Cooperative Extension Service
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia

Volume 4/Number 7

July 2000

George Boyhan, Extension Horticulturist-Vegetables
East Georgia Extension Center
Rosenwald Building, Third Floor
PO Box 8112
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA 30460
912-681-5639 | 912-681-0376, Fax | 912-682-3481, mobile

Upcoming Plasticulture, Fumigation, and Drip Irrigation Meeting

Lamar Zipperer and I have organized a meeting for August 4, 2000. You probably have gotten a couple of notices from Larmar's office if you are in the East District. This meeting was organized in response to requests for training in this area for agents in the southeast.

The meeting will be held at the Captain's Corner restaurant in Vidalia, Georgia. We will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. (coffee and doughnuts will be available). The registration fee is $4.00. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 12:30 p.m., at which time we will have lunch (on your own, approximately $7.00) and then travel out to the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center on Highway 147 to see a demonstration of plastic-laying and fumigation.

We have the following specialists lined up to discuss plasticulture, fumigation, and drip irrigation.

In addition, BB Hobbs will have irrigation equipment available for viewing and will give a short talk on the same.

The plastic-laying and fumigation demonstration will begin at 2 p.m. after lunch at the Vidalia Farm. Hendrix and Dail will be conducting the demonstration.

If you have not signed up and would like to attend, there is still time. Please contact Doris Hackett in the East Georgia Extension Center office at 912-681-5097 to sign up.

Vidalia Onion Committee and Vidalia Onion Business Council Met to Discuss Onion Varieties

The VOC and the VOBC met on July 20, obstensibly to discuss the upcoming onion grants. The discussion of the onion grants was postponed until the next VOC meeting on August 17.

The discussion of onion varieties dominated this meeting. As you might recall from last month's newsletter, several varieties were under consideration for elimination until more data could be generated. These varieties included '6712 (Centaur),' 'SSC 6371,' 'SSC 6372,' 'SSC 6436,' RCS 1919 (King Midas),' DPS 1058 (Sweet Advantage),' 'Southern Honey,' and 'Southern Belle.' There was also a move to eliminate 'Georgia Pride' completely.

Bob Stafford, the manager for the VOBC, had solicited input from the growers on restricting the varieties. Of the 139 growers listed for this year, 55 responded to Bob's request concerning these varieties. Thirty-three voted to restrict the varieties. This represented 7,635 acres of the 15, 254-acre total. Twenty-one voted "no," representing 2,710 acres. This survey, as with past surveys, has generally indicated a split among growers to restrict varieties.

Bob also indicated that a representative of the Department of Agriculture would be down on August 24, 2000, at the courthouse in Lyons to hear from growers concerning this issue. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

Several of the onion seed companies were represented at the meeting. These included Sunseed, D. Palmer Seed, Asgrow Seed Co., and Shamrock Seed Co. They all voiced concern about restricting onion varieties. Some of the comments included concern about their investments in research and development, only to have varieties excluded. Concern about feedback from growers was also voiced. They feel they need clear message from the growers about what they want in new varieties. The seed companies felt they were given a mandate for both earliness and disease resistence. Finally, they voiced concern about their current inventory of seed and being able to sell this seed.

Clearly, issues surrounding onion varieties have not been solved.

How the Onion Has Grown

Below is a list of 50-lb. units produced, registered acres, and handlers by year.

From My Desk

Both an onion production meeting and research meeting are in the planning stage for August. Growers indicated one meeting was too long. This will mean two shorter meetings this year rather than a single long meeting as was done last year. We're starting to see some rain out there; I hope it will keep coming.

Talk to you next month.