Information on improved vegetable production technology sla available to USVI growers. However, information on
new and Improved vegetable varieties Is released every year by seed companies and research Institutions in the
U.S. and around the world. Some of these varieties are developed for semi-arid, tropical conditions and their
performance should be evaluated In the USVI.
 There is a need for continuous screening of new vegetable varieties to determine if they would be suitable for
the Virgin Islands. These screening trials determine adaptability and yield potentials, efficiency of resource use,
production costs and profitability.

Objectives of the Study

 The objectives of the vegetable variety evaluation project were:
 1. To evaluate the yield performance. quality of production, and pest and disease resistance of new varieties
of popularly grown vegetables In the Virgin Islands.
 2. To Introduce different vegetable crop species and evaluate their horticultural characteristics and market
acceptability.
 3. To determine the Influence of season or planting date on the production of different vegetable crops.


 REVIEW OF PREVIOUS VEGETABLE VARIETY EVALUATION STUDIES

 Vegetable variety evaluation trials have always been a component of the Vegetable Crops Program at the
University of the Virgin Islands Agricultural Experiment Station (AES). The first series of variety trials was conducted
in 1978 and 1979. These trials included cucurbits (cucumber, squash, muskmelon, pumpkin and watermelon).
seeded crops (okra, beans, spinach, carrots, onion and leek), and the brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli.
mustard, kohlrabi and collards).
 In 1981, Ramcharan published the results of his variety trials with tomato, pepper and eggplant, which included
11 varieties of eggplant, 18 varieties of pepper and 25 varieties of tomato. Most varieties from the U.S. mainland
performed well.
 Two years later, Navarro (1982) presented a summary of vegetable research at the Experiment Station. Twenty
eight varieties of tomatoes from the U.S., Japan, Hawaii and Trinidad were evaluated, and the results showed that
varieties from Hawaii and Trinidad performed better than varieties from the U.S. Other vegetable crops evaluated
were snap and pole beans, onions, okra and root crops Including sweet potato (Ipomoes batatas), cassava
(Manlhot esculents) and yam (DIoscorea sp.).
 In 1984, Ramcharan and Gerber reported the results of their study on the evaluation of tomato varieties for wet
season planting. Varieties from Hawaii were the earliest to flower and fruit, while most of the varieties from U.S.
mainland were late-maturing. They reported major problems with tomato fruit worm and fruit rot.
 There were no published reports on the adoption by growers of the best varieties identified in the variety trials,
but some of these varieties were later observed on local farms.
 From 1983 to 1986, a series of vegetable variety trials was conducted at AES, consisting of 13 varieties each
of sweet pepper, eggplant and tomato (Petersen, 1987). Results indicated that many varieties performed well under
local growing conditions. In terms of marketable yield, the best varieties for sweet pepper were Jupiter, Califomrnia
Wonder and Yolo Wonder. For eggplant, Burpee Hybrid, Midnite, Black Jack and Black Beauty were the best
varieties. Most of the hybrid tomato varieties performed well, including Revolution, Liberty, Count II, Celebrity,
Mountain Pride, President, Calypso, Floramerica, Duke and Independence. Marketable yields of over40t ha"' were
obtained from these varieties. There was no report on the degree to which these varieties were adopted by farmers,
but varieties like Celebrity and Calypso are now being grown on local farms.
 Well-adapted cultivars with major economic importance are a prerequisite to profitable vegetable production
(Maynard, 1986; Stall, 1988). For the Caribbean, cultivars recommended for the Southeast and/or West coast of
the U.S. can be be used asa first approximation. Cultivars must be also tested forthe best fit intothe desired market.
Vegetable cultivars may be adapted to local growing conditions, but if consumer preference is low, production will
not be profitable.
 In the USVI, vegetable crops with major economic importance are tomato, cucumber, pepper, eggplant, okra,
lettuce and onion. These crops are always in high demand and constitute the major imports. Feasibility studies
conducted by Mullins and Bohall (1974) indicated that profit potential for USVI growers appears best for tomato,
okra and onions. However, the profit potential of other crops is high when they are produced during off-seasons,
when market price of Imported produce Is high.