VEGETABLE CULTIVAR AND CULTURAL TRIALS

VEGETABLE CULTIVAR AND CULTURAL TRIALS 2007 PREPARED BY: D. WATERER W. HRYCAN FUNDED BY: AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT FUND Department of Plant Sciences University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, S7N 5A8 Telephone: (306) 966-5855 Fax: (306) 966-5015 E-mail: doug.waterer@usask.ca william.hrycan@usask.ca http://www.usask.ca/agriculture/plantsci/vegetable

Cultivar recommendations 2007 Green beans Sixty-eight green and three purple podded bean cultivars were evaluated in 2007; of those, 22 green cultivars were recommended. No purple podded cultivars were recommended. Of the early maturing cultivars, Fandango was highly recommended for excellent yields of thin, straight pods and easy harvest. Storm and Valentino were highly recommended for their yields and attractive, slightly curved pods. Other early cultivars recommended were Bronco for uniform, light green pods, Foremost for attractive round, French fillet style pods, and Stayton for its concentrated early harvest. Mid-season cultivars highly recommended for their excellent yields, attractive pods, and ease of harvest include Nash, Provider, Renegade, and Tema. Other mid-season cultivars recommended include Ambra, Derby, Festina, Igloo, Kissimmee, Stallion, and Xera. High yielding, but difficult to harvest cultivars were PLS 72, Secretariat, and Shade. Strike is a late-season cultivar recommended for its attractive straight pods, upright growth habit and ease of harvest. Strike was recommended in previous years. Red cabbage Twenty-four red cabbage cultivars were direct seeded and transplanted in the 2007 trials. Root maggot damage was extensive early in the season and reduced stands and plant vigour for all cultivars, making it difficult to assign accurate ratings. Yields and density were generally higher for the transplanted crop compared with the direct seeded crop. Cairo is an early maturing cultivar recommended both as a transplant and direct seed crop for its good yields and average density, despite non-uniform stand maturity. Azuro, Red Express, and Ruby Perfection are mid-season cultivars recommended as direct seeded crops for high yields and above average head density. Buscaro and Induro are late maturing cultivars recommended as transplanted crops for their high yields and very uniform stand maturity. Nantes carrots Thirty-two Nantes-type carrots were evaluated in 2007. Carrots were harvested at three different times during the growing season; H1 August 8; H2 - September 6; and H3 October 5. Aster yellows infected a high percentage of all cultivars, making it difficult to 7

assign accurate ratings. Sweetness and flavour remained constant as the season progressed, however the total number of marketable roots decreased with each successive harvest. Magno RZ and Vitana were the only Nantes carrots recommended for all three harvest dates. For Magno RZ, yields were high at all harvests, sweetness and taste were excellent for H1 and H2, but declined by H3. For Vitana, taste remained relatively constant, but sweetness and yield varied from harvest to harvest. Nantes Improved and Ya Ya (recommended in past trials) were recommended for H1 and H2 for high yields and good flavour/sweetness. Navarino was recommended for H1 and H3 for high yields and good flavour; H2 was not recommended because of poor flavour. Napoli (recommended in past trials) was recommended for H2 and H3 for excellent yields, but was not harvested at H1. Siroco (recommended for H1) and Vitana had the lowest incidence of Aster Yellows of all cultivars evaluated. Onions Bunching onions The bunching onion trial was expanded to include 31 cultivars in 2007. Onions matured approximately one week earlier than in 2006. Shank colours included white, yellow, and red. Some cultivars developed small bulbs while others remained slender until harvest. White cultivars recommended for good yields and mild flavour include Ishikura Improved, Kincho and Tokyo Long White. Long White Summer and Fukagawa are recommended for their excellent yields. Alpine is the only recommended yellow cultivar; it forms pungent, small bulbs. No red-shanked bunching onions were recommended in 2007. Spanish onions Many of the twenty-six Spanish onion cultivars grown in 2007 produced good yields of attractive bulbs. Riverside Sweet Spanish and T-433 are early-maturing cultivars recommended for high yields of large (>4 ) bulbs. Of the late-maturing cultivars, Vision and Sweet Perfection were recommended for very high yields of large bulbs. Vision was recommended in previous years. OLWS 03-207 and Harmony were recommended for high yields of large bulbs and good skin set. Teton is a late-maturing cultivar with medium bulbs, recommended for very attractive bulbs and excellent skin set, and was the only cultivar with 100% single centres. OLWS 8301 is the only recommended white Spanish onion. Spanish onions grown in 2007 have been placed into an eight-month storage trial. Results will be published in the 2008 Cultivar and Cultural Trials publication. Yellow storage onions (2006/2007) Forty-three yellow onion cultivars were grown in 2006, and placed into cold storage for eight months (0 C, 60% R.H.). Frontier, Timberline, and XP 5776 are early maturing cultivars with the least weight loss. Of the mid season cultivars, Bastile 8

