SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS


 The results of thisfive-yearvegetable variety evaluation trial showthat most varieties are adapted tothe growing
conditions of the Virgin Islands. The following conclusions can be drawn from this study:

 1. For tomato, the best-yielding varieties for spring planting are Celebrity, Capltan, UH-N69 and Floradade. For
summer planting, Capkan and CL5915-3904-1-2-0, a heat-tolerant variety from Taiwan looked promising. Overall
yield varied according to variety and number of harvests. Yield was also affected by insect pests and diseases.
Tomato pinworm and whiteflies appeared to be the serious pest problems. Heavy Insect infestation contributed to
the secondary development of tomato diseases.

 2. In five trials, cucumber varieties Victory, Dasher II and Tropicuke maintained good yields. These varieties
appear to be suitable for year-round production in the Virgin Islands. However, summer-fall and winter-spring
production seemed to be the best season for high yields and good quality cucumbers.

 3. The result of one trial on hot pepper Indicated that Anaheim and Jalapeno were the best yielding varieties.
These varieties performed better than Cayenne, Habanero, Ancho and Red Cherry.

 4. Of the six eggplant varieties evaluated during the summer-fall season of 1988, Black Bell, Midnite and Jersey
King demonstrated outstanding yield performance. These varieties produced an average yield of 30.0 t ha".

 5. Four varieties of okra (Blondy, Clemson Spineless, Emerald Green and Perkins Mammoth) produced similar
yields in the 1991 summer season. Marketable yields ranged from 17.51 hat' for Perkins Mammoth to 20.5 t ha'
for Clemson Spineless.

 6. For cantaloupes, all varieties evaluated performed poorly during the spring season. Yields were generally low,
ranging from 6.2 t ha-' for Magnum 45 to 7.65 t ha-' for Planters Jumbo. Low yields were attributed to poor fruit set
and high incidence of downy mildew and ground rot. Infestation of melon worms was also a problem.

 7. For watermelon, the best yielding-varieties for winter-spring production were Royal Charleston, Hybrid Royal
Sweet and Dixie Lee. Yields obtained from these varieties ranged from 11.21 ha-' for Dixie Lee to 18.2 t ha-' for Royal
Charleston.

 8. Sweet potato variety trial results Indlcatedthat in terms of total yield, thepromising varieties included Miguela,
Toquesita, Colorette, Peria, Agata, Amarista, EAS-11, Twelve Prime, Viola, Tapato and Sunny. In terms of
marketable tuber yield, the promising varieties were Toquesita, Colorette, Peria, EAS-11, Viola, Tapato and Sunny.
The last three varieties have also good culinary qualities. Varieties with less weevil damage were Colorette, Viola,
Umonetle, Tapato, Tano, Toquesita, Suabor and EAS-11. In general, most of the varieties from USDA-TARS in
Puerto Rico are well-adapted for production in the Virgin Islands.

 9. The preliminary trial on yam varieties showed that varieties of .lata and D. esculents are promising for
the Virgin Islands. Of the six D. a/at varieties, Binugus was the best-yielding variety with an average yield of 33.8
t he-a'. Among the D. esculentavarieties, Seti was the highest-yielding variety, averaging 20.01 ha'. There is a need
to screen more varieties in the D. rotundata.

 This five-year study provided research Information that can be used by local growers. The results will also help
us focus our next research In identifying and selecting the best varieties suitable for the Virgin Islands.