VERMONT VEGETABLE AND BERRY NEWS
January 15, 2001
compiled by Vern Grubinger, University of Vermont Extension
(802) 257-7967 ext. 13 or vernon.grubinger@uvm.edu

BICOLOR SWEET CORN VARIETY TRIAL COMMENTS
(from Lake Plains Vegetable News, Cornell Extension)

Seneca Spring: early season, small to medium ear size, small to medium flag leaves with some rust, medium shank, fair kernel contrast, fair tip fill. Excellent eating quality, sweet juicy and tender with good corn flavor. Low to fair yield of marketable ears and hard to harvest.

Native Gem: early season, small ear size, small to medium flag leaves with slight rust, good kernel contrast, good taper on ears and fair to good tip fill. Better than average sweetness, chewy, crunchy and good corn flavor. Low to fair yield of marketable ears and fairly easy to harvest.

Ecstase II: early season, small ear size, dark green medium flag leaves with some rust, good kernel contrast, poorly pollinated, slightly tapered ear and fair tip fill. Better than average sweetness, crisp, juicy and tender with good corn flavor. Low to fair yield of marketable ears and fair to easy to harvest.

Fleet: early season, small ear size, long flag leaves with some rust, poor plant stand, good kernel contrast and good tip fill. A little better than average sweetness, good corn flavor but gritty and not very tender. Low yield of marketable ears and easy to harvest.

Trinity: early midseason, small to medium ear size, variable flag leaves, medium shank, good kernel contrast but poor tip fill. Avoid planting near woods because racoons prefer this variety. Very good eating quality, sweet, juicy and crunchy. Low to fair yield of marketable ears and easy to harvest.

Temptation: early midseason standard, did not perform as in past perhaps due to bad seedlot. Medium ear size, medium dark green flag leaves, fair to goof kernel contrast and poor plant stand. Below average sweetness, crunchy and chewy. Very low yield of marketable ears and easy to harvest.

Bon Appetit: early mid-season, medium ear size, medium flag leaves with slight rust, fair amount of Stewart's wilt, and blocky shaped ear with good kernel contrast. A little better than average sweetness, juicy, crunchy and a little chewy. Low yield of marketable ears and easy to harvest.

Mystique: midseason, medium to large ear size, small flag leaves with some rust, slightly tapered ear, good kernel contrast and poor to fair tip fill. Excellent eating quality, sweet, tender and juicy. Very good yield of marketable ears, easy to harvest but tip fill sometimes a problem.

Seneca Nation: midseason, medium ear size, small to medium flag leaves, attractive tapered ear, fair to good kernel contrast and good tip fill. Good flavor, better than average sweetness, juicy, small kernels but a little chewy. Very good yield of marketable ears and easy to harvest.
Sweet Symphony: midseason, medium ear size, small pale green flag leaves with a fair amount of rust, and good kernel contrast. Bland flavor, a little better than average sweetness, tough, chewy, and difficult to remove from the cob. Fair to good yield of marketable ears and easy to harvest. Only use in early plantings because of rust susceptibility.

Friendship: midseason, variable ear size but mostly large, with small flag leaves with some rust, blocky ear shape, good kernel contrast and poor to fair tip fill. Good flavor, tender and a little bit better than average sweetness. Low to fair yield of marketable ears and easy to harvest.

Summer Flavor: midseason, medium to large ear size, medium flag leaves with some rust, mostly blocky ears, good kernel contrast, poor pollination and very poor tip fill. Hardly any flavor, a little better than average sweetness, watery, juicy, chewy and easily comes off cob. Very good yield of marketable ears and easy to harvest.

Buckeye: late season, medium ear size, small flag leaves with some rust, short shank, tapered ear, and fair to good kernel contrast. Better than average sweetness, good corn flavor, tender, creamy. Good yield of marketable ears and easy to harvest.

Precious Gem: late season standard, medium to large ear size, small to medium flags, variable ear size, blocky shaped ears, poor to fair kernel contrast and variable tip fill. Very good eating quality, better than average sweetness, very juicy and tender. Very good yield of marketable ears and easy to harvest.

Serendipity: late season, medium to large ear size, good sweetness, fair to good yield of marketable ears.

