Planting Date Effect on Yield of Tomato, Eggplant, Pepper, Zinnia, and Snapdragon in High Tunnel in Mississippi

Abstract

‘High tunnels’ are unheated greenhouse structures used to extend the growing season and protect high-value horticultural crops. High tunnels have been used for many years worldwide and their popularity has increased in Mississippi recently. A planting date study of ‘Roma’ tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), ‘Legend’ tomato, ‘Ichiban’ eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), ‘Sweet Banana’ pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), ‘Benary's Giant’ zinnia (Zinnia elegans L.), and ‘Potomac Red’ snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) was conducted in 2010 in three high tunnels in Starkville, Mississippi. Each vegetable and cut flower cultivar was treated as an independent study. There were two planting dates for all the cultivars: 12 March 2010 and 2 April 2010. Only for zinnias, yield (272 stem/plot) of first planting date was higher than planting date two (106 stem/plot). A significant block effect was observed with ‘Legend’ tomato and ‘Ichiban’ eggplant where one high tunnel had significantly higher yield than the other two high tunnels. Harvesting of tomato, eggplant, and pepper from high tunnels was a month earlier than the field-grown crops. High tunnels can extend the growing season to provide produce to the market at earlier harvest dates in Starkville, Mississippi.

Keywords:

• high tunnel
• season extension
• protected production
• specialty crops