A i ka ʻoliʻoli ʻana o nā mea kūʻai aku a puni ka ʻāina i ka ʻāpana ma hope o ka ʻāpana o ka melika maloʻo i kēia kauwela, hiki iā lākou ke hoʻomaikaʻi i kahi pūnaewele hoʻolaʻa o nā mea kanu Florida a me nā ʻepekema ʻepekema o ke Kulanui o Florida no kēia mālama ʻana i ka mahana wela.
ʻO Florida ka mea hana kiʻekiʻe o ka meloni ma ka ʻāina, me ke kanu ʻana i Malaki a ʻohi i Mei a me Iune. No ka nui o nā ʻoihana mahiʻai UF/IFAS Extension, ʻo kēia manawa o ka makahiki, ʻo ia hoʻi ka kipa ʻana i kēlā me kēia pule i nā māla melika kūloko, kahi e ʻike ai lākou i nā hōʻailona mua o ka maʻi, ʻike i nā pests a hoʻāʻo i ke kohu o nā mea kanu e hōʻoia i ka pono o nā meaʻai.
"Loaʻa i kēlā me kēia o mākou kā mākou ʻoihana ponoʻī a ke hilinaʻi nei mākou i kekahi i kekahi a me kā mākou mea noiʻi e ʻike i nā pilikia ma mua o ka lilo ʻana i pilikia e hiki ke hoʻopilikia i ka ʻoihana holoʻokoʻa," wahi a Bob Hochmuth, he mea hoʻolaha meaʻai kūikawā kūloko.
Ua ulu ʻia ʻo Watermelon ma Florida a puni, akā ʻoi aku ma mua o ka hapakolu mai ke awāwa ʻo Suwannee, kahi ʻo Hochmuth ka luna kōkua o ka UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center o ka pā kula kūloko.
I ka puka mua ʻana mai o kahi pilikia, ua hoʻāla ʻo Hochmuth a me 11 mau ʻelele Extension ʻē aʻe i ka ʻāina i kahi ʻōnaehana makaʻala e hōʻike ana i nā mea kanu a me nā luna hoʻomalu ma kahi o 50 mau māla wai wai - a me nā ʻoihana hui like ʻole - e pili ana i ka hoʻoweliweli a pehea e hakakā ai.
"Hoʻopuka mākou i ka Weekly Watermelon Update i kēlā me kēia Pōʻakahi, akā i kekahi manawa e hoʻouna mākou i nā leka he nui i kēlā me kēia pule ke ʻike mākou i kahi pilikia e pono ai nā mea ulu e hoʻoponopono koke," wahi a Hochmuth.
ʻO ka pule o Mei 10, ua ulu aʻe kekahi o ia mea i kona poʻo: Gummy stem blight, kahi maʻi fungal e pili ana i nā ʻōpala a me nā lau o nā mea kanu melika, ua ʻike ʻia ma kekahi mau māla ma ia wahi.
"Inā loaʻa iā mākou kahi maʻi maʻi, e like me ka gummy stem blight, hana wikiwiki mākou e hāʻawi i nā mea kanu i ka ʻike pili ʻole, pili ʻepekema e pili ana i ka maʻi a me nā hana maikaʻi loa no ka mālama ʻana," wahi a Hochmuth.
ʻO ka ʻōnaehana makaʻala he hui pū ʻana o ke kumu hoʻonui nui o ka hoʻolaha ʻana i ke alo a me ke alo, a me ka wikiwiki, nā mea hana kamaʻilio hou, wahi a nā mea ulu.
"Laki loa ka poʻe mahiʻai o ka ʻāina ʻo Suwannee River Valley Tri-County i ka loaʻa ʻana o nā ʻelele Extension county makemake nui, ma o kā lākou hoʻoikaika ʻana, e hana ikaika e kōkua iā mākou e hoʻomaikaʻi i kā mākou mau hana mahiʻai," wahi a Laura Land. o na mahiai o Jody Land. ʻO ka ʻāina i hala ka pelekikena o ka ʻAhahui Watermelon Florida.
