INSTITUTE OF FOOO ANO AGRICULTURAL SCIEN CE S

F LORI C A COOPE RA TIVE

EX T ENSION SERVICE UNI V EAS IT Y O F FLO A IO A

VEGETARIAN NEWSLET T ER 1955 Hor t i cultural Scien ces and Plant Pathology Bldg. #717

June 6, 1979

Prepared by Extension Vegeta ble Crops Special i sts

R. D. vJilliam Ass i stant Professor

R. K. Shm,,a lter Professo r

C. B. Hall Acting Chairman

J . M. Stephens Associate Professor

James Montelaro Professor

TO: COUNTY EXTENSION [)!RECTORS AND AGENTS (VEGETABLE AND HORTICULTURE) AND OTHERS INTERESTED IN VEGETABLE CROPS IN FLORIDA

rnat-t: R. D. William, Assistant Professor & Extensi on Vegetable Specialis t

VEGETARIAN NEl~SLETTER 79-6 f<tvJ~ JN THIS ISSUE:

I . NOTES OF INTEREST

A. Updated List of 24(c) Labels Granted for Vegetables in Florida

I I. COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

A. Weed Shifts and Time of Plowing B. Double Cropping in Full-B ed Plast ic 11ulch Cult ure

III . VEGETABLE GARDENING

A. Uncommon Edible Parts of Vegeta ble s B. Know Your Vegetables - Romaine

NOTE: Anyone is free to use t he in for mation in this newsletter . Whenever poss ible pleas e give credit to t he aut hors .

skh Th e Institute of Food and A gricultural Sciences is an Equal Employm ent Opportunity · Affirmat ive Act ion Emp loyer aut horize d to provide research,

education al informa t ion and other services on ly to ind ividu als and institut ions that func t ion with out regard to race, colo r . sex, or national origin. COOPERATIV E EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICU LTUR E ANO HOME ECONOM ICS, STATE OF FLORIDA, I FAS, UNIVERSITY OF

FLORIDA, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGR ICULTU RE , AND BOARDS OF COUNTY COMMISS IONERS COOPERATING

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THE VEGETARIAN NEWSLETTER

I . NOTES OF INTEREST

A. Updated List of 24(c) Labels Granted for Vegetables in F1orida

In the May 1979 issue of t he newsletter "Chemically Speaking", Dr. Lipsey presented an updated list of all 24(c) labels granted for all uses in Florida . Those included here are for vegetables only. A full copy of the report is avail­able fro m Dr. Lipsey or this office.

CROP/SITE

Carro ts Celer y Cele ry Cele ry Eggplant Lettuce Peppers Peppers Peppers Peppers Potatoes Potatoes Snap beans Spinac h Squash Sweet corn S\<Jeet corn Sweet corn Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes

Tomatoes Tomatoes Tomatoes Various vegetables Vegetables and

Nurseries vlaterme l ons

24(c) Labels Granted in Florida Pesticide Coordinator's Office

PEST

vJeeds Leafminer Weeds and grasses Cabbage loopers Pinworm, green peach aphid Weeds Weeds (row middles) Weeds Nematodes Virus disease Weeds Nemato des & corky ring spot Weeds Cabbage looper, beet armyworm Virus disease Leaf blight Armyworm, corn earworm Diseases & seed rot Induce maturity Weeds (r ow middles ) Leafspot, blight \iJeeds Pi nworm, fr ui two rm, 1 oopers ,

armyworm Various insects Virus disease Nematodes Leafminer, aphid control Rats and mice

Bli ght, anthracnose, mildew

CHEMICAL

Lorox Vydate L Vegadex Dipel 150 Lannate L Paraquat Amiben Devrinol Furadan JMS Stylet Oil Lexone Furadan Vegadex Lannate (methomyl) JMS Styl ct Oil Bravo 5F Lorsban 4E Difolatan Alar Amiben Bravo 6F Devrinol Lannate

Monitor JMS Styl et Oil Vydat e L Pyrellin AZ Rami k

Difolatan

{Montelaro )

