Product Description

The leading one-stop reference for commercial vegetable growers for more than 50 years



Rooted in tradition, branching out to the future. For more than half a century, Knott's Handbook for Vegetable Growers has provided generations of commercial growers with the most timely, accessible, and useful information available on the subject. The Fifth Edition of this highly regarded horticultural mainstay provides readers with the reliable growing and marketing information they've come to expect, while including new and updated material throughout to maintain its relevance in our ever-changing world.

Filled with valuable information, largely in the form of tables and charts--from hard statistics on vegetable production and consumption to essential information for today's international markets, such as vegetable botanical names and vegetable names in nine languages--Knott's Handbook is part Farmer's Almanac, part encyclopedia, and part dictionary. It also provides detailed, practical specifics on planting rates, schedules, and spacing; soils and fertilizers; methods for managing crop pests; greenhouse vegetable and crop production; insect pest identification; harvesting and storage; and vegetable marketing.

Now available in a new flexible cover designed for ease of use on the desk or in the field, this valuable workhorse features new information on:
* World vegetable production
* Best management practices
* Organic crop production
* Food safety
* Pesticide safety
* Postharvest problems
* Minimally processed vegetables
* Plus, hundreds of Web site links related to vegetable information

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #314607 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-13
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Plastic Comb
• 640 pages

Review
"Intended for commercial growers, the guide is a rich source of information for anyone who aims to harness the power of photosynthesis, perhaps especially serious gardeners. Metric conversion tables, fertilizer application methods, and tips for shipping and packaging round out a volume that strikes a perfect balance between robust content and lucid presentation." (American Reference Books Annual, 2008)

"It certainly provides the user with a wealth of current information on vegetable crop production and marketing in a well-organized and clearly presented manner." (HorTechnology, July-Sept 2007)

From the Back Cover
The leading one-stop reference for commercial vegetable growers for more than 50 years

Rooted in tradition, branching out to the future. For more than half a century, Knott's Handbook for Vegetable Growers has provided generations of commercial growers with the most timely, accessible, and useful information available on the subject. The Fifth Edition of this highly regarded horticultural mainstay provides readers with the reliable growing and marketing information they've come to expect, while including new and updated material throughout to maintain its relevance in our ever-changing world.

Filled with valuable information, largely in the form of tables and charts—from hard statistics on vegetable production and consumption to essential information for today's international markets, such as vegetable botanical names and vegetable names in nine languages—Knott's Handbook is part Farmer's Almanac, part encyclopedia, and part dictionary. It also provides detailed, practical specifics on planting rates, schedules, and spacing; soils and fertilizers; methods for managing crop pests; greenhouse vegetable and crop production; insect pest identification; harvesting and storage; and vegetable marketing.

Now available in a new flexible cover designed for ease of use on the desk or in the field, this valuable workhorse features new information on:

• World vegetable production
• Best management practices
• Organic crop production
• Food safety
• Pesticide safety
• Postharvest problems
• Minimally processed vegetables
• Plus, hundreds of Web site links related to vegetable information

About the Author
DONALD N. MAYNARD is an internationally recognized authority on vegetables. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida and is a past president of the American Society for Horticultural Science.

GEORGE J. HOCHMUTH is an internationally recognized authority on vegetables, through his previous bimonthly column in American Vegetable Grower and other works on vegetable production. He is Professor of Horticultural Sciences and Associate Dean for Research at the University of Florida.
Both authors have been recognized repeatedly for their contributions to the vegetable industry and are Fellows of the American Society for Horticultural Science.

Customer Reviews

Fantastic reference work to answer disease&insect problems
I use this book as my first reference work to answer disease and insect problems in vegetables for the public. The layout is extremely easy to use. Each section is very clear and concise. This work is also used for establishing small plot research design that is comprable to the large scale production fields. All the information one needs is in this handbook for vegtable trials and for large scale production. There is very little else on the market that is as comprehensive as this publication and as accurate regarding information provided.

