Florida CropPest Management Profile Watermelon. Wael M. Elwakil, Nicholas, S. Dufault, Joshua H. Freeman, and Mark A. Mossler. 2Production Facts. In 2. 01. 5, Florida ranked first nationally in watermelon production, accounting for 1. U. S. production, 1. U. S. crops total value, and 1. USDANASS 2. 01. 7. Floridas cash receipts for watermelon production totaled 8. During the 2. 01. Watermelon production value represented 1. Florida vegetables USDANASS 2. In 2. 01. 5, Florida growers planted 2. Biological Control in. Plant Protection A Color Handbook Second Edition Neil Helyer. Fargro Ltd, West Sussex, UK. Nigel D. Cattlin. Holt Studios International Ltd. PLOS Biology provides an Open Access platform to showcase your best research and commentary across all areas of biological science. Submit Now System Help. Average yield was 3. Harvested acreage during the past decade has ranged from 1. USDANASS 2. 01. 7. In 2. 01. 2, Florida had 4. Of those, 6. 0. 2 produced watermelons on less than 5 acres, 1. USDANASS 2. 01. 4. Figure 1.  In 2. 01. Tobacco_etch_virus_Cell_inclusion_bodies.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20101022135655' alt='Aphid Transmission Of Plant Viruses Gray' title='Aphid Transmission Of Plant Viruses Gray' />Florida ranked first in the United States in watermelon production, accountting for 1. Watch One Piece Movie 10 Strong World Subbed Download Adobe there. Credit UFIFAS Click thumbnail to enlarge. Florida is the only US supplier of watermelons from December to April. Florida watermelons are harvested throughout the year, although the vast majority of production is harvested from May to July Bertelsen et al. Growers received 0. USDANASS 2. 01. 7. Tobacco_mosaic_virus_symptoms_tobacco.jpg' alt='Aphid Transmission Of Plant Viruses Gray' title='Aphid Transmission Of Plant Viruses Gray' />Average total production costs in 2. Manatee, Florida. Production costs in southwestern Florida were 4,9. Smith and Taylor 2. Production costs can be higher in south Florida than in north Florida. But south Florida growers can enter the market early, providing them with prices up to two to three times higher than those received in north Florida Hochmuth et al. Production Regions. Watermelons are grown throughout Florida. The greatest production region is the north to north central region, including Suwannee, Gilchrist, Alachua, Lake, Levy, Marion, and Sumter Counties. In 2. 00. 2, this region comprised 3. The west central region including Manatee, Hardee, De. Soto, and Highlands Counties comprised 2. Lee, Hendry, and Collier Counties held 1. An additional 1. 8 of acreage was found in the northwest region including Jackson, Jefferson, Santa Rosa, Washington, and Holmes Counties, containing 5. Remaining watermelon production is distributed among 4. USDANASS 2. 00. 9. Figure 2.  Watermelon production regions in Florida. Click thumbnail to enlarge. Production Practices. Watermelons require a long, warm growing season and grow best under temperatures of 7. F8. 5F 2. 1C2. C, tolerating temperatures up to 9. F 3. 2C. The plant also tolerates high humidity Bertelsen et al. Descargar Karaoke Gratis En Espanol Con Canciones Incluidas Y Puntaje here. Although watermelons are produced on a number of soil types, the crop does not do well on muck soils Spreen et al. The optimum p. H range for watermelons is 6. H as low as 5 Maynard 2. Soil temperature also affects watermelon production. Frost easily damages seedlings, and germination is very slow when soil temperature is less than 7. F 2. 1C. Watermelon growers in Florida have a planting window of only a few weeks and must balance the risk of losses from frost damage with maximizing economic returns from an early harvest Hochmuth et al. Both seeded and seedless watermelons are produced in Florida but seedless melons now dominate the market. Seeded watermelon varieties available in Florida include, but are not limited to, Estrella, Jamboree, Mardi Gras, Sangria, Sentinel, Starbrite, Stargazer, Summer Flavor 7. Summer Flavor 8. 00, and Top Gun. Sanyo Tv Supported File Types. Seedless watermelon varieties available include, but are not limited to, Affirmed, Captivation, Crunchy Red, Fascination, Joy Ride, Kingman, Melody, Sugar Fresh, Sweet Polly, TriX3. Troubadour, and 7. HQ Freeman et al. Seedless varieties are sterile hybrids, and the seeds are produced by crossing a normal watermelon and one that was genetically changed through chemical treatment at the seedling stage. When pollinated with normal watermelon plants, seedless plants produce only small, white undeveloped seedcoats. These are soft and tasteless and can be eaten with the watermelon flesh. The parent watermelon of a seedless plant produces only 51. Seedless varieties require soil temperatures above 8. F 2. 6. 7C for germination, and both germination and seedling emergence are slower for seedless varieties Maynard 1. Stephens 2. 01. 2. Seedless varieties of watermelons are transplanted because of the high cost of hybrid seed. In addition, seedless varieties cannot be established by direct seeding Bertelsen et al. A wide mix of cultural practices can be used but most acreage is now produced using plastic mulched beds and transplants. Some direct seeding of seeded watermelon is still practiced but mostly on small scale for local sales. When transplants are used, they are first grown in greenhouses and are usually fieldready in 35 weeks. Bareroot transplants cannot be used. Instead, transplants are grown in planter flats to maintain the root and soil ball Hochmuth and Elmstrom 1. Vavrina 1. 99. 2. Transplanting watermelons permits earlier harvesting, particularly if used with plastic mulch Hochmuth et al. Yields are generally higher for transplanted watermelons, and the resulting plant uniformity makes cultivation easier. Production costs for direct seeded and transplanted watermelons were similar in a comparison of the costs and returns of both methods grown on plastic mulch in north Florida in 1. However, transplanted watermelons had a higher profitability because of higher yields and a higher market price as a result of early harvest Hewitt 1. Direct seeding also has advantages, including lower labor requirements, the availability of precision planting which improves efficiency, and the possible production of greater vine area which reduces sunburn Vavrina 1. Hewitt 1. 99. 6. In south Florida, watermelons are primarily grown on plastic mulch as a second crop in a double cropping system, following tomato or pepper. North Florida growers use the mulch to warm the soil, allowing them to plant earlier in the season and ship their product to market early. Using polyethylene mulch lets producers harvest earlier, and it aids in weed control and improves the efficiency of water and fertilizer use. Plastic mulch is also a requirement for soil fumigation. When plastic mulch is used, a bed press shapes a smooth bed to maximize contact between the mulch and the bed surface. Fertilizer and soil applied pesticides are added to the bed before the mulch is laid down. Plastic mulch measuring between 4. Mulch used for doublecropping needs to be able to survive two crop seasons Spreen et al. Brinen 2. 00. 3 Hochmuth and Elmstrom 1. If this system is used, worker activities for the season begin with laying mulch. Overall, worker activities mostly include tractordriven operations, such as cultivation, fertilization, and laying drip tape. The only field task is shoveling dirt on the mulch to bury it, which generally requires three people on each end. A two row plastic mulch applicator will cover about 8 acres a day. With an average size farm of 4. Placing emitters on the irrigation main line requires hand labor, and one worker can cover 1. Workers setting transplants approximately 5 days for a 4. Workers with poles also move vines out of row middles for the layby fertilizer application made at midseason. Primary planting dates for watermelons in Florida range from December 1. April 1. 5. Planting extends from December 1. March 1 in south Florida, from January 1. March 1. 5 in central Florida, and from February 1. April 1. 5 in north Florida.