead Poisoning– Timing– Time to hunt
Plant Skydd Findings, 2004
Treatments– 2.2 lb / 5 gallon
Broadcast– 2.2 lb / 10 gallons
Broadcast– 2.2 lb / 5 gallon
Perimeter– UTC
Crops– Pumpkins– Snap Beans– Strawberries
Results– Worked for 3 to 4 weeks,
then the deer would move back into the entire area regardless of treatment
Plant Skydd Use
Begin applications prior to any feeding
Spray as a perimeter spray, especially where deer traffic is expected to be the heaviest
Apply at 1 cup / 3 gallons of spray solution
Repeat every 3 to 4 weeks
Maximizer Results
5 Trials– Sparta, NC– Craig County, VA– Floyd County, VA– Hanover County, VA– Grayson County, VA
2018 Observations– A single application
produced a continued fruit set.
General Observations– Yield increases of 25
to 33% Field Trip generally
had 2 fruit per vine 1 out of every 5 to 10
plants had a 3rd fruit– Slightly Larger Fruit– Healthier Vines
Post Harvest Handling
Store in a cool, dry, dark place– Cool: 45 – 55 degrees F– Relative Humidity: 70 – 75%– Single Layer
