Progress 05/01/06 to 12/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Uba Tuba was grown in the field at several locations in Kentucky. Natural infections of bacterial spot were documented on field-grown crops. Infections were minimized using pesticides. Compared to susceptible pepper varieties that do not possess genetic resistance to bacterial spot, Uba Tuba has a degree of tolerance to bacterial spot, manifested by its greater ability to recover from infection. Uba Tuba was produced in high tunnels during spring, summer and fall of two seasons. During the spring and fall, high tunnels provided adequate protection from frosts and mild freezes. Furthermore, high tunnels allowed for additional growth and production of Uba Tuba, compared to open field production. During the summer, high tunnels limited bacterial spot infection by limiting rain-splash inoculation. However, these plants also had a high water requirement. During the project period, severe spring and fall freezes occurred (-7 C and lower). Plants in high tunnels did not survive these freezes. Furthermore, ripe fruit that was present in high tunnels during fall suffered chilling injury. Storage of Uba Tuba was assessed at three temperatures. Utility of ventilated plastic bags were also evaluated. Storage below 47F (8.3C) seemed to cause chilling injury of Uba Tuba, manifested during shelf life studies at room temperature. Weight loss was lower at lower temperatures, and the use of ventilated plastic bags tended to reduce rate of weight loss, and increased humidity inside the storage bag. Storage life however, was about the same for bagged and boxed Uba Tuba. Boxed Uba Tuba tended to suffer higher cull rates due to shriveling while bagged Uba Tuba tended to suffer from higher rates of storage disease, perhaps related to the higher humidity present inside the storage bags. Storage at 50C and 90-95 RH permitted storage of Uba Tuba for two to three weeks. Shelf life at room temperature was dependent on cold storage conditions, especially length of storage. The longer peppers were in storage, the shorter the shelf life. However, a shelf life of 3 to 4 days for ripe Uba Tuba was not uncommon. Uba Tuba was successfully shipped to California, and local chefs who received Uba Tuba samples successfully stored them at their restaurants for two or more weeks. Individual Uba Tuba fruit dropped from heights greater than 3 feet suffered bruising and reduced shelf life. This characteristic is similar to commonly grown peppers. Based on temperatures recorded in the field or in tunnels, and observation of survival of Uba Tuba, fruit and foliage of Uba Tuba have about 2-3 degrees of frost tolerance. Plants and fruit growing in the field and high tunnels survived temperatures down to 28F (-2.2C). However, at these temperatures ripe fruit suffered chilling injury, expressed mainly during shelf life studies. Freezing points of Uba Tuba fruit and foliage were lower than those of Banana pepper fruit and foliage. Results of this research were presented to scientists at a University of Kentucky seminar, at University of Kentucky sponsored field days, and at field days held at Cedar Point Farms, the performing organization. PARTICIPANTS: Janet Meyer has conducted most of the research on this project. Part of her research will be used to form the basis of a Master of Science Thesis in Crop Science at the University of Kentucky. Her degree will likely be completed during the summer of 2009. Robert Perry, a chef on the faculty at the University of Kentucky, has worked closely with the project, developing Uba Tuba recipes, actually serving Uba Tuba in the Lemon Tree, a training restaurant operated by the University of Kentucky, and has provided access to a wide network of professional Chefs. Joel Wilson is owner of Cedar Point Farms, the performing organization. He is committed to growing peppers for the wholesale market, and his contacts with the pepper wholesale industry will likely form the basis for future success with Uba Tuba. Dr. John Snyder is the Research Coordinator for Cedar Point farms and supervised all research aspects of the project. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience for this research is pepper grower/marketers located in Kentucky and surrounding states. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