A helpful reference tool
First published in 1956, this handbook is an indispensable, up-to-date companion both in the field and in the marketplace. Topics include the vegetable industry, greenhouse vegetable production, soils and fertilizers, water, pests, weed control, harvesting, storage, and seed production. Packed with quick-access graphs, tables, charts, and line drawings, the 4th edition offers new information on drip irrigation, seed germination, plant tissue and sap testing, windbreaks, and weed management. It also gives advice on allowable pesticide and herbicide use and on the latest worker protection standards. The appendix contains sources of vegetable information, providers of vegetable seeds, periodicals for vegetable growers, and U.S. units of measurement and the metric conversion factors. A change from the spiral-bound 3rd edition is a sturdy, flexible cover to help hold pages flat.

Knott's Handbook for Vegetable Growers, 4th Edition
I give it five stars. This book, which contains a variety of information from a wide number of sources, is not a "how-to" book. Its information is mostly in table form, so the book's main use is as a reference. Some chapters, such as the one on water and irrigation, contain information I've never seen anywhere else, except in technical publications. The chapter contains line illustrations and descriptions that are accessible to the layman. The chapter on vegetable pests also contains (black and white) line illustrations of the insects. Rather than try to list all the information this book contains, I list the table of contents:

Preface

Part 1: Vegetables and the Vegetable Industry
Botanical Names of Vegetables
Names of Vegetables in Nine Languages
Vegetable Production Statistics
Consumption of Vegetables
Nutritional Composition of Vegetables
Selection of Vegetable Varieties

Part 2: Plant Growing and Greenhouse Vegetable Production
Transplant Production
Plant Growing Containers
Seeds and Seeding
Temperature and Time Requirements
Plant Growing Mixes
Soil Sterilization
Fertilizing Transplants
Plant Growing Problems
Hardening Transplants

Crop Production
Cultural Management
Carbon Dioxide Enrichment
Soilless Culture
Nutrient Solutions
Tissue Composition

Part 3: Field Planting
Temperatures for Vegetables
Scheduling Successive Plantings
Time Required for Seedling Emergence
Seed Requirements
Planting Rates for Large Seeds
Spacing of Vegetables
Precision Seeding
Seed Priming
Vegetative Propagation
Polyethylene Mulches
Row Covers
Windbreaks

Part 4: Soils and Fertilizers
Organic Matter
Soil-Improving Crops
Manures
Soil Texture
Soil Reaction
Salinity
Fertilizers
Fertilizer Conversion Factors
Nutrient Deficiencies
Micronutrients
Fertilizer Distributors

Part 5: Water and Irrigation
Water and Irrigation
Rooting of Vegetables
Soil Moisture
Surface Irrigation
Overhead irrigation
Drip or Trickle Irrigation
Water Quality

Part 6: Vegetable Pests and Problems
Air Pollution
Integrated Pest Management
Pesticide-Use Precautions
Equipment and Application
Nematodes
Diseases
Insects
Wildlife Control
Herbicides
Equipment and Application
Weed-Control Practices
Effectiveness and Longevity of Herbicides

Part 8: Harvesting and Storage
Predicting Harvest Dates and Yields
Cooling Vegetables
Storage Conditions
Chilling and Ethylene Injury
Vegetable Quality
U.S. Standards for Vegetables
Storage Sprout Inhibitors
Containers for Vegetables
Vegetable Marketing

Part 9: Seed Production and Storage
Seed Labels
Seed Germination Tests
Seed Purity and Germination Standards
Seed Production
Seed Yields
Seed Storage

Part 10: Appendix
Sources of Vegetable Information
Sources of Vegetable Seeds
Periodicals for Vegetable Growers
U.S. Units of Measurement
Conversion Factors for U.S. Units
Metric Units of Measurement
Conversion Factors for U.S. and Metric Units
Conversions for Rates of Application
Water and Soil Solution Conversion Factors
Heat and Energy Equivalents and Definitions

Index