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Chapter 2 of the Vegetable Production Handbook of Florida

Use efficiency of applied nitrogen (N) is estimated typically to be

Chapter 2 of the Vegetable Production Handbook

This document is HS733, Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Published November 2006. HS733/CV131: Chapter 14. Potato Production (ufl.edu)

This document is HS731, Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Published December 2005.

This document is HS723, Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Published December 2005.

This document is HS721, Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Published December 2005.

Row covers are flexible, transparent, or semitransparent materials used to enclose single or multiple rows of plants with the objective of moderating temperature and protecting from wind. This document is HS716, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date June 1995. Revised November 2006. HS716/CV106: Row Covers for Growth Enhancement (ufl.edu)

This publication describes the present state of technology regarding row covers in the United States and provides examples of potential applications of that technology to Florida vegetable production. This document is CIR728, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date July 1987. Reviewed March 2015. Revised September 2018. CIR728/CV201: Row Covers for Commercial Vegetable Culture in Florida (ufl.edu)

This 7-page fact sheet is chapter 2 of the 2018 Vegetable Production Handbook. Written by Guodong Liu, Eric H. Simonne, Kelly T. Morgan, George J. Hochmuth, Monica Ozores-Hampton, Shinsuke Agehara, and Rao Mylavarapu, and published by the Horticultural Sciences Department, 2018. CV296/CV296: Chapter 2. Fertilizer Management for Vegetable Production in Florida (ufl.edu)

This publication presents the fertilization recommendations for vegetable crops based on soil tests performed by the IFAS Extension Soil Testing Laboratory (ESTL). It contains the basic information from which ESTL soil-test reports and fertilization recommendations are generated. Additional information on nutrient recommendations is presented in the Vegetable Production Handbook of Florida, 2017-2018. Similarly, IFAS Standardized Nutrient Recommendations for Agronomic Crops can be found in SL129 (Mylavarapu, 2015).

Phosphate rock is a key component in producing fertilizer and many other economically important products. Getting phosphate rock out of the ground produces a by-produce called phosphate clay, which mining operations must return to the landscape. However, phosphate clay retains large amounts of water, making them unsuitable for use as farmland or wildlife habitat. This 6-page fact sheet explains how using a sand-clay mix can more efficiently restore the landscape and put it to beneficial use. Written by Casey Beavers, Edward A. Hanlon, Matt Wilson, James “Bud” Cates, and George J. Hochmuth, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Sciences, July 2015.

This 8-page fact sheet presents basic information for those using reclaimed water to irrigate lawns and landscapes. The information can serve as a guide to determine whether there is an opportunity to replace some of the fertilizer that might otherwise be applied and to offer guidance on avoiding runoff and leaching of excess nutrients. Written by Christopher J. Martinez, Mark W. Clark, Gurpal S. Toor, George J. Hochmuth, and Lawrence R. Parsons, and published by the UF Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, August 2011. (UF/IFAS photo by Marisol Amador)

SL-284, a 5-page illustrated fact sheet by George J. Hochmuth and Robert C. Hochmuth, describes one of the most commonly observed disorders of pepper, blossom-end rot (BER) — its symptoms, calcium physiology, calcium deficiency, factors predisposing fruits to BER, and prevention. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, April 2009. SL 284/SS497: Blossom-End Rot in Bell Pepper: Causes and Prevention (ufl.edu)

Revised! HS-1020, a 6-page fact sheet by George J. Hochmuth and Robert C. Hochmuth, provides a partial directory of greenhouse manufacturers and suppliers. Published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, February 2009. HS1020/HS255: Greenhouse Manufacturers and Suppliers (ufl.edu)

ABE-373, a 6-page report by K. W. Migliaccio, T. Olczyk, Y. Qian, Y. Li, G. J. Hochmuth, R. C. Hochmuth, D. D. Treadwell, E. H. Simonne, L. S. Osborne, and R. K. Sprenkel, presents the results of trials conducted in 2005 and 2006 to compare organic fertilizers and potting media for greenhouse production of container herbs. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, May 2007. ABE 373/AE408: Organic Greenhouse Container Herb Production in South Florida: Fertilizer and Potting Media (ufl.edu)

This document contains a partial list of greenhouse manufactures and suppliers. The list is intended for use as a reference only and mention of a company is not an endorsement of that company or their products. This document is HS1020, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date October 2005. HS1020/HS255: Greenhouse Manufacturers and Suppliers (ufl.edu)

This document addresses tillage associated with vegetable production on reclaimed phosphatic clays and summarizes the research findings from the Mined Lands Research/Demonstration Project (MLRDP), a cooperative project involving the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), Florida Institute of Phosphate Research (FIPR), the Polk County Board of Commissioners, and the phosphate industry. This project functioned from 1985 through 1994. This document is intended for growers, land managers, and mining industry land-use planners and assumes a familiarity with basic soil tillage and vegetable horticultural processes. This document is SL223, a fact sheet of the Soil and Water Science Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Originally published as SS-MLR-4 in June 1993. Revised March 2005 as SL223.

Through research, tables have been developed that describe the average nutrient concentration of animal wastes. However, the actual nutrient concentration of manures may vary from one livestock operation to another. Factors that contribute to this variation include: composition of the feed ration, design of the waste management system, season of year, animal health, etc. Therefore, it is important that livestock wastes are sampled and analyzed to determine their nutrient concentrations before a sound, nutrient management plan can be designed, implemented, or maintained. This document is HS938, one of a series of Department of Horticultural Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. November 2003. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs189

This document is HS916, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: February 2003.

