sign in sign up
<<
Home , Cucumber, Cucumis, Cucurbita, Cucurbitaceae, Watermelon

Cucurbit: Production Iowa Fresh and Processing Acreages practices and techniques Fresh and Processing (acres) Sweet corn 4,503 Potatoes 1,763 1,476 Green Peas 811 Squash 227 226 167 155 Bell Peppers 116 Snap 107 Dr. Ajay Nair Cabbage (head) 90 Department of Horticulture Onions 69 Iowa State University Others xx

IA Ag Statistics, 2012

CUCURBITACEAE or squash = “Cucurbits” : Genera , , squash, , • : – – and pumpkins • genus: – Muskmelons and melons – Cucumbers • genus – Watermelon

1 Cucurbitaceae Centers of Origin Iowa Cucurbit Acreage

Vegetable Total Harvested (acres)

Pumpkin 1,175 Cucurbita ~1300 acres Cucumbers Watermelon 167 Americas Sub-Saharan Onion Pumpkin Cantaloupe 157 Cucumis Squash Cucumis ~260 acres Cucurbita Citrullus Squash 227 62

2012 CENSUS OF - STATE DATA

Common Characteristics Flower types

• Warm season • Annual • Insect pollinated • Day-neutral

• Moderate N requirements Female Male (pistillate) (staminate) • Moderate requirements Perfect Monoecious • Insect and Disease Pests Similar (if on same )

http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/manuals/m00173.htm

2 Flowers and fertilization Adequate pollination: • 10-12 visits per flower • Monoecious: Separate male Most cucumbers and • More visits, more , and female flowers on same squash (Cucurbita bigger plant; Male flowers form first, species); watermelon • One per 100 flowers then female. • 1 strong colony per acre = 6-8 hives

• Andromonoecious. Male Most muskmelons flowers first then perfect (Cucumis) (hermaphrodite) flowers.

• Gynoecious. All female Some cucumbers flowers (not very common) e.g. ‘Diva’; ‘Olympian’

Inadequately pollinated cucumber

Cucurbita pepo (cont’d) Summer squash & Winter Squash & Pumpkin

Zucchini Crook-neck Patty-pan Acorn Spaghetti Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkin

Photos: Johnny’s Selected Photos: Johnny’s Selected Seed

3 Winter squash & pumpkin Giant & Dickinson “Pumpkin” Pumpkin

Dickinson “Pumpkin”

Hubbard

Buttercup

Kobacha Photo: Johnny’s Selected Seed http://formaggiokitchen.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/libbys- pumpkins.jpg

Winter squash (butternut) in Western Michigan Summer squash in SW Michigan

4 Plan it before you plant it ! • Know your market Slicers • Boa • selection • Cobra • Primary market considerations • Dasher II – Earliness • Daytona • Intimidator – Local • Python – Reduced chemicals • Speedway – Storage • Tasty Green – Quality!!!!! • Turbo

Recommended cultivars and characteristics Recommended watermelon cultivars and characteristics Cultivar Yield Soluble Comments (lb/A) solids Watermelon Ring color, pattern, and shape Average weight (lb) Honeydew Seedless Honeybrew 53,669 13.8 Should be cut from to prevent fruit cracking, Distinction Medium, green with mottled green stripes, 16‐20 great flavor if allowed to mature on vine globe shaped Jade Delight 38,944 14.3 Green to white flesh, needs to be cut from vine Fascination Medium green, oval, with hazy stripes 16‐20 before full slip to reduce fruit cracking Gypsy Light green, round‐globe, and striped 13‐17 Muskmelon Aphrodite 35,516 11.3 Early maturing, large fruit with thick firm flesh, Round‐oval, Jubilee stripe, dark 13‐15 good quality, standard recommended cultivar background Vagabond Medium, blocky‐oval, dark green hazy 13‐15 Athena 37,636 11.7 Oval shape, firm flesh with high quality, standard stripes recommended cultivar Troubadour Medium, blocky, green background dark 14‐17 Atlantis 42,011 10.9 Oval to oblong, thick firm flesh, uniform size and green stripes appearance Avatar 55,856 10.5 Large fruit, thick walls Seeded Grand Slam 49,633 Concentrated fruit set, firm, uniform size and Denver Green, round‐oval, striped 20‐24 appearance Jamboree Dark green, long blocky, broken light green 23‐27 Majus 32,089 12.1 Oval fruit with green sutures, large cavity, sweet stripes flesh Regency Dark green, blocky oblong, striped 18‐22 Orange sherbet 38,515 10.8 Small round fruit with great flavor Sangria Dark green, blocky oval, striped, long 20‐26 Cube 21,337 12.8 Small personal size muskmelon with exceptional flavor

5 Should I use transplants ? Special pollinizers and seeded (edible) cultivars for pollination in seedless watermelon production

Cultivar Type

Crimson sweet Seeded; edible Royal Sweet Seeded; edible Early start; uniform seed Sangria Seeded; edible

Companion Special pollinizer Cucurbits (cucumbers, pumpkins, squash) Pinnacle Special pollinizer • Do not like their root systems disturbed Sidekick Special pollinizer • Be very careful while handling transplants

Hardening off Any problem in these transplants?