(recommended in previous trials) and Benchmark received the highest ratings for excellent scale retention and minimal weight loss. Genesis and Rampart (both recommended in previous trials) had minimal weight loss and attractive, firm bulbs. Nearly all of the late season cultivars were recommended for long-term storage. Callisto, Festival, Nebula, Nobilty, Prince, Sturon Organic, Tahoe, and Talon were all recommended for low weight loss, good to excellent scale retention, and no grade-out due to mold. Nebula and Sturon Organic were recommended in previous trials. None of the very late season cultivars were recommended for eight month cold storage, suggesting that these cultivars had not adequately matured by the time of harvest. Sweet corn Fifty-three sweet corn cultivars were tested in 2007. Nearly all cultivars fully matured by the first fall frost. A selection of standard (su), sugar enhanced (se), synergistic (characteristics of both su and se), shrunken (sh2) supersweet, and augmented supersweet (extra tender and juicy genetics) cultivars were tested. Synergistic cultivars had the best average flavour, while augmented supersweet had the highest average sweetness. Of the sugar enhanced (se) bicolour corn, Envoy and Fastlane are recommended for excellent flavour and good yields. No yellow se cultivars were recommended. Of the fourteen synergistic cultivars, Revelation and Valor are mid-season cultivars recommended for high yields, excellent flavour and sweetness. Bojangles is recommended for early, excellent yields. BC 0805 and Monomy are late maturing cultivars recommended for high yields. BC 0805 also had excellent flavour and sweetness. Only Revelation was recommended in previous years. No early maturing shrunken (sh2) supersweet cultivars were recommended. Recommended mid-season cultivars include Candy Corner for very high yields and excellent cob appearance despite below average flavour, and XTH 1575 for good yields and flavour. Mirai 421 is a late maturing cultivar recommended for excellent flavour, sweetness, and cob appearance. Candy Corner was recommended in previous trials. Augmented supersweet corn matured approximately ten days later than other sweet corn types. Recommended cultivars are Holiday and Optimum, both for excellent yields, good flavour, and excellent sweetness. Optimum was recommended in 2006. Ornamental corn Thirty-three ornamental corn cultivars were direct seeded into biodegradable IRT mulch in 2007. All recommended ornamental corn cultivars were evaluated for colour and kernel appearance after drying. Fiesta (recommended in past trials) and Earth Tones Dent were the highest rated cultivars, producing excellent yields of brilliant, multi- 9

coloured cobs, and plump, tightly packed kernels on mature cobs. Other cultivars recommended for good yields of attractive, multi-coloured, mature cobs are GS Brand 95, Painted Mountain, and Wampum (recommended in past trials). Mini Indian has small, brightly coloured cobs. Green and Gold Dent has large cobs with tightly packed kernels in bright shades of yellow, green and blue. Early Pink Popcorn and Pink Popcorn (possibly the same cultivar) are attractive medium sized cobs in pastel shades of pink and purple. Strawberry Popcorn has unique small cobs, with dark red, pointed kernels arranged in whorls (instead of rows) around the cob. Garlic Garlic cultivar trial Ten stiffneck and nine softneck types of garlic were grown in 2007. CGP Centre Core and Music (both recommended in previous trials) were again recommended for high yields and attractive, intact skin. Clove weight decreased for both cultivars compared with 2006 weight, but bulb weight of Music increased slightly in 2007. Softneck cultivars recommended for yields and quality were FL F4, Getz, and Vesey s. FL F4 and Vesey s were recommended in previous trials. Bulb weight and clove weight decreased in 2007 for all three cultivars except for Vessey s, which saw a small increase in clove weight. Garlic grown in 2007 has been placed into an eight-month storage trial. Results will be published in the 2008 Cultivar and Cultural Trials publication. Garlic storage trial (2006/2007) Nineteen garlic cultivars were grown in 2006, and placed into cold storage for eight months (0 C, 60% R.H.). None of the stiffneck cultivars are recommended for eight month cold storage. Many stayed firm for up to four months, but by eight months 84% of bulbs were sprouting and outer skin was splitting. Of the softneck cultivars, Hutterite was the highest rated for low weight loss and attractive, intact skin. FL F4, Vesey s, and Whyte were also recommended for low weight loss and intact skin. Herbs Basil Forty-eight basil cultivars were evaluated in 2007; eleven of those were recommended for culinary and/or ornamental characteristics. Stella and Oriental Breeze were the highest rated cultivars for their excellent yields and sweet flavours. Fino Verde and Genovese Basil have good yields, easy to cut stems, and sweet flavour. Italian Large Leaf, 10

