By Clint Thompson
The final email sent to North Florida watermelon producers by Bob Hochmuth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Regional Specialized Extension agent in Live Oak, Florida, recapped this season in the Suwannee Valley.
Hochmuth once again stressed the significance of fusarium wilt and nutsedge and their impacts on watermelon production in the region. Both problems have potential remedies; paper mulch for nutsedge and grafted plants for fusarium wilt disease. The expense for both, however, may preclude them from being used on a wider scale.
“I think the high cost of both of those is going to be an impediment to larger scale adoption. And then on the grafting thing, I think that a lot of the farmers would be willing to spend the additional money on the grafted watermelons, except that it delays that first harvest,” Hochmuth said.
“That puts things in a little bit less favorable of a condition. But definitely the cost of both of those are going to impact the adoption. And then I would just say that the paper mulch is still very much in a research and development stage. And we’re hoping to be able to see the combination of paper and coatings to get to a more favorable price in the future. If that were to happen, then I think, especially for fields where we know we’re going to have nutsedge problems, the paper mulch is performing exceptionally well.”
Fusarium Wilt
Fusarium wilt is an annual problem that North Florida and South Georgia watermelon producers must contend with every year. Some growers are resorting to grafted plants in hopes of overcoming the disease.
Grafting is a production practice where growers put a root system in the ground that either doesn’t get the disease or is highly tolerant. It allows watermelon producers to plant a watermelon crop without fear of the disease impacting production.
Paper Mulch
Paper mulch may be pricey, but it offers multiple benefits for growers; most notably its ability to provide nutsedge control.