New vegetable crops for greenhouses in the Southeastern United States

Abstract

Traditional greenhouse vegetable crops grown in the U.S. include tomato, pepper, Dutch-type cucumber, lettuce, and herbs. The percentage of the market value projection of these crops is in excess of 95%. Our work in a high-roof passiveventilated plastic greenhouse in Florida has led to economic production levels for Beit Alpha cucumbers and Galia melons, two crops which originated in Israel. Galia muskmelon is a green-fleshed specialty melon with a yellow-netted exterior known for its sweet flavor and is highly desirable presently in the European market. We looked at three plantings over two seasons of various cultivars of Galia type melons. Average weight per fruit of superior varieties was in excess of 1 kg while average yields were 5.5 fruits per plant with Brix readings of 11.3°. Beit Alpha cucumbers are commonly grown in the Middle East. They are parthenocarpic, all flowers are female, and thus do not require pollination. Various Beit Alpha cucumber cultivars and Dutch type cultivars were grown over several production seasons in the greenhouse. Beit Alpha type cucumbers were successfully grown year-round under Florida's climatic conditions and offer an exciting new greenhouse crop for producers. Some cultivars produced in excess of 65 fruit over a 6-week harvest period. Several producers have already picked up information from these trials and have successfully marketed Beit Alpha cucumbers through regional retail outlets. Both of these crops have extremely high quality fruits, superior to existing melons and other types of cucumbers on the market including Dutch type cucumbers. Because of the prolific yields, the economics in growing these crops has been shown to be in favor of the producer. It is very important to keep in mind that although cultivar trials or variety trials that are being conducted may be for a single location, that they may in fact report important information that can be utilized by people in distant locations and, in fact, in other countries. © ISHS.