Italian Large Leaf 007, and Sweet Salad were recommended for good yields, soft stems, glossy and attractive leaves, despite their early-bolting habit. Lemon Basil has a unique lemon flavour and aroma. Blue Spice and Green Sacred are attractive, upright and bushy plants. Their woody stems, strong aroma, and early bolting habit make them more suitable for use as ornamental landscape plants. Green Globe and Pistou have small leaves, succulent stems, and compact, globe-shaped growing habits, making them very attractive for use as ornamental landscape plants. Cilantro Twelve cilantro cultivars were evaluated in 2007. Cilantro was seeded on two different dates; P1 May 11; P2 August 3. Coriander from EFG was recommended for high yields, glossy leaves, and a sweet flavour. Only Coriander from EFG received high ratings for both P1 and P2. Other cultivars recommended for P1 are Pokey Joe for its attractive glossy leaves and sweet flavour, and Delfino for its attractive fern-like foliage, soft stems, and mild flavour. Cultivars recommended for P2 are Cilantro from Ve, Santo for high yields, large leaves, and strong flavour, and Caribe for good yields of small, attractive leaves and good flavour. Oregano Eight oregano cultivars were tested. Oregano from WDM received the highest rating for excellent yields of soft stems, nice aroma, and ease of harvest. Oregano from BUR was recommended for its mild aroma and good yields, despite its early bolting habit. Oregano from Richter s was recommended for good yields and spicy flavour, but its prostrate growing habit made it difficult to harvest. Mint All mint, spearmint, and peppermint had good flavours. Mint from T+T, J, and Ve were recommended for high yields. Peppermint from WDM and spearmint from ST were recommended for upright growing habits and high yields. Other Stevia and pennyroyal are both recommended as unique herbs for the market gardener. Pennyroyal has a trailing growing habit, making it difficult to harvest when grown on the ground; it may be more suited for container growing. Stevia has an upright growing habit, soft stems, and extremely sweet flavour. Green leaf lettuce Thirty-three green leaf lettuce cultivars were seeded on three different planting dates: P1 May 8; P2 June 29; P3 August 3. P1 stands were generally poor; cultivars were tasted and evaluated for appearance, but not evaluated for yield. P2 yields were significantly higher than P3, but taste was consistently poor for P2 and P3. 11

Two Star, Marin, Pacifica and Prize Head were the highest rated cultivars, recommended in P2 and P3 for excellent yields and attractive appearance, despite variable flavour ratings between seeding dates. Amish Deer Tongue was also recommended in P2 and P3 for high yields, unique smooth, dark green, triangular leaves with a crunchy texture and slightly bitter but good flavour. Krizet RZ and Salad Bowl were recommended in P2, and Galisse MTO, Grand Rapids, and Shining Star were all recommended in P3. Heirloom tomatoes Only twelve out of forty-one heirloom tomato cultivars evaluated in 2007 had 50% or more of their fruit ripe by the time of the first killing frost (Sept 14). Mini Orange was the best heirloom tested, with very high numbers of small, uniform, attractive bright orange fruit. Early Annie, Sasha Altai, and Siberian Red are early maturing cultivars with high numbers of medium sized fruit. Black Prince was recommended for good yields of medium, dark red/orange fruit, despite not reaching 50% ripe. Similarly, Fireworks and Orange King (recommended in past trials), did not reach 50% ripe, but were recommended for high yields of attractive, nice tasting fruit. Yellow Plum is a tear-drop shaped cherry-tomato sized tomato with very high numbers of fruit. Turnips Eleven turnip cultivars were evaluated in 2007. All cultivars displayed extensive root maggot damage and root rot. Although none of the cultivars evaluated were recommended, Goldina (yellow skin and flesh) and Royal Crown (white with purple shoulder, white flesh) were the best performing cultivars. Watermelon The watermelon trial was expanded to 108 cultivars in 2007. Watermelon transplants were planted into IRT mulch and covered with clear plastic tunnels early in the season. Fruit set was lower this season than in 2006, but marketable yields were 14% higher. The warm weather in July resulted in greater yields of mature fruit than in 2006. Compadre, Crimson Sweet, Diana, Formosa, Sweet Black and Verona were the best cultivars for earliness, yield, and flavour. Sweet Black was also recommended in 2006. Other early maturing cultivars include Jade Star, Vanguard, Sweet Favorite, Redlicious and Ring Baby. Sweet Favorite, Redlicious and Vanguard were recommended in previous trials. Slightly later cultivars recommened for high yields and good flavour include Lu King, 8203 RWT and Summer Flavor #420. Late cultivars recommended 12

for excellent yields and good flavour include Bo Wong and Lantha. Lantha was recommended in previous trials. Tiny Orchid and Yellow Baby are yellow fleshed cultivars recommended in both 2006 and 2007 for flavour and high numbers of small melons. Zucchini and summer squash Fifty-one green summer squash cultivars were evaluated in 2007. Forty-two of those were zucchini-type summer squash, and nine were specialty squash. Overall, yield and quality were excellent for all cultivars. Of the zucchini-type squash, Bobcat, Payroll, SE 104, and Sungreen received the highest recommendations for excellent yields of attractive, straight fruit. Cashflow, Leopard, Sensation, and Signature were also recommended for good yields of high quality fruit. Romanesco and Striato d Italie produce large, curved fruit with deep ridges and light/dark green stripes. They were recommended for their large yields of unique fruit. Of the specialty cultivars, Alexandria, Basima, and Ishtar are light green, tearshaped fruit recommended for high yields of attractive fruit, but their dense canopies hide the fruit and make harvest difficult. Geode produces small, round fruit, recommended for the specialty market. Starship produces dark green, scallop-type fruit, recommended for the specialty market. 13