COMPANY

DuPont DuPont A. Duda & Dons As grow DuPont Chevron Amchem Stau ffer Chemical FMC Corp. JMS Flower Farms DuPont FMC Del Monte DuPont JMS Flower Farms Diamond Shamrock Do~1 Chevron Uniroyal Arne hem Diamond Shamrock Stauffer Dupont

Chemagro JMS Flower Farms DuPont Webb lfri ght Velsicol

Chevron

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THE VEGETARIAN NEWSLETTER

II COMMERCIAL VEGETABLE PRODUCTION

A. Weed Shif ts and Time of Plowing

Weed popul ation s shift as a result of many climatic, physical and bi ological factor s that affect growth and reproduction of weedy plants in agricultural f ields. Factor s such as cultural practices, crop rotations, irr igatio n or rainfall, weedy fa llows , and many other condi tions aff ect both the population and diversity of weeds. Certain weeds such as purple nutsedge, perennial grasses, or other weeds predomi nate because conditions are conducive for the growth of that specie(s ) , al though total growth and reproduction may be l imite d due to competition between cr ops and weeds . Perhaps you ' ve noticed dif fe rences between grower's fields even tho ugh crops, cultural practices , and growing conditions appeared similar. A seri es of art ic les will present information pert aining to managing weed shifts.

Farmer s often plow, plant and produce their crops on a routi ne basis throu gh­out th e year. Fields, therefore , are plowed during the same season each year . Result s from a recent study conducted at the Tall Timbers Research Station near Tallahassee indicate that different plant species colonize fields depending on the season when plowi ng occur red or the soil was disturbed . For example, Florida pusley (Richar dia scabra L.) predominated when fields were pl owed in February, whereas pur­ple nut sedge (Cyperus rotundus L. ) domina ted several fields for 2 months when dis­t urbed i n February and Apri l. Several winter annuals including pale seed plantain {Plant ago virgi nic a L. ), heartwing sor re l (Rumex hastatalus Baldw.), and Carolina gerani um {Geranium carolin ianum L.) became dominant species when fields were plowed dur in g Apr i l , June, or August. Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.) domi­nat ed when soils were plowed i n October, December, or February. In addition, these weedy pl ants often hosted specific herbi vore insec ts that, in turn, supported com­muniti es of predaceous insects. Studies in North and South Carol ina, Tennessee and oth er loc ati ons reported trends toward certain predominant species in abandoned f ie lds or fo l lowing soi l dis turba nce and normal crop production .

Alt hough specific results perta inin g to managing weed shifts in Flori da's product ion regions are lacking, biological evidence suggests that weed populat io ns may be disru pted and possibly shifted by plowing or di strubing the soil at different times th roughout the year. Specific cultural practices and year-round crop manage­ment des igned to upset the growth and development of obnoxious weedy plants will undoubtedly favor crop product ion and decrease costs of producing quality vegetables. In th e next ar ticle, weed shifts and herbicides will be discussed .

(Wil liam & Al tier i* )

*(M. Altieri is a graduate student in Entomology who provided the research leaders hip to collect and summarize the preceeding information under the directio n of Dr. w. H. Whitcomb and the Tall Timber s Research Station, Tall ahassee).

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THE VEGETARIAN NEWSLETTER

B. Double Cropping in Full-Bed Plastic Mulch Cultu re

Almost anyone involve d in full-bed plastic mulch culture in vegetable pro­duction feels that being able to produce an addit i onal crop on t he same mulch would be worthwhile to the grower. Why then is not more of the more than 50,000 acres of vegetable land t hat is mulched annually double-cropp ed? The answer is not simple. The main reason , probably , is that we lack the technical and prac­tical expertise needed to produce good second crops consistently and economic all y. However, some growers have double-cro pped mulc hed fi elds with a good degree of success . Research, too, is continuing and proving to be very promisi ng.

There is some problems that must be solved to the gr ower' s satisfaction be­fore double-cropping of mulched fields is accepted. Foremost among t hese , is the possib il ity of re inf estations with nematodes , diseases, i nsects and \'/eed seeds . To this end, Mr. Hayslip and Dr. Mishoe working at ARC, Ft. Pie rc e have been ex­perimenting with a square-bar mechanism for injecting materi als into the soi l without overly disturbing the plastic . The unit can inject fumigan ts, fert il i zers, etc. simultaneously . Preliminary tests with several crops have l ooked extremely promising. In addition, t hey are tes ti ng thicker plasti c materials to see if it might not be used for three, four or more crops. Their research in t he devel op­ment of the machine and needed adaptions has progr esse d to the poi nt where innova­tive growers might want to test this syst em on a limite d basis i n their operatio ns .

