ISHS Acta Horticulturae 579: II Balkan Symposium on Vegetables and Potatoes
CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF OPEN-FIELD VEGETABLES GROWN IN THE OFFSEASON IN A SEMI-TROPICAL CLIMATE |
| Author: | D.J. Cantliffe |
| Keywords: | Florida, competition, tomato, pepper, strawberry, muskmelon |
| Abstract:
Production of open-field vegetables is a challenge, even under conditions of good temperature, moisture, sunlight, and other factors, including good soil types. It becomes further challenging when they are grown in semi-tropical conditions, sandy or rock soils, or during a time of the year with short photoperiod, low light intensity, and highly variable rainfall with hurricane-type winds to complete drought. Many of these adverse conditions are the case for growing winter production of vegetables in Florida. The $1.7 billion vegetable industry in Florida supplies the Eastern United States with vegetables from the end of September through July. To successfully do this, variability in climate, environment, and soil type have to be overcome. In recent years, the area devoted to vegetable production in Florida has decreased approximately 40,000 hectares, while the value of that production has increased approximately $1 billion. The reason for this dramatic change has been the high efficiencies of production, improved germplasm, and growing of high-value crops such as hybrid tomato, pepper, strawberry and watermelon. A thorough understanding of the physiology and cultural management of these crops has been a must to make these dynamic changes over the last 10 years. The inputs creating these changes will be discussed in an overview of the dynamics on this major part of the winter vegetable industry in the United States. | |
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