New York high-tunnel pepper variety trial

View the project final report

Commodities

• Vegetables: peppers

Practices

• Crop Production: biological inoculants, application rate management, tissue analysis
• Education and Training: demonstration, extension, farmer to farmer, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, workshop
• Pest Management: biological control, field monitoring/scouting, integrated pest management
• Production Systems: general crop production
• Soil Management: soil analysis

Wholesale Produce Auctions are creating market windows for early season produce. Currently greenhouse tomatoes are the only early produce marketed with Spring bedding plants. High tunnel production of peppers will diversify the early product line and represent a sustainable production method for family farms growing for auction.

This project will evaluate colored, bell pepper yields in unheated high tunnels on a farm using advanced Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques. Yield data will be recorded for each variety in volume (bushel). For each variety in the trial mean fruit per plant, mean weight per fruit, and mean bushel per block will be calculated. Data will be analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and treatment means separated using Fishers Least Significant Difference. An economic summary will analyze inputs to return ratios for high tunnel peppers in upstate New York. Disease incidence and severity will be recorded. Root disease will be managed with biological controls and compared to untreated control.

The grower will host an on-farm demonstration meeting during the growing season for other growers to observe first hand production methods and variety differences. A presentation of the results will be made to a grower’s group, the findings posted the PI’s webpage and published as possible in regional media and trade and professional publications.

The Principal Investigators of this project propose to conduct a high tunnel bell pepper variety trial at the cooperating grower’s farm. This project will evaluate colored, bell pepper yields in an unheated, high tunnel on a farm using advanced Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques. Yield data will be recorded for each variety in volume (bushel). For each variety in the trial mean fruit per plant and mean bushel per block will be calculated. Data will be analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and treatment means separated using Fishers Least Significant Difference. An economic summary will analyze inputs to return ratios for high tunnel peppers in upstate New York. Disease incidence and severity will be recorded.

An on-farm demonstration meeting will take place during the growing season for other growers to observe first hand production methods and variety differences. A presentation of the results will be made to the 2006 annual Finger Lakes Produce Auction grower’s meeting, the findings posted to the PI’s webpage and published as possible in regional media and trade and professional publications.