Early Production of Summer Squash In Mississippi High Tunnels: 1st Year Results

Early spring production of yellow crookneck summer squash cv. Gentry was evaluated in high tunnels, with and without internal secondary row covers, at Crystal Springs, MS in 2010.  The five row cover treatments tested included: no cover, clear UV resistant polyethylene sheeting, white spun-bonded polypropylene (Agribon-70), felted heavy weight white spun-bonded polypropylene (Frost Protection Blanket), and black woven landscape fabric felted on one side (Masterscape).  As part of a detailed temperature management protocol, covers were placed over the rows on frames 5 ft. tall and 3.3 ft. wide when night temperatures were forecasted to fall below 40 °F.  The tunnels were closed when the outside air temperatures were below 50 °F.  On March 5, ten plants were set into each plot (1.5 ft apart in beds 15 ft. long and 2.5 ft. wide), with 6 ft. between rows.  Plots were fertiligated twice weekly with water soluble fertilizer and otherwise managed according to local practice.   Fruit were harvested three days a week.  Secondary covers were used only four nights between transplanting and final harvest, and had no significant influence on squash yield.  The tunnels were closed many days during the early set period likely leading to the significant number of aborted fruit we saw in that period.  Overall, the crops averaged just under 3 lbs. of marketable fruit/plant, fruit that averaged just over 0.25 lb./fruit.   Cover treatments had no significant influence on earliness, total yield, marketable yield, cull yield, fruit size, or percent marketable fruit number or yield.