While Uba Tuba has susceptibility to bacterial spot, results of our research indicate the disease is manageable in Kentucky. However, we do not know what particular race or races of bacterial spot were present on Uba Tuba, and it is possible that a different race could be more injurious. Furthermore, Uba Tuba was only tested for two years, and growing conditions in other years may be more favorable for bacterial spot. However, with regard to commercialization of Uba Tuba, susceptibility to bacterial spot appears to be a manageable problem using well accepted chemical controls. Crops should receive preventative treatments when conditions are favorable for outbreaks of bacterial spots. Our research has demonstrated that high tunnels have limited utility for production of Uba Tuba in Kentucky. High tunnels provided adequate frost and minor freeze protection of foliage, but provided insufficient protection from very cold temperatures. Furthermore, fruit exposed to non-freezing, but cold temperatures exhibited chilling injury, further limiting the utility of high tunnels for fall production of Uba Tuba. While high tunnels may be a useful adjunct to Uba Tuba pepper production in Kentucky, high tunnel production is too risky to form the basis for production of this valuable crop. A consistent supply will be essential for market development. Storage and shelf life characteristics of Uba Tuba are very similar to those of more commonly grown peppers. In fact our results have indicated that ripe Uba Tuba is somewhat easier to store than commonly grown varieties of C. annuum. Uba Tuba does suffer from chilling injury at storage temperatures similar to those that cause chilling injury of C. annuum pepper varieties. Because storage and shipping characteristics of Uba appear no more constrained than those of other peppers, it should be possible to distribute Uba Tuba through the existing infrastructure for shipping and storing produce in the U.S. The frost/freeze tolerance of Uba Tuba is interesting, especially from an academic point of view. However, this characteristic appears to be just a curiosity, since the fruit survive freezing temperatures, but suffer chilling injury.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 05/01/07 to 04/30/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: A long term goal for this project is to evaluate potential of C. baccatum for KY producers. Objectives for the growing season in 2007 included an assessment of the productivity of Capsicum baccatum cv. Uba Tuba in three locations in Kentucky. Additionally, the effect of transplant quality on subsequent productivity was extensively evaluated. Production at two locations occurred in open field and in hoop houses (high tunnels) designed to provide early and late season protection from frost. Small, single-row tunnels were also evaluated spring frost protection in the open field and as an adjunct to high tunnels. At one location, high tunnels remained in place for the entire season, to evaluate summer protected cultivation of Uba Tuba. Productivity was measured in all environments. Fruit-set during July and Aug was closely examined. When fruit were mature, storage and shelf life were determined. Storage life was determined at three temperatures, and shelf life was determined at room temperature. Stem darkening during storage was evaluated. Bruising was also investigated Several cultivars of C. annum served as controls for storage and shelf life. The feasibility of growing Uba Tuba in hydroponic culture was assessed. A field day was held for local farmers at the Somerset location. Samples of mature green and ripe Uba Tuba were shipped to Chefs for their evaluation. Frost/freeze tolerance of Uba Tuba leaves and fruit were examined. PARTICIPANTS: Janet Meyer who conducts most of the research for Cedar Point Farms, is pursuing a Master of Science Degree in Crop Science at the University of Kentucky. She is using some of the research as the basis for her M.S. thesis TARGET AUDIENCES: Uba Tuba productivity remains inconsistent. Productivity must be predictable to develop a viable product. However, storage characteristics appear sufficiently similar to C. annuum fruit to allow use of common storage and shipping techniques for pepper. The product has sufficient interest among Chefs and others to ensure a market. The question of the feasibility of reliable productivity remains unanswered PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Productivity of Uba Tuba at the three locations differed but was generally low, likely due to drought and high temperatures. Transplant quality had a minor effect on yield. High tunnels, small tunnels and their combination were not sufficient to prevent damage from a late spring freeze. Summer high tunnel production reduced disease and severely reduced yield. Tunnels provided fall frost protection, allowing 4 additional weeks of production. Fruit set on Uba tuba was split, with a small amount set early in the season, very little during mid-season and considerable fruit set late in the season. During the summer of 2007, fruit set in the middle part of the plant (100 - 134 cm above the ground) was about 10% of the fruit set in the top part of the plant. Frequency of lack of fruit set was high the this mid-section of the plant, and the lack of fruit set in this section will be examined in more detail during the summer of 2008. At harvest culling percentage of harvested Uba Tuba was about 50%. Storage characteristics of Uba Tuba fruit are similar to those of thin fleshed C. annuum