pumpkin production issues and trials, 2017 -...

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

Questions?

R. Allen Straw

Mobile: 931.261.0973

E-mail: harvestmoonplants15@gmail.com