Arkansas virtual watermelon walk set for May 15
Watermelon growers can see the results of no-till production in watermelons at a May 15 virtual field walk from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Vegetable Research Station near Kibler.
Horticulture specialists from the Division of Agriculture will explain best practices for incorporating cover crops into no-till watermelon production, what cover crop mixes work best, and how to plan for weed, disease and insect pest management.
The one-hour virtual field walk will be available as a webinar on the Zoom online platform. The tour will begin at 10 a.m. CST. To register, visit https://bit.ly/Winter-Cover-Crops-No-till-Watermelon-Production-VFT. There is no cost to register or participate.
The tour will be hosted by Amanda McWhirt, extension horticulture specialist; Aaron Cato, extension horticulture integrated pest management specialist; Steve Eaton, director of the Vegetable Research Station; Alden Hotz, graduate student in the department of horticulture and program associate at the Vegetable Research Station; and Matt Bertucci, research scientist in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences.
The tour is an effort of both the research and extension arms of the Division of Agriculture, the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service.
Webinar topics will include characteristics of different winter cover crops; concept of no-till cover crop management for watermelon systems; no-till impacts for different aspects of watermelon production; pre-emergent herbicide use and pest scouting.
For people not able to view the virtual tour as it is broadcast, a recording will be available on the Division of Agriculture’s horticulture YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzPEeCm2tCZ0yIBKA7wIsQ.
