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On Thursday, July 11, hundreds of farmers from across the southeast gathered in watermelon fields just outside Blackville to celebrate the season’s harvest and discuss issues facing watermelon farmers.
In addition to splitting open multiple different watermelon varieties, attendees also learned of several challenges and industry changes facing watermelon growers; from the insects, pests and bacteria that destroy crop yields to new agriculture policy aimed at helping farmers confront climate change. While bugs are not a favorite topic for most people, it was a compelling topic for the watermelon farmers who combat the pests from damaging their crops.
In watermelon farming, a variety of bugs ranging from beetles to aphids, as well as bacteria, pose threats to crop yields, according to Tom Bilbo, an entomologist at the Clemson University college of agriculture, forestry and life sciences, who spoke to farmers at the event.
“The ringworm complex, it's not just one insect, it's actually sort of a more general term referencing a group of insects that do a particular thing, and that's feeding on the rinds,” said Bilbo during a presentation on ringworms, a group of insects that ruin watermelons.
“It's gonna vary depending on where you are region-wise, location and time of year, so there’s a bunch of different insects implicated here,” Bilbo continued. “There’s a lot of different armyworms, melon worms, leafrollers and there’s a lot of different caterpillars that can feed on the rinds opportunistically.”
Bilbo also spoke about the solutions to pest issues, such as trap cropping, which involves planting “trap crops” that are planted earlier to attract bugs away from the cash crop.
“There’s a lot of really good, promising research on this that hasn’t been evaluated yet on large scales to actually deploy trap cropping systems,” said Bilbo.
In addition to discussing the varieties of pests facing watermelon farmers, Bhupinder Jatana, postdoctoral research associate at Cornell University, spoke about how research on soil chemistry is helping advance best practices for watermelon growth.
“We have other projects, like we are using cover crops as well as beneficial soil microorganisms to manage the soil for it to be best for watermelon,” Jatana said.
The use of cover crops, which slow soil erosion, as well as changing land-use practices, have grown in popularity among farmers regionally, according to Jhessye Moore-Thomas, the Climate Smart Grant Extension Associate for Clemson University. Starting last year, the United States Department of Agriculture has been paying farmers to adopt agricultural practices associated with lower greenhouse gas emissions. The program, called Climate Smart, has been met by criticism from some scientists, as it avoids changing structural issues within agriculture’s contribution to climate change, as previously reported by The People-Sentinel.
For watermelon farmers, the rapid growth of new agricultural technology will change how they confront agricultural issues. The event also had a trade show, in which different agricultural tech workers involved in precision agriculture — the use of GPS and automation in farming efficiency — networked with local farmers.
“The will be more efficient and more pertinent, especially as these technologies catch on and more people start to use them,” said Tyler Campbell, a research technician at Clemson University, who led a demonstration on how drones are being used to apply pesticides.
Gilbert Miller, extension vegetable specialist at Clemson University, organized the event and said the turnout was larger than expected.
“It was fantastic, the biggest crowd we’ve ever had, and we got a lot of input from those attending,” Miller said. “We had all 215 seats in the auditorium and folks had to find other places to sit. It was a nice problem to have. We're gonna sit down this week and begin planning for July 10 of next year.”
Elijah de Castro is a Report for America corps member who writes about rural communities like Allendale and Barnwell counties for The People-Sentinel. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep Elijah writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today.
