CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 07/20/15

Calcium-related disorder impacts Georgia's bell pepper production

By Clint Thompson

Georgia’s bell pepper farmers experienced a setback in production this spring. According to University of Georgia vegetable horticulturist Tim Coolong, some Georgia growers experienced losses of up to 25 percent due to blossom end rot — a calcium-related disorder.

The disorder, which affects mostly peppers and tomatoes, can also impact eggplants and most cucurbits. A calcium deficiency in young, rapidly expanding fruit tissue causes cells to die. As the fruit expands and grows, the condition makes it appear as if a large portion of the blossom end is brown or black. Fruit affected with the disorder is fine to eat, but it is unmarketable.

“During growth there can be a period when calcium uptake into the cells of the developing fruit is restricted,” Coolong said. “That could be due to a true calcium deficiency or, more often than not, particularly here in Georgia, it’s usually due to a weather or growing environment-related factor that’s prohibiting uptake of calcium into the plant.”

Bell peppers are Georgia’s second most produced vegetable behind watermelons, accounting for almost 14 percent of the state’s vegetable production in 2013, according to the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development. Bell peppers generated $138.9 million in farm gate value.

Coolong believes spring production may be down this year because of Georgia’s volatile weather in the spring and early summer.

“We had some issues with sizing of fruit, and then during late April and part of May, it turned very dry and fairly hot after it had been consistently wet,” Coolong said. “I think that, during this period, some of our tomato and pepper plants hadn’t fully developed a deep root system due to that prior wet weather we had. When it turned dry, there may have been times when it was challenging to keep up with some of the water requirements.”

Most of Georgia’s 6,600-plus acres of bell peppers are grown under plastic mulch. However, since peppers are generally produced on double rows, water has to move toward the shoulder of the plant bed, further than a tomato, for instance. Irrigation can be a challenge, especially on the sandier soils in southwest Georgia.

“If it had been a little drier earlier on, we may have had deeper root development,” Coolong said. “In bare ground crops where we get a real wet spring and then it turns dry, we have a fairly shallow root system. I think that may have been the case here as well.”

For more information about Georgia’s vegetable production, see caes.uga.edu.

Clint Thompson is an agriculture writer based in Tifton, Georgia.

Authors:
Clint Thompson
Experts/Sources:
Tim Coolong
Tim Coolong holds a bell pepper and tomato. Both vegetables, grown on the UGA Tifton Campus, show symptoms of blossom end rot. Peppers with blossom end rot due to heat stress.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
Combining data collection and analysis with plant pathology, precision agriculture and robotics, the UGA team will build a photographic library of the foliar symptoms caused by onion diseases and other physiological disorders, feed them into the AI software, and use machine learning to identify the diseases based on pattern and color recognition from the images. CAES News
UGA uses AI, robotics to improve Georgia’s Vidalia sweet onion crop 10/23/24 Jordan Powers
A multidisciplinary team of UGA researchers aims to enhance the competitiveness of Vidalia onion growers in Georgia by providing them with the ability to confidently detect onion diseases early, enabling them to make management decisions on their crop at a critical time. These abilities, researchers say, should result in increased yield and quality of marketable onions and an overall increase in efficiency and productivity.
Associate Professor Rhuanito Ferrarezi poses with a Gerber daisy grown by students in his 4050/6050 Greenhouse Management class in fall 2023. CAES News
Upcoming UGA plant sales bring color to fall 10/15/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Fall weather means fall gardening, and several groups at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will be offering the fruits of their labors at ornamental plant sales across campus this semester. On Friday, Oct. 18, the Trial Gardens at University of Georgia will hold its annual Fall Houseplant Sale, and on Wednesday, Nov. 20, greenhouse management students will offer their ornamental plant sale at the South Milledge Greenhouse Complex.
Most of Georgia’s vegetable crops are grown in the southern part of the state, which, similar to California, faces drought risks. However, as the climate warms, the area is expected to receive slightly more rainfall than usual, according to CAES economist Jeff Mullen. If vegetable production in California decreases and prices rise elsewhere, Southeast producers may consider shifting from row crop to vegetable production. CAES News
Georgia vegetable production may expand as a result of climate change 09/17/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Changing weather patterns are influencing cropping systems and where certain crops can be successfully grown. Researchers in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences recently published a study in the journal Sustainability examining the feasibility of expanding fresh vegetable production in Georgia as increased temperatures and more frequent and extreme droughts threaten producers in the Western United States.
Although it may not fit the traditional image of a well-kept lawn, this landscape is the result of careful planning and a deep commitment to ecological stewardship. CAES News
Done with mowing? How to transform your lawn into a native, perennial landscape 09/12/24 Emily Cabrera
On a tour of her Blairsville, Georgia, home, Becky Griffin navigates a swaying maze of perennial grasses interspersed with pussy willows, switchgrass and boneset. Although it may not fit the traditional image of a well-kept lawn, this landscape is the result of careful planning and a deep commitment to ecological stewardship. As a native plant enthusiast and coordinator of the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, Griffin hand-selected each of these native plants for the countless ecological services they provide year-round.
Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium CAES News
Keep on the grass 08/29/24 Emily Cabrera, Scott Michaux
When the University of Georgia Bulldogs step between the hedges at Sanford Stadium, the grass on Dooley Field needs to look perfect. More importantly, though, it needs to help safeguard the health of athletes who compete on it. Gerald Henry plays a big role in the latter. The UGA Athletic Association’s endowed professor in environmental turfgrass leads a research team in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences committed to creating sports fields that look good and perform well to limit the occurrence of injuries.
Student interns at UGArden in 2017. (PHOTO: Andrew Davis Tucker, UGA MarComm) CAES News
UGArden receives $10K from Kubota, votes can raise to $50K 08/07/24 Isabella Farris
Just a short drive from UGA’s downtown campus sits 10 acres of land known as UGArden. Rows of carrots, okra, kale, squash and much more line the fields. An average of 15,000 pounds of produce is grown on the student farm each year, and that food gets distributed to community members in need. But that capacity and those partnerships could soon grow, thanks to a $10,000 Kubota Hometown Proud Grant, which comes with a valuable additional component: a vote competition that could get UGArden an additional $40,000 and one lucky voter a Kubota mower.