Pennsylvania Statewide Cultivar Evaluation Program, Poster Board #323

Cultivar selection influences all other production practices. Numerous options are available and it is not uncommon for a cultivar to perform well in one region or state and poorly in another. This can make selection time-consuming and leave growers unsure about how new cultivars will perform on their farms. A team of seven Penn State Extension educators and specialists developed a statewide coordinated cultivar program to help commercial vegetable growers make informed managerial decisions on cultivar choice. We successfully applied for ten years of funding, with annual renewal, from the Pennsylvania Vegetable Research and Marketing Board to conduct simultaneous evaluations in three locations across the state to capture its environmental diversity. The program was grower driven, using surveys to first identify the need and now to determine the crop evaluated. We also consulted with industry personnel to gauge emerging cultivars with potential for success in Pennsylvania environmental conditions. The decision was made to conduct the evaluation on each individual crop for two years to account for year-to-year environmental conditions. Sixteen cultivars of green bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) were evaluated on the basis of yield in three locations across Pennsylvania during the growing seasons of 2008–09. This was followed by the evaluation of 26 cultivars of acorn, butternut and buttercup/kabocha winter squash (Cucurbita spp.) in 2010–11. Beginning in 2012, 24 cultivars of sweet corn (Zea mays) will be evaluated. Results from individual locations were used in establishing regionally appropriate recommendations. This approach also allowed development of statewide recommendations by determining which cultivars performed well across the evaluation sites. Recommendations were disseminated through various extension channels including publications and presentations at local and regional meetings and through webinars. Manuscripts based on our efforts have been submitted to refereed journals and to date one has been published and another is in development.