cultivars. Storage lives were similar between wax boxes and ventilated plastic bags. However, frequency of storage disease was less in wax boxes, but weight loss was higher, compared to ventilated bags. When or where fruit were harvested had minor effects on storage characteristics, especially storage disease. Fruit of Uba Tuba are susceptible to chilling injury, characterized by sunken areas that develop when fruit are warmed to room temperature. Green fruit had a shorter storage life (2-3 weeks), than fully ripe fruit (3+ weeks). However, green fruit have a short shelf life, compared to red fruit. In this regard, Uba Tuba is very different from other thin-fleshed peppers, which store better when green than red ripe. Fruit are susceptible to bruising. Drops from 1 to 2 feet caused little damage and drops from 3 to 6 feet caused noticeable bruising. Stem darkening increases with storage time and is related to the amount of physical damage that occurs during harvest. However, stems also blacken in the absence of physical damage. Stems on red ripe fruit tend to darken more quickly than stems on green fruit. Uba Tuba tolerated frost to -2 C. However, exposure of fruit to these low temperatures may result in chilling injury. The freezing point of Uba Tuba leaves and fruit are not different from those for Capsicum annuum, supporting the notion that Uba Tuba tolerates freezing. Uba Tuba can be grown in hydroponic culture, and this technique may be extremely useful in providing a better understanding of the lack of mid-season fruit set. More than 25 local farmers attended the field day held at the Somerset location. Several bushels of Uba Tuba were sent to regional Chefs in the fall. Red fruit were preferred and most Chefs would purchase Uba Tuba when available, at premium prices.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 05/01/06 to 04/30/07
Outputs
The main objectives for the 2006 season were to evaluate the productivity of C. baccatum cv. Uba Tuba productivity in open fields, to evaluate fruit storage, and to evaluate susceptibility of Uba Tuba to bacterial spot. Fields were planted as planned and high tunnels were constructed in time for testing for fall performance. Spring performance was not tested because the project started 5/1/2006. Uba Tuba plants, as anticipated, did not begin to set fruit until the first two weeks of August, regardless of environment. Yields were similar between the two environments. In term of frost tolerance, field grown Uba Tuba displayed a degree of frost tolerance. Very cold weather (<18 F) in early October, which was very uncharacteristic, completely killed the field plants and killed about 80% of the plants in the high tunnels. The vegetative portions of plants near the ground in the high tunnels survived the cold stress. Temperatures in field and high tunnel environments were
recorded at five minute intervals throughout the experiment. Bacterial leaf spot occurred under natural infestation. Presence of bacterial leaf spot on Uba Tuba was verified by the University of Kentucky Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab, using their standard procedures. Presence of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria, the causal organism of bacterial spot was also verified by PCR. Yields were somewhat below expectations, mainly due to freeze damage. However, sufficient fruit were available to conduct storage studies. Fruit quality was maintained for at least three weeks when stored at 38 F. The storage lives of peppers stored in waxed boxes or stored in ventilated polyethylene bags inside a waxed box were similar. Weight loss was less when stored in bags, but weight loss during storage in a wax box only was minimal. Storage problems were uncovered, and at this time their origin is unclear. Fruit stems tended to discolor during storage, and the origin of the discoloration is unclear. It
appears that it may be a physiological response, as opposed to a pathological problem. Also, during storage many fruit developed sunken areas on their corners. This may be chilling injury, or bruising related to harvest during the very cold weather extant during the 2006 autumn season in Kentucky. Chilling injury may have occurred in the field or in storage. Both storage problems, stem discoloration and sunken areas on the fruit, will be more intensively investigated in Fall, 2007
Impacts
This is a feasibility study, designed to evaluate potential for production and marketing of Uba Tuba, a specialty pepper. Another objective is to evaluate the utility of high tunnels for production of this pepper. Success would lead to the development of additional marketing opportunities for Kentucky vegetable growers, and due the the late season production of this crop, could considerably improve their annual cash flow. Addtion testing is needed to establish feasibility.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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