Dr. Everett, working at ARC, Immokalee, tes ted cukes and tomatoes fol lowing tomatoes. In these tests 0, 363, 726 or 1452 pounds of 18-0-25 fer ti liz er were pla ced manually in holP.s punched between. to one side and on both side s of the plants . Results were very promising. "In one tes t, tomato yie lds were 299, 537, 529, and 595 30 lb boxes/acre and cucumber yields were 310, 650, 715, and 685 bu/acre for the check, low, medium, and hi gh fert i lizer treatments, res pect ivel y . In a second test, tomato yields were 420, 610,651, and 622 30 lb boxes/ac re and cucumber yie lds were 402, 683, 734, and 674 bu/acre for t he ''sa me fert i lizer treatments" . Fertilizer pla cements had no effect on yield of tomatoes or cucumbers . "

Similar research at AREC, Homestead by Dr. Bryan showed t hat a second cro p can be productive on full-bed plastic mulch. The resul t s of research stud ie s at Ft . Pierce, Immokalee and Homestead as well as the success obtaine d by some vege­table growers under f ield conditions should certainly encourage more growers who use plastic mulch to consider double- cr opping seriousl y . Certa inl y , there are obstacles to overcome, but they do not appear to be beyond solution. It \'Jill take time, effort and ingenuit y on th e par t of vegetab le growers. To the successful, it can mean increased efficiency in their operation.

(Montelaro)

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THE VEGETARIAN NEWSLETTER

III . VEGETABLE GARDENING

A. Uncommon Edible Parts of Vegetables

The culi nary repu ta tion of most vegetables is based primarily on the edible qual ities of one or sometimes two primary parts of the pl ant. For example, the tomato is the leading garden vegetable due to the popul ar appeal of its fruit , whil e the tu rnip contr ibutes both its root and its leaves as tablefare. For home gardeners who grow and have the entire vegetable plant at their disposal , ot her plant par ts may be edibl e, alt hough per haps not so ta sty as the main pro­duct . For non-gardeners, however, t her e is lit tle option for eating parts other than tho se of fered for sale.

The fol lowing is a list of ordina ry garden vegetables wit h both commonly eaten parts and less frequently eaten part s . Obviously , in a list such as this, there may be quite a few omissions.

Vegetabl e

Beans, snap Beans, l ima Beets Broccoli Carrot Ca u 1 i fl owe r Cel ery Corn, sweet

Cucumber Eggplant

Koh 1 rab i Okra Onions Peas, Engl ish Peas , Southern Pepper

Potato es, Sweet Radish Squash

Tomato Turn ip Watermelon

Common Edible Part

pod wi th seeds seeds root flo wer root immature flower leaf ste ms seeds

fr uit with seeds fr uit with see ds

swo 11 en st ern pods wi th seeds root seeds seeds, pods pods

roots roots fr uit with seeds

f ruits wit h seeds roots , le aves fruits - in te rior pulp

and seeds

Other Edible Part s

1 eaves pods, le aves 1 eaves l eaves, flower stem l eaves flower stem, leaves l eaves, seeds young ears , unfurle d

tassel, young lea ves ste m ti ps and young l eaves leaves edible but not

flavorful 1 eaves leaves young lea ves pods, 1 eaves young leaves leaves afte r cooking,

immature seeds leaves and ste m shoot s 1 eaves seeds , flowers, young

leaves le aves contain alkaloids

rin d of fru i t

Alt hough many of th e secondary pla nt parts are edi ble, the i r popularit y as food items is diminished by la ck of proper flavor or unfavorable te xtur e. For example. the lea ves of pra ctica ll y all the cabbage family are edible, but the str ong flavors of some species are disagreeable or too st rong for most peopl e's taste.