"I kēia manawa, ikaika loa lākou me ka hoʻolaha ʻana i ka wai melika wahi Tri-County i kēlā me kēia pule i hoʻouna ʻia i kēlā me kēia pule ma ke ʻano he kikokikona a me ka leka uila i nā mea kanu āpau ma ke awāwa ʻo Suwanee e wehewehe ana a me ka ʻike ʻana i nā iniseti a me nā maʻi i loaʻa i loko o ka pule, e kōkua ana i ka poʻe mahiʻai e loaʻa. he hoʻolālā hoʻoheheʻe ʻia no ka hakakā ʻana i ka maʻi me ka hoʻonaʻauao ʻana ma o nā laʻana kohu lau a me ka nānā ʻana i ka wai e hoʻohana i nā ʻōlelo aʻoaʻo fertilizer i ka maikaʻi o ko mākou hiki," wahi a Land.
Ma waho aʻe o ka ʻike maʻi a me nā pest, loaʻa i ka pule hebedoma ka nūhou hou e pili ana i ka mauʻu, pollination, ka wā, ka irrigation, ka palekana meaʻai, nā lā kula a me nā papahana noiʻi e hoʻomau nei.
"I kēia makahiki i hala aku nei ua hiki iā mākou ke kaʻana like i nā hana maikaʻi loa no ka mālama ʻana i nā limahana mahiʻai i ka wā maʻi maʻi COVID-19," wahi a Hochmuth.
ʻOiai e hiki mai ana ka hoʻolaha o kēlā me kēia pule ma ke ʻano he leka uila, e hahai pū ana nā ʻelele me nā mea ulu ma o ka ʻōnaehana leka uila, e ʻae iā lākou e hiki i nā mea ulu i ka wā e hele ana lākou ma waho o ka mahiʻai. Hiki i nā mea kanu ke nīnau i nā nīnau a hoʻouna i nā kiʻi, i ka manawa maoli. Hoʻopili pū nā Agents i nā mea ulu me nā lawelawe diagnostic wikiwiki ma o UF/FAS 'Soil Testing Laboratory a me Plant Diagnostic Center.
ʻO kēia mau hana a pau e kōkua i ka poʻe mahiʻai melika e hoʻokele maikaʻi i kā lākou ʻoihana, wahi a Doyle Williams, ka pelekikena o Double-W Farms ma Worthington Springs.
"Hāʻawi ka hui UF/FAS iā mākou i ka ʻike e pili ana i ka hiki iā mākou ke hoʻokō pono i kā mākou mea kanu. He mea nui nā mea hou i kēlā me kēia pule a me ka kipa mahiʻai iā mākou e like me ka hiki. ʻOi aku ka nui o ke kumukūʻai no ka lawe ʻana i kahi ala pana, akā hilinaʻi mākou a hilinaʻi i nā pane kūpono a me ka wikiwiki i kā mākou nīnau mai IFAS, "wahi a Williams.
No Courtney Davis o Gowan Seed Company, ʻo ka hōʻano hou i kēlā me kēia pule e hāʻawi i nā ʻike no nā ʻoihana mahiʻai hui pū kekahi.
"ʻIke wau he mea pono ka mea hou no ka mea hāʻawi iaʻu i kahi ʻike a me ka hōʻuluʻulu o nā mea e hana nei me North Florida ke hiki ʻole iaʻu ke piʻi i laila i kēlā me kēia pule iaʻu iho," wahi a Davis. "ʻAʻole hāʻawi wale nā mea hou i kahi ʻike o nā kūlana o North Florida akā ʻo nā ʻōlelo aʻoaʻo no nā pilikia āu e hālāwai ai. Makemake wau e lohe e pili ana i ka holomua o nā mea kanu, nā mea āpau e pono ai mākou e makaʻala a me nā hoʻonā i kā mākou mau pilikia he mau hoʻonā honua maoli.
I nā makahiki i hala iho nei, he mea koʻikoʻi ke kākoʻo mai ka Florida Watermelon Association i ka hoʻoikaika ʻana i ka pūnaewele o Extension a me nā ʻoihana ʻoihana, wahi a Hochmuth. ʻo kahi laʻana, ua kākoʻo hou ka hui i ka hoʻopuka ʻana i kahi alakaʻi kahua ʻeke hou hiki ke hoʻohana ʻia ma ka mahiʻai e ʻike i nā maʻi, nā pest a me nā pilikia ʻē aʻe.
"I koʻu mau makahiki me Extension - 40 mau makahiki - ʻaʻole au i komo hohonu i ka pūnaewele e like me kēia. Ua hauʻoli loa ka lilo ʻana i ʻāpana, "wahi a Hochmuth.