Browse Squash Stories

33 results found for Squash
Fig1 Cucurbit anthracnose web CAES News
USDA Cucurbit Grant
Seven East Coast states harvested nearly 102,000 acres of watermelon and cucumber in 2019 and 2020, representing more than 62% ($410 million) and 45% ($180 million) of the U.S. production of the two crops, respectively. Growers of cucurbits — which include melons, pumpkin, squash and cucumbers — face numerous challenges in production, leading to decreased profitability and less produce on grocery shelves.
‘Orange Bulldog’ is an improved pumpkin variety developed by UGA scientists from germplasm collected in the jungles of South America. It has greater levels of resistance to viruses than conventional pumpkins. ‘Orange Bulldog’ made its debut in 2004 and has consistently produced yields of 13,000 to 20,000 pounds per acre in north and south Georgia. CAES News
Pumpkin Pointers
Georgia farmers devote about 900 acres to growing pumpkins — technically a squash and a cousin to the cucumber. Most Georgia-grown pumpkins come from the northernmost part of the state where the climate is cooler and there is less disease pressure. UGA-bred ‘Orange Bulldog' is disease resistant.
Whiteflies transmit several devastating viruses to important vegetable crops, including squash. CAES News
Whitefly Management
Researchers from three research institutions are using a $3.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fight whiteflies on vegetable crops.
This photo shows what a crop looks like when it's protected with row covers for four weeks (left) versus being left without row covers (right). CAES News
Row Covers
Row covers, material used to protect plants from the cold and wind, can also protect squash from disease-carrying squash bugs and other insect pests, according to University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Plant Pathologist Elizabeth Little.
Whiteflies seen on a squash leaf. CAES News
Whitefly Management
University of Georgia entomologists advise farmers to kill crops capable of hosting whiteflies after the crop is harvested a final time. Crops left in the field could continue to serve as hosts.
Cucurbit leaf crumple virus, a disease carried by whiteflies, infects vegetable plants like squash (pictured). CAES News
Whitefly management
Summer may have ended, but Georgia’s silverleaf whitefly infestation has not.
A yellow squash matures on the vine of a squash plant growing in Butts County, Georgia. CAES News
Squash Struggles
Pests and diseases make summer squash one of the most challenging vegetables to grow in Georgia home gardens, according to University of Georgia plant pathologist Elizabeth Little, who studies plant diseases and control methods at the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
University of Georgia graduate student Zach Matteen conducted trials on 11 varieties of winter squash at UGA's Durham Horticulture Farm in Watkinsville, Georgia, on land used to grow organic crops. Matteen tested winter squash varieties 'Waltham' butternut, 'Zeppelin' delicata, 'Metro PMR' butternut, Seminole pumpkin, Choctaw sweet potato, 'Thai Kang Kob' tropical pumpkin, 'Thelma Sanders' sweet potato and a fifth-generation cross of 'Waltham' butternut and Seminole pumpkin. He found that the two sweet potato squashes and Seminole, tropical and tan cheese pumpkins held up best against squash pests and diseases. CAES News
Winter Squash
By determining the varieties best suited for the area, University of Georgia graduate student Zach Matteen is on a mission to convince more backyard gardeners and farmers to grow winter squash. He has found that Seminole, tropical and tan cheese pumpkins, as well as Choctaw and 'Thelma Sanders' sweet potato squashes, hold up best against squash pests and diseases.
GM crops chart CAES News
GMO Safety
Genetically modified foods are tested for safety testing before they reach the marketplace. It can take over a decade and cost tens of millions of dollars, and as a result, GMOs are the most safety-tested foods in history, says University of Georgia plant breeding and plant genetics expert Wayne Parrott.
A syrphid or flower fly hovers over a swamp sunflower bloom. The tiny insect is sometimes called a hover fly because its flight pattern resembles that of a hovering hummingbird. CAES News
Pollinator Plan
Many food items, including fresh fruits and vegetables, would never make it to grocery store or farmers market shelves without the help of beneficial insects like honeybees and butterflies. The number of these pollinating insects in the U.S. is declining, and to help, Georgia agricultural experts developed a statewide plan to teach gardeners and landscapers how to care for their plants and protect these vulnerable insects that are vital to food production.