Can I grow Vidalia onions in Mississippi?
To be named Vidalia onions, they must be grown within 75 miles of Vidalia, Georgia, by federal law. However, sweet onions can be grown in Mississippi, which are just as good as Vidalia onions. Three keys to sweet onions are variety, soils, and stress.
The pungency in onions is governed by sulfur containing compounds:
- Growing a variety of onion which does not accumulate sulfur such as grano or granex types.
- Growing onions on soils which are low in sulfur.
- Allowing the onions to be stressed for water or nutrients during the growing season will produce a sweet onion.
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News
RAYMOND, Miss. -- Mississippi State University Extension Service plant pathologist Rebecca Melanson was recently recognized for her work to further the development and implementation of integrated pest management in the cucurbit industry. The Emerging Viruses in Cucurbits Working Group, or EVCWG, received the 2024 Friends of IPM Pulling Together Award. Melanson and Bill Wintermantel, a scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, co-chair the group that was established in 2022.
RAYMOND, Miss. -- Commercial vegetable growers have a new mobile-based resource to help them manage pests and diseases in their crops. The MyIPM for Vegetables app is the latest in the MyIPM app series. MyIPM for Vegetables currently offers resources for tomatoes and cucurbits, which includes cucumbers, pumpkins, squash and watermelons.
RAYMOND, Miss. -- Agricultural producers and industry professionals met with Mississippi State University personnel in the coastal region to discuss research and education priorities at the 2022 Producer Advisory Council meeting. The annual event aims to help clients improve their productivity. Attendees gathered in small commodity groups at each event to share their ideas with agents, researchers and specialists with the MSU Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station.