Jackpot: late season, large ears size, average sweetness, good yield of marketable ears, high level of resistance to rust.

Seneca Dancer: late season, medium ear size, medium flag leaves with some rust, short shank, attractive tapered ear, good kernel contrast. Very good sweetness, good flavor, juicy, crunchy, sometimes a little tough. Fair to good yield of marketable ears and fair to hard to harvest.

JACK-O-LANTERN PUMPKIN VARIETY TRIAL COMMENTS
(from Lake Plains Vegetable News, Cornell Extension)

Racer: Fruit are very uniform in size, shape, and color. Dark orange color with some russeting, round high squat in shape with uniform medium ribbing. Handles are dark green, extremely sturdy, well anchored and of excellent quality. Not a lot of vine, semi-bush tends to be thick. Medium size variety that is attractive, uniform in quality and productive.

Gold Standard: Fruit are fairly uniform in shape and color. Medium to dark orange color with some russeting. Shape is mostly round to squat round with a slight medium uniform rib. Handles are green, long, flared at base, well anchored and sturdy. Vines were short and thick with laterals. Very nice looking overall, medium sized fruit.
Gold Fever: Color varied, fairly uniform shape and size. Most fruit medium to dark orange with a few light orange yellow fruit and some green flecking. Fruit were round tall to squat round with slight ribbing. Handles were thick, flared and well anchored. A few handles with hollow center, but still sturdy. Vines were short and thick, nice looking medium sized fruit.

Merlin: Fruit fairly uniform tall round shape and uniform dark orange color with slight rib. Handles very proportional to the fruit size with excellent flaring and anchoring, but rubbery and not very sturdy. Plants have thick crown with lots of lateral vines. Has Powdery milder tolerance and excellent color, very attractive.

Longface: Fruit shape is tall and narrow, with many fruit showing deep ridges at top, a rounded bottom and very flat back. Color is variable from pale yellow orange to bright orange to dark orange. Handles were well anchored, but thin and weak. Handles almost too small for the fruit size. Vines were short with lots of laterals. Majority of fruit were set in crown area. Higher yield and better appearance in 2000 than in 1999.

Gold Bullion: Fruit fairly uniform round squat shape, with a medium rib. Color was dark orange. Handles long, thick, well-anchored, slightly rubbery but strong. Vines were thick and fairly long with few laterals. Very attractive medium large fruit.

ProGold 200: Variable shape, size, and color. Dark to light orange color with medium ribbing. Fruit shape ranged from tall round to round to round squat. Handles well anchored but soft and rubbery, not proportional to fruit size. Vines are long and thin.

Magic Lantern: Fruit are uniform round tall to round with a slight to medium rib. Excellent dark orange color. Handles well anchored, proportional to fruit size, but thin and rubbery. Vines green and long with lots of adventitious roots. Has powdery mildew tolerance.

Howdy Doody: fruit are uniformly round squat with a dark to medium orange color and medium rib. Handles long, thick, well anchored but somewhat soft and rubbery. Vines are generally short and very thick, with quite a few laterals. Attractive fruit.

ProGold 500: Variable in shape, size and color. Shape was round squat to round to tall. Color was mostly light yellow to dark orange, with a medium rib. Handles were well anchored but weak and a majority of them too small for the averaged size fruit. Vines were long and thin with many laterals.

Phantom: Variable in most categories, especially fruit shape. Fruit were tall and thin, round squat, tall round with a medium rib. No one shape dominated. Color mostly medium to dark orange. Handle long, well anchored but variable quality. Vines were thin, long with lots of laterals.

Autumn King: Large fruit, more tall than round. Color is light to medium orange with slight to medium ribbing. Handles long, thin and well anchored but would need to be cut short to be strong. Vines very thin and long with many latyerals and adventitious roots. Decent looking.
Gold Strike: Fruit variable in shape: tall narrow, tall round and round squat. Color variable from medium to dark orange with smooth to medium ribbing. Handle quality is fair, thick, well anchored but somewhat rubbery. Vines were long with numerous laterals.

Trojan: Fruit large, with a tall round shape and medium to deep rib. Color is medium orange and fariy uniform. Handles variable, from long, thick and solid to short, thin and rubbery. Vines were very long and thin. Laterals and adventitious roots were common.