6 Site Selection CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS (warm is the key) • Warm season crop • Sandy to clay loam • Optimum temperature 80-85F • Must be well-drained • Temp. above 92F or below 60F slow down • pH = on the lower end (5.5 – 6.0) growth. Also implicated in bitterness (but not • Ideal = sandy loam: dries out early and warms proven) • Can be grown on wide range of soil (Sandy or up faster in the spring. organic soils) • Slope = to the south. A 20 degree slope • pH 6 to 7 ideal absorbs 6% more heat than level.

Land preparation On plastic mulch  Cucumber, squash  Earliness  Weed control  High yield and quality  Low fertilizer and water use

7 PUMPKIN Summer Squash 2‐3’ between 2’ between plants 7‐8’ between rows 7’ between rows

18” between plants 18” between plants 5’ between rows (outside) 3’ between rows (high tunnel)

8 Cucumber CULTURAL PRACTICES 30.0 Price drops by $9 25.0 Fertilization • Cucurbits respond well to fertilizers (75 to 150 lb/A) 20.0 • Amount of fertilizer depend on soil type and fertility • Too much Nitrogen favors vegetative growth

15.0 • Split application of N recommended • 50% close to planting • 50% side dressed in several applications at vining 10.0 • Over 40 lbs/A side dressed once may damage the roots 5.0 Dollars per 1 1/9 bushel cartons bushel per 1 1/9 Dollars

0.0 6/19 6/26 7/3 7/10 7/17 7/24 7/31 8/7 8/14 8/21 8/28 9/4 9/11 9/18 9/25 10/2 10/9 Date

Nutrient recommendation Muskmelon and watermelon Sample N fertilization management schedule muskmelon and watermelon production

Nutrient concentration(s) from soil test Fertilizer needed (lb/A) Status Total amount of N 100 lb/A  Pre‐plant fertilization can be (ppm) Phosphate (P2O5) Less than or equal to 15 Low 150 for the season: done using urea, UAN, 16 - 30 Medium 100 Pre‐plant: 50 lb/A ammonium sulfate, etc. 31 - 50 High 50 Fertigation 50 lb/A  Fertigation is commonly done 51 and higher Very High 0 amount: using calcium or potassium

Potassium (ppm) Potash (K2O) Number of weeks 8 weeks nitrate. Less than or equal to 80 Low 150 of fertigation: (muskmelon)  Fertigation should begin about 81 – 140 Medium 100 12 weeks two weeks after transplanting 141 - 200 High 75 (watermelon) or when begin to “run”. 201 and higher Very High 50 Amount of N 6.3 lb/A Organic matter (%) Nitrogen (N) needed per week: (muskmelon) Less than or equal to 3% Low 100 3.1 – 19.0 Medium 80 4.2 lb/A 19.1 and higher High 60 (watermelon)

9 Non-marketable Marketable An important cultural factor that determines yield and quality Watermelon may get by without irrigation due to deep tap root system. Muskmelons benefit greatly from supplemental irrigation. Cucumber requires large amounts of water (1-2” per week)

Poor pollination Poor irrigation

When to irrigate? Moisture sensors

Tensiometers: • Watermark •Water in plastic tube with porous ceramic tip. •Vacuum above water column is measured Soil Moisture •As soil dries, greater tension Meter

$279

$39

10 Weed Management Organic methods of weed suppression

• There are several herbicides that are labeled for use in cucurbit crop production

Pre‐emergent broadleaves Halosulfuron (Sandea®) and Imazosulfuron (League®) Pre‐emergent grasses DCPA (Dacthal®) and Bensulide (Prefar®) Pre‐emergent broadleaves s‐metolachlor (Dual II Magnum®), pendimethalin (Prowl H2O®), trifluralin and grasses (Trifluralin®), clomazone (Command® 3ME), and ethafluralin + clomazone (Strategy®) Post emergence grasses Sethoxydim (Poast®) and Clethodim (Select Max®)

Major pest and diseases Insects : 1. 2. 3. Squash bug Diseases: 1. – Could be devastating; plant is Cucumber infected then no control; spread by cucumber beetles Bacterial wilt beetle damage 2. 4. Anthracnose 5.

11 Row covers Active ingredient Chemical class Insecticide Imidacloprid Neonicotinoid Admire Pro® Gaucho® Genesis® Thiamethoxam Neonicotinoid Actara® Platinum® Acetamiprid Neonicotinoid Assail® Cyfluthrin Pyrethroid Baythroid XL® Esfenvalerate Pyrethroid Asana XL® Zeta cypermethrin Pyrethroid Mustang Maxx® Permethrin Pyrethroid Ambush® Pounce® Spinosad Spinosyn Entrust® Spintor® Bacillus thuriengiensis Bacterium Dipel®, Javelin®

Squash Bug Squash Bug Remove eggs Treat when eggs begin to hatch. Large nymphs and adults are difficult to control.