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THE VEGETARIAN NH/SLETTER

The edible leaves and stem t ips of sweet potato vines are well knm'ln in many parts of the wor 1 d. Often considered a poor man's food, sweet pota ta o foliage has a rich protein content that hel ps supplement the nutritional value of t he roots .

tie s some that

As for all vegetable par t s, there is a great deal 0f var iati on within varie ­in flavor and culinary chara cteri stics of these secondary parts . For example, sweet potato stem tips in certain var iet ies are bitter with a resi nous flav or is too strong.

Quite often, cooking is necessary to make the parts edible. Raw leaves eat en fresh may even be slightly poisonous in some cases.

(J.M. Stephens)

B. Know Your Vegetables - Romaine

Romaine (Lactuca sativa) is the most upright growing of the four major types of lettuce. This cylindrical-h earted lettuce known to the Romans as Cappadocian lettuce is now called Roman le tt uce or more commonly, romaine. According t o vege­table history, this dates from th e time when the Popes moved from Rome to Avignon in the fourteenth century, bringing this type with them and having it grown in the pal ace gardens. It was ther efore known as Avignon lett uce. In Engl and, however, it is call ed Cos le ttuce after the Greek isl and which was Lhe birthplace of Hip­pocrates. It was als o gro\!m and eaten raw or cooked in China in ear ly history. Paintings in Egyptian tombs datin g f rom about 4500 BC re veal a type of l et tuce with long pointed le aves, not much dif fere nt from Romaine lettuce.

Cos lettuce (r omaine) has long, upright, cri sp leaves wit h a di stin ct i ve mid­rib almost to the tip . The tip of the leaf is blunt. Leaves are somewhat fol ded (cupped) and grouped into loose heads . The interior leaves are more delicate and bl anched tha n those t oward the outside .

In Florida, romaine is both a commercial crop of importance and a popularly grown garden vegetable . As are all lett uce types, it is a cool season vegeta ble . Therefore, it grows hest in this state planted Septe mber thr ough March. On occas ­sion, romaine suffers freeze damage when temperatures hover in the low twenti es for brief perio ds. Otherwise, it produces quite \·1ell in most areas in the winter­time. Alt hough it s qualit y and size diminish by the heat of Florida summers, romaine i s grown in well-mulched gardens even in the summer in north Flor ida.

Two varieties of romaine that do well here are 'Paris Island Cos' and 'Dark Green Cos' . There are many other vari eti es of cos l ettuce , some white- seeded and others black -seeded.

Romaine may be st ar ted direct ly i n th e garden by usin g seeds or tr ansplant s . Seeds are small so should be smm shallo w and li ght ly covered with a sprinklin g

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THE VEGETARIAN NHJSLETTER

of soil. A bur lap bag and other materials ar e ofte n used over the pl anted seeds as moisture-holding devices until the seeds germinate.

Afte r sowing seeds in the row or withi n a gi ven space , t hin out the seedl ings when they are about three inche s tall t o prevent crowding. Allow enough space be­tween plants for t he size of plant desired . Small plants will develop at 4 inch spaci ngs, while 8 to 12 inch es are required fo r large romaine plants . When trans­planting int o the garden, keep these same spacin g gui delines in mind. Rows should be 12 inches apart.

Soi l preparation, limi ng, fe r tilizatio n, and most other cultu ral practice s are about the same as for other types of l ett uce . The soil should be \'lell pre­pared , fer tili zeJ li ghtly but adequately, and kept moisten ed . Mulching for weed control and the many other benefits works par ti cularly well for romain e .

Romaine is susceptible to most of the pest probl ems th at aff ect lettuce. However , most gardeners are able to grow romaine successfully with little or no spray i ng requir ed.

Harvest romaine from the garden as needed. Pick only a f ew l eaves fr om a plant, leaving t he remainder for anothe r t ime, or cut the entire pl ant j ust above the soi l line.

Tender crisp leaves are used fres h and uncooked in tossed salad s and many other sa l ad dishes .

St ore romai ne in the cr isp er, keeping it moi st and cool . Long storage for more than just a few days is not satisfactory , due to the very f ragil e nature of this lettu ce.

(J .M. Stephens)

Statement : "This publi c document was promulgated at a cost of s98 .40 or 18 <!. per copy, for the purpose of communicat ing current te chnical and educational material to exten sio n, researc h and in dust ry personnel .