Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center

08/31/2026

Pumpkin Field Updates

It has been a wet summer across much of Indiana, and conditions became more challenging after historic rainfall hit east-central Indiana in mid-August. I recently had a chance to visit several pumpkin fields in the region. The amount of damage directly associated with the heavy rainfall varied consi

08/24/2026

Downy Mildew Symptoms Confirmed in Indiana

This article was published as a Hot Topic on August 7, 2026. The first symptoms of cucurbit downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis) on cucumber plants in a commercial field were confirmed in LaGrange County, Indiana, on July 29, 2026. Now is a good time to stay alert and scout fields for sympto

08/14/2026

We had a successful Vegetable Field Day today! 📊 🌱 🍉 🍅

08/10/2026

https://vegcropshotline.org/article/southwest-purdue-agriculture-center-vegetable-field-day-august-13/

You are invited to attend the SWPAC Vegetable Field Day on August 13, 2026, at the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center (SWPAC) in Vincennes, Indiana. PARP credits will be offered at this event. This free educational event will provide an opportunity to learn about the latest research and Extensi

08/10/2026

What Caused the Cracking of Tomatoes and Melons?

Originally published on: July 25, 2025 Fruit cracking is one of the most commonly observed disorders affecting many fruit crops. Cracking can occur in different forms, such as radial splits extending from the stem end, splits at the blossom end, or concentric rings around the fruit. Research h

08/10/2026

Downy Mildew Symptoms Confirmed in Indiana

The first symptoms of cucurbit downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis) on cucumber plants in a commercial field were confirmed in LaGrange County, Indiana, on July 29, 2026. Now is a good time to stay alert and scout fields for symptoms related to this disease. Remember, early detection of this pa

08/08/2026

How about some watermelon 🍉? We are at the Watermelon Festival! Serving our best, delicious watermelons grown in our research station.

Purdue Extension Knox County
Purdue Extension

08/05/2026

We would like to invite growers of all categories to attend the SWPAC Vegetable Field Day, which will be held on August 13, 2026 in Vincennes, Indiana. This is a free event, although registration is required.

Register here: https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6lLH2mIlWqhw1fM

PARP credits will be available for participants. The program will begin at 8:00 a.m. and conclude at midday, with discussions focused on current vegetable research trials and future research priorities for disease management in vegetable crops. The event will provide an excellent opportunity to discuss challenges and research needs directly with researchers and industry representatives.

Purdue University is an Equal Opportunity/Equal Access University.

07/27/2026

https://vegcropshotline.org/article/common-foliar-diseases-observed-in-indiana-watermelon-fields-this-season/

As we move through the growing season, several foliar diseases continue to be observed in watermelon fields across Indiana. The most common diseases this year have been Alternaria leaf blight and gummy stem blight, while anthracnose has been detected less frequently than in previous seasons. Because

07/22/2026

We have started harvesting our research plots at the SWPAC. Did you know Purdue has 8 agricultural research centers throughout the state and the SWPAC is one of them? Located in Vincennes, Indiana, the SWPAC specializes in vegetable production research.

Visit us anytime to learn more about out service and research programs.