Recent increases in nitrate concentrations in the Suwannee River and associated springs in northern Florida have raised concerns over the contributions of non-point sources. The Middle Suwannee River Basin (MSRB) is of special concern because of prevalent karst topography, unconfined aquifers and sandy soils which increase vulnerability of the ground water contamination from agricultural operations--a billion dollar industry in this region. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production poses a challenge in the area due to the shallow root system of potato plants, and low water and nutrient holding capacity of the sandy soils. A four-year monitoring study for potato production on sandy soil was conducted on a commercial farm located in the MSRB to identify major nitrogen (N) loss pathways and determine their contribution to the total environmental N load, using a partial N budget approach and the potato model SUBSTOR. Model simulated environmental N loading rates were found to lie within one standard deviation of the observed values and identified leaching loss of N as the major sink representing 25 to 38% (or 85 to 138 kg ha(-1) N) of the total input N (310 to 349 kg ha(-1) N). The crop residues left in the field after tuber harvest represented a significant amount of N (64 to 110 kg ha(-1) N) and posed potential for indirect leaching loss of N upon their mineralization and the absence of subsequent cover crops. Typically, two months of fallow period exits between harvest of tubers and planting of the fall row crop (silage corn). The fallow period is characterized by summer rains which pose a threat to N released from rapidly mineralizing potato vines. Strategies to reduce N loading into the groundwater from potato production must focus on development and adoption of best management practices aimed on reducing direct as well as indirect N leaching losses.

The springs and the Suwannee river of northern Florida in Middle Suwanee River Basin (MSRB) are among several examples in this planet that have shown a temporal trend of increasing nitrate concentration primarily due to the impacts of non-point sources such as agriculture. The rate of nitrate increase in the river as documented by Ham and Hatzell (1996) was 0.02 mg N L-1 y-1. Best management practices (BMPs) for nutrients were adopted by the commercial farms in the MSRB region to reduce the amounts of pollutants entering the water bodies, however the effectiveness of BMPs remains a topic of interest and discussion among the researchers, environmental administrators and policy makers about the loads of nitrogen entering into groundwater and river systems. Through this study, an initiative was taken to estimate nitrogen losses into the environment from commercial production systems of row and vegetable crops that had adopted BMPs and were under a presumption of compliance with state water quality standards. Nitrogen mass budget was constructed by quantifying the N sources and sinks for three crops (potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), sweet corn (Zea mays L.) and silage corn (Zea mays L.)) over a four year period (2010-2013) on a large representative commercial farm in northern Florida. Fertilizer N was found to be the primary N input and represented 98.0 ± 1.4, 91.0 ± 13.9, 78.0 ± 17.3% of the total N input for potato, sweet corn, and silage corn, respectively. Average crop N uptake represented 55.5%, 60.5%, and 65.2% of the mean total input N whereas average mineral N left in top 0.3 m soil layer at harvest represented 9.1%, 4.5%, and 2.6% of the mean total input N. Mean environmental N losses represented 35.3%, 34.3%, and 32.7% of the mean total input N for potato, sweet corn, and silage corn, respectively. Nitrogen losses showed a linear trend with increase in N inputs. Although, there is no quick fix for controlling N losses from crop production in MSRB, the strategies to reduce N losses must focus on managing the crop residues, using recommended fertilizer rates, and avoiding late-season application of nitrogen.

MAIN OBJECTIVES: Fresh fruits and vegetables become increasingly recognized as vehicles of human salmonellosis. Physiological, ecological, and environmental factors are all thought to contribute to the ability of Salmonella to colonize fruits and vegetables pre- and post-harvest. The goal of this study was to test how irrigation levels, fruit water congestion, crop and pathogen genotypes affect the ability of Salmonella to multiply in tomatoes post-harvest. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Fruits from three tomato varieties, grown over three production seasons in two Florida locations, were infected with seven strains of Salmonella and their ability to multiply post-harvest in field-grown tomatoes was tested. The field experiments were set up as a two-factor factorial split plot experiment, with the whole-plot treatments arranged in a randomized complete-block design. The irrigation treatment (at three levels) was the whole-plot factor, and the split-plot factor was tomato variety, with three levels. The significance of the main, two-way, and three-way interaction effects was tested using the (type III) F-tests for fixed effects. Mean separation for each significant fixed effect in the model was performed using Tukey's multiple comparison testing procedure. MOST IMPORTANT DISCOVERIES AND SIGNIFICANCE: The irrigation regime per se did not affect susceptibility of the crop to post-harvest proliferation of Salmonella. However, Salmonella grew significantly better in water-congested tissues of green tomatoes. Tomato maturity and genotype, Salmonella genotype, and inter-seasonal differences were the strongest factors affecting proliferation. Red ripe tomatoes were significantly and consistently more conducive to proliferation of Salmonella. Tomatoes harvested in the driest, sunniest season were the most conducive to post-harvest proliferation of the pathogen. Statistically significant interactions between production conditions affected post-harvest susceptibility of the crop to the pathogen. UV irradiation of tomatoes post-harvest promoted Salmonella growth.