Cucurbits production manual includes cucumber, cantaloupe, summer squash, pumpkin, butternut squash, calabaza, winter squash, and watermelon.
- Seeding and planting
- Fertilizer and lime
- Plant tissue analysis
- Petiole sap testing
- Weed management
- Insect management
- Disease management
- Production cost
This publication is an extensive vegetable production guide that addresses topics such as marketing aspects for production decisions, general production considerations, insect management, weed management, and disease management. You will find specific information for the following crops:
Vegetable seeds can be saved to sow new crops in the future, but not all seeds are suitable for saving. Varieties suitable for seed saving include local varieties that have been grown in one region for a very long time, self-pollinating crops (for example, beans and peas), and open-pollinated varieties of some cross-pollinating crops (for example, pepper, cucumber and carrot).
Temperature management is one of the most critical factors in successful production of many high tunnel crops. While raising the minimum temperature is important, keeping the maximum temperature from exceeding a range optimum for crop growth is equally important. Since high tunnels are passively vented through sidewalls and endwalls, air temperature and humidity can affect crop growth, nutrient and water uptake, pollination, fruit ripening and pest outbreaks.
Florida Plant Disease Management Guide: Chemical Control Guide for Diseases of Vegetables, Revision No. 21
This publication is a guide to lawful use of sprayable chemicals intended for control of plant diseases affecting vegetables grown in Florida. For each crop, products are listed by FRAC code in alphabetical order to help differentiate products based on their active ingredient(s) and their specific mode of action(s).
Powdery mildew is a common and serious disease of cucurbit crops in Florida. This disease occurs in cucumbers, muskmelons, honeydew, squash, gourds, and pumpkins grown both in field and greenhouse conditions. Previously, powdery mildew was an occasional problem for watermelons, but for the past 5 years the incidence of powdery mildew outbreaks has increased (Roberts and Kucharek 2005). A powdery mildew infection acts as a sink for plant photosynthates causing reductions in plant growth, premature foliage loss, and consequently a reduction in yield.