Purdue University Horticulture & LA

Most of the same Simple Life Cycle insecticides as for Sucking Mouthparts Cucumber Beetles Slide borrowed from Dr. Donald Lewis, ISU Slide borrowed from Dr. Donald Lewis, ISU

12 Squash Vine Borer Squash Vine Borer

Clearwing moth Larvae tunnel in vines Complete life cycle Wilting or death Overwinter as pupae in Holes & frass soil Larvae in squash Moths appear in mid- June Eggs laid at base of Univ of Illinois plant

Slide borrowed from Dr. Donald Lewis, ISU Slide borrowed from Dr. Donald Lewis, ISU

Squash Vine Borer Downy mildew

Spray when moths are • cubensis flying to prevent • Management caterpillar attack – Resistance Most of the same insecticides as for – Fungicides cucumber beetles

Slide borrowed from Dr. Donald Lewis, ISU

13 Anthracnose Angular spot • Foliar disease – lagenarium • Similar to anthracnose • Overwinters in residue • High relative humidity • Bacterial and temperature • Management

• Control – Resistance

– Resistance – Copper sprays – Rotation – Fungicides

Solanaceae Diseases Rotation Rotation Crops years Crops years Disease Affected required Disease Affected required The most effective ways Common blight Beans 2‐3 Phomopsis rotbl h 3 Alternaria leafspot Cole crops many Stem anthracnose Lima 3 Blackleg Cole crops >4 Sclerotinia Many yes of combating disease is Black rot Cole crops >3 Southern stem blight Most long Clubroot Cole crops 6‐10 Anthracnose Pepper ‐ the use of crop rotation, Downey mildew Cole crops >2 Bacterial leafspot Pepper, Tomato >3 yellows Cole crops ‐ Scab of potato Potato yes disease-free seed, Powdery mildew Cole crops, curcubits no Blackleg Potato, etc. >3 Belly rot Cucumber ‐ Late blight Potato, tomato ‐ Scab of cucumber Cucurbits yes Early blight Solanaceae ‐ resistant cultivars, Angular leafspot Curcubits 1‐2 Bacterial wilt Solanaceae, peanuts no Anthracnose Curcubits >2 Streptomyces soil rot Sweetpotato no pesticide rotation, Downey mildew Curcubits no Scurf Sweetpotatoes 3‐4 fruit decay Curcubits ‐ Anthracnose Tomato >2 Pythium fruit rot Curcubits ‐ Bacterial canker Tomato >5 sanitation, and regular Gummy stem blight Curcubits >2 Bacterial speck Tomato >3 Gray mold Tomato ‐ scouting. Fusarium wilt Tomato, curcubits 10‐11

Adapted from Mary Peet, NC State http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/sustainable/peet/IPM/diseases/table15.html

14 Zucchini fruit harvest (5-6”) Cucumber and Squash Harvest

• Hand and multiple harvests • If fruit not harvested, new fruit are inhibited • May be harvested every 2 days during the summer

Winter Squash Harvest • Hand and one to two harvests • Mature fruit • Ground spot yellow as an indicator () • Quality improves with maturity • Avoid exposure to hard frost in the field – shortens storage and reduces quality

Pumpkin Harvest Muskmelon Ripeness:

• The vine attachment separates from the fruit easily at maturity, referred to as “slip” – used for melons to be eaten right away.

• When some pulling or help is needed, referred to as “half-slip” – used for melons to be shipped or stored.

• can continue off the vine, but flavor and or sweetness is not usually as good as vine ripened.

15 Watermelon Ripeness Curing winter squash and pumpkins

• The on the vine nearest where the fruit attaches browns or • After harvest, cure at 80-85 F; 80-90% RH dies. • The spot where the melon rests on for 10 days the ground turns yellow. • Heals wounds, after-ripening • A hallow or “punk” sound as opposed to a “pink” or “pank” • Prolongs storage time sound when thumped with a finger. • Do not cure acorn squashes; detrimental; they lose quality

Optimal Storage Conditions Relative storage lengths Non-Chilling Chilling sensitive sensitive (store at ~ 32F) (store at ~ 50F) C. pepoC. moschata C. maxima . Asparagus . Beans, snap . Broccoli . Eggplant . Cabbage . Peppers . Carrots . Potato . Celery . Cucumber RH . Lettuce . Summer squash >90% . Peas . . Spinach . Radishes . Tomato Acorn Buttercup . Cauliflower . Muskmelon Butternut . Sweet corn . Watermelon RH 1-2 mo storage2-6 mo storage 6+ mo storage . Onions . Winter squash 60-70% . Garlic . Pumpkin

16 AcknowledgementsMany THANKS Official vegetable of Iowa

Brandon Carpenter Dana Jokela Jennifer Tillman 1. Pumpkin Ray Kruse Kristine Neu  2. Sweet corn John-Krzton Presson 3. Cucumber Moriah Bilenky Pete Lawlor 4. Watermelon Nick Howell Vince Lawson

It’s a balancing act ! Contact Dr. Ajay Nair Email: [email protected] Phone: 515‐294‐7080

Updates:

http://iowavegetables.blogspot.com www.extension.iastate.edu/vegetablelab

17