<b>By ANDREA McCANN<br>
Indiana Correspondent</b> </p><p>

VINCENNES, Ind. — Vegetable trial data from plots planted at the Southwest-Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC) and Pinney-Purdue Agricultural Center (PPAC) were presented Nov. 29 to interested growers and seed company representatives.</p><p>
Evaluation and identification of cultivars adaptable to Indiana’s growing conditions are the objectives of the vegetable trials. The showcase – which was presented live at the two participating ag centers, as well as online and at six Internet video viewing sites – focused on eastern muskmelon and seedless watermelon trials in southwestern Indiana and pumpkins, tomatoes and sweet corn in northern Indiana.</p><p>
Muskmelons</p><p>

In the yield comparison of eastern muskmelon cultivars at SWPAC, “Minerva was the top yielder,” according to Chris Gunter of North Carolina State University, formerly of the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Program. The Rogers Brand seed took 86 days to harvest and yielded 529.8 cwt., or 26.5 tons, per acre. The fruit averaged 7.7 pounds, and the bulk was harvested July 14-29.</p><p>
Five cultivars took as few as 83 days to harvest; only one took as many as 91. Seneca’s Crescent Moon cultivar took 83 days, with most being ready July 14-29. It was the second-highest yielder at 494.5 cwt., or 24.7 tons, per acre. Its average weight was 7.6 pounds.</p><p>
“Growers are seeking high-yielding, high-quality, early maturing types with excellent disease resistance and acceptable keeping quality during shipping and storage,” Gunter reported. “Fruit need to be medium to large and have high uniformity in both size and shape. Traditionally, markets have demanded fruit with heavy netting and distinct ridges.</p><p>
“Melons that can be stored and held easily for longer periods of time, and those that could be harvested at a slightly earlier slip stage and retain acceptable quality, would also be desirable.”
In a quality comparison, the top two yielding cultivars didn’t fare quite as well, garnering low votes in the taste test. On a flavor scale, with 1 being “very poor” and 5 being “great,” Minerva earned a 1.9 and Crescent Moon, a 1.7.</p><p>
Both rated top scores for ridges and netting, and had moderate rind thickness and average uniformity. Size-wise, Minerva was rated very large with a medium-to-large seed cavity, and Crescent Moon was deemed large with a medium seed cavity. Minerva had 10.1 percent soluble solids, or sugar content, and Crescent Moon had 7.2 percent.</p><p>
A total of 16 eastern muskmelon cultivars and advanced experimental lines were evaluated. They were direct-seeded in the greenhouse April 17 and transplanted on May 14. Rogers’ Aphrodite cultivar, Abbott & Cobb’s ES594 and Seneca’s 05H15 all had high soluble solids, at or above 11 percent. The highest flavor ratings went to Sutter’s SSX 1099 and Rogers’ RML 0408. Abbott and Cobb’s ES 293 and Seneca’s 05H015 boasted all three desirable characteristics of heavy netting, thick rind and small seed cavity.</p><p>
Watermelons</p><p>

Seedless watermelon sales have grown nationwide, according to Gunter, and Indiana is a strong producer. The 2007 variety trials at SWPAC included 39 seedless cultivars and one seeded variety that were planted in the greenhouse April 19 and transplanted on May 17.</p><p>
“Yields ranged from 30.3 to 12.1 tons per acre, with 1,733 to 3,767 fruit per acre harvested across all entries,” Gunter reported. “The average weight of seedless fruit was down this year to 15 pounds per fruit, with a range of 12.7 to 20.3 pounds per fruit.”</p><p>
The cultivar with the highest yield was Harris Moran’s Crunchy Red at 607.2 cwt., or 30.3 tons, per acre. There were 3,767 Crunchy Red picked per acre, with an average weight of 16.3 pounds. US Seedless cultivar USS 7031 was the second-highest yielder with 559.3 cwt., or 28 tons, per acre harvested. There were 3,293 of the USS 7031 variety harvested per acre, with an average weight of 17.1 pounds.</p><p>
“The majority of cultivars tested produced watermelon in the 12- to 18-pound range,” Gunter reported. “Notable exceptions were Matrix (Rogers) and USS 7031 (US Seedless), which produced about one-third of their fruit in the 18- to 24-pound category.”</p><p>
Two Rogers cultivars – Palomar and RWT 8173 – topped the soluble solids rankings at 12.4 percent, but four others ranked at 12-12.3 percent. Two Nunhems cultivars, Nun 6033 and Liberty, were the best-tasting seedless watermelons with scores of 4.4 and 4.0, respectively, on a 5-point scale. Most of the watermelons evaluated had dark pink to red flesh and were average to very uniform. Twenty-three of the seedless varieties assessed had no seeds present, while 10 had some white seeds and only six had some brown or black seeds.</p><p>