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North Carolina Specialty Crops Program |
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NC Specialty Crops Program
Hosts Eastern NC Lettuce Production Tour
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Dr Chris Gunter, Department of Horticultural Science, NCSU gave a presentation on nutritional deficiencies in lettuce and showed examples of the different types of deficiencies. Lettuce research is also taking place in Haywood and Ashe Counties at the Mountain Research Station and Upper Mountain Research Station, respectively. There will be field days and tours at both of these locations to show growers and other interested persons the finer points of lettuce production. | ||
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The Specialty Crops Program is funded in part by: Posted May 16, 2008 |
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The Eastern NC Lettuce Field Tour was hosted by Mark
Seitz, Area Specialized Agent, North Carolina Cooperative
Extension on April 30, 2008. About thirty growers,
industry, consultants and technical people attended
the tour. The tour featured commercial production
and an on-farm Romaine lettuce variety trial at Tull
Hill Farm, Hugo, NC. The on-farm Romaine lettuce
demonstration was supported by a NC Specialty Crops
Program grant. The lettuce research at the Cunningham
research station in Kinston was supported by a NC
Golden Leaf Foundation grant.
The field day began with Mark Seitz giving an informative
presentation about “The Variety Trial and Production
Challenges”. Dr. Mark Abney of the Department
of Entomology, NCSU gave a presentation on Insect
Management in Romaine Lettuce. He discussed the occurrence
of wireworm this spring in lettuce and the perils
of planting behind field corn. The corn wireworm’s
lifecycle is 3 to 5 years and it can not be controlled
with insecticides. 
The tour then moved to Cunningham Research Station
where Bill Jester, Extension Associate & Horticulturist
and NC Specialty Crops Coordinator, NCSU gave a presentation
on the lettuce research being conducted from the
Coast to the Mountains. This research includes work
on varietal selection, spacing, phosphorus fertilization,
herbicides and diseases. He noted the varieties that
have been most successful in his research in the
past years. Jester also discussed the growth and
physiology of Romaine lettuce and how to determine
when to harvest Romaine. Lastly, Dr Gerald Holmes
gave a presentation on the results of a fungicide
control study of the Drops (Sclerotina spp)
disease. Dr Holmes also showed some of the diseases
that occur state wide and outlined their causes.