Commercial Vegetables
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Sweet potatoes are members of the Convolvulaceae family, which includes morning glory. They are native to tropical America and are a perennial plant there. In more temperate regions such as the United States, they are frost-sensitive and grown as annuals. Sweet potatoes are grown for their edible root, which is often mistakenly called a tuber, like white or Irish potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). However, the edible portion of the sweet potato is a true root and will continue to enlarge as long as the plant continues to grow. Sweet potatoes have been grown by Native Americans in Mexico, Central America, Peru, Ecuador, and the U.S. for thousands of years. This bulletin is a comprehensive resource on the production, disease, insect, nematode and weed management of sweet potato.
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2020 plant disease losses in Georgia, including control costs, amounted to an estimated $806 million. The value of the crops used in this estimate was approximately $6.712 billion, resulting in a 12.01% relative disease loss across all crops included in this summary. The estimated values for most crops used to compute these disease losses are summarized in the 2020 Georgia Farm Gate Value Report (AR-22-01) by the UGA Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development. Some estimates for fruits, ornamentals, and turf rely on specialists’ knowledge of the industry and industry sources for information. Losses covered include: apple, blackberry, blueberry, bunch grape, corn, cotton, muscadine grape, ornamentals, peach, peanut, pecan, soybean, strawberry, turfgrass, vegetables, and wheat.
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This report provides research and extension results for trials conducted by the University of Georgia Vegetable Team and its collaborators in 2022. Contributing authors include county and regional faculty as well as specialists from UGA’s horticulture, plant pathology, crop and soil sciences, and entomology departments. All research has been supported by the Georgia Commodity Commission for Vegetables.
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Conservation tillage with agronomic crops (i.e., cotton, corn, soybeans, etc.) has been successful in Georgia production. Such production practices have several benefits, the most notable being the elimination of soil erosion. Other benefits include but aren’t limited to increases in soil organic matter, maintaining a healthy rhizosphere (root-zone soil), reduction of riparian and waterway pollution, and water conservation.
Some examples of conservation tillage practices include no till, ridge till, and strip till. No–till production involves no tillage of field soils and leaves all of the previous crop residue on the soil surface. Ridge–till production involves building a ridge during cultivation, then scalping the ridge and sowing seed. The scalping process moves most of the previous–crop residue to the row middles, leaving a clean row for sowing. Strip–till production is when a narrow strip is tilled for each row that will be planted, leaving the row middles intact with the previous–crop residue. Strip–tillage may reduce yields if weeds in the untilled area are not killed, as these weeds will compete with the crop for water and nutrients. Although the planted row is free of previous crop residue, it may be advantageous to kill the cover crop to prevent it from competing for nutrients and water with the vegetable crop.
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The production, harvest, sorting and packing of fruits and vegetables produces close to a billion pounds of produce annually. These processes also result in material that is rotten, has bad spots, or is removed from packing lines. Properly dealing with discarded products can reduce the potential for environmental pollution while also protecting the individual who is responsible for the discarded materials.
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Marketing fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets, roadside markets, and pick-your-own farms is an important and growing method of marketing. However, many of the containers used are not practical for consumers.
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Plants develop seeds through a process called pollination. Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the stamen (male flower part) to the pistil (female flower part).
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Growing vegetables as either a part-time or full-time enterprise can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Not only can you produce fresh food for your own table, you can provide supplemental income to your family’s budget. While that may sound great, there are several considerations to bear in mind before you jump into this endeavor. Items to consider before becoming a small market grower include time commitment, capital, available resources, licensing, insurance, taxes, and marketing. This publication is intended for general use audiences, including farmers and those considering entering small market vegetable production.
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This publication covers some of the basic information about what you may need and key considerations when developing a small fruit and vegetable farm.
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