YIELD PERFORMANCE OF VEGETABLE VARIETIES
 IN THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
 1988-1992

 Manuel C. PaladaT, Stafford M.A. Crossman2 and
 Charles D. Collingwood3

 'Research Assistant Professor, 2Research Specialist and "Research Analyst,
 Vegetable Crops Program, Agricultural Experiment Station,
 University of the Virgin Islands


 INTRODUCTION

 Present Status of Vegetable Production

 The vegetable Industry in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Is in a state of slow revival and growth. Since the decline
 ofcropfarming in the1960sandthe devastating effectof Hurricane Hugo n 1989,there has been some rapid growth
 in vegetable production. Although the overall size of farms declined In the past 30 years, there is a trend of Increase
 in the number of small-sized vegetable farms. The number of vegetable farms increased from 32 In 1960 to 46 in
 1983 and then decreased to 31 by 1987 (McElroy and Albuquerque, 1985; Moore, 1991). At present there are
 approximately 36 vegetable farms in the USVI, mainly operated by part-time growers.
 These farms grow a variety of crops including tomato (Lyooperslcon esculentum), eggplant (Solanum
 melongena), pepper (Capsicum annuum), okra (Abelmoschus esoulentus), cucumber (Cucumis satlvus),
 green beans (Phasuolus vulgars, onions (Allum eapa), lettuce (Lactuce sativa) and a variety of herbs.
 Estimated sales of these crops grossed $239,762 in 1990 (Moore, 1991). Lettuce and tomato had the highest value
 during the last ten years. Tomatoes alone accounted for about 60 percent of all vegetables sales in 1987, at a total
 value of $113,664 (Moore, 1991).
 Local vegetable production falls short of meeting market demands. It is estimated that local production supplies
only five to ten percent of the total produce sold in the market (Mullins and Bohall, 1974; Dominique, 1990). Most
vegetables are imported from the U.S. mainland and other countries.
 In 1987, the USVI Imported 5,865 metrictons of vegetables from the U.S. mainland with a value of $4.78 million
(Bureau of Economic Research, 1988). In the same year, about 1,400 metric tons of vegetables from other countries
were shipped to the USVI (Pearrow, 1991). The cost of Importing vegetables increases retail market prices, which
are 17 to 29 percent higher than Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland.

Constraints to Vegetable Production

 The vegetable industry in the USVI is facing major physical, technical and socio-economic constraints. Limited
land and water resources, high cost of production inputs and labor, lack of appropriate technology, lack of credit
and inadequate marketing systems are the major constraining factors to vegetable production in the USVI (Gerber,
1979; Mullins and Bohall, 1974).

Potential of Commercial Vegetable Production

 Despite the major constraints, there is a potential for small to medium-scale commercial vegetable production
in the USVI (Gerber, 1979). First, with the land that is available and improved production technology including drip
irrigation, most currently imported vegetables can be grown in the Islands throughout the year. Secondly, the
demand for locally-grown fresh produce by the tourist Industry and local population is always high. In these potential
markets, higher prices can be obtained for high quality produce. Finally, the present marketing system in the Virgin
Islands could be adjusted to accept locally-grown produce if it were available on a regular basis in sufficient quantity.
 For commercial vegetable enterprises to become viable and profitable, growers must be able to meet market
demands in terms of vegetable variety preferences, volume, quality and seasonal requirements. Currently, little