Epcot tomato plant sets a new world record
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Behind the brightly
colored, mosaic façade of The Land pavilion at Epcot
sits non-descript offices where greenhouse magic
takes place. Horticulture and entertainment -- which
some call "horti-tainment" -- blend to create some
of the most visually interesting fruits and
vegetables found under one roof anywhere in the
world.
From Mickey Mouse-shaped food and tons of
tomatoes to Cinderella pumpkins and lemons the size
of bowling balls, the Epcot Science team at The Land
works night and day to cultivate produce and other
foods on the pavilion's Living with the Land
attraction to give guests something they can't see
anywhere else. Living with the Land, a narrated,
14-minute boat ride through the farms of yesteryear
as well as the greenhouses of tomorrow, showcases
the team's research and work inside The Land's four
greenhouses.
Some of the horticulture highlights:
A world record harvest from a single tomato
vine: Yong Huang, Epcot's manager of
agricultural science at The Land pavilion, is
working with a new "tomato tree" that is currently
growing inside the theme park's experimental
greenhouses. The only one of its kind in the United
States, the plant yields thousands of tomatoes at
one time from a single vine. Huang discovered the
plant while on vacation in Beijing, China. After
meeting with scientists responsible for that plant,
Huang brought its seeds to Epcot and created a
specialized greenhouse for the fruit to grow. The
golf ball-sized tomatoes are harvested and served at
Walt Disney World Resort.
So far, the massive plant has produced a
world-record harvest of more than 20,000 tomatoes
with a total weight of more than 850 pounds -- and
it's still growing! The record-setting plant can be
seen by park guests during the Living with the Land
boat ride.
Mickey Mouse-shaped cucumbers: The
Land Science team developed a special, elongated
mold that is placed around a young cucumber. As it
grows, the vegetable forms the familiar shape of
Mickey's silhouette. The cucumbers are harvested and
served atop salads at Walt Disney World Resort.
Mickey Mouse-shaped watermelons:
Building on the success of the Mickey cucumber, the
team created a similar mold for watermelons. Guests
on the Living with the Land attraction often see the
Mickey Mouse-shaped watermelons growing on the vines
inside the greenhouses.
Mickey Mouse-shaped pumpkins:
Autumn brings the biggest harvest of pumpkins at The
Land, and Mickey Mouse-shaped pumpkins have quickly
become a favorite. The Mickey Mouse-shaped pumpkins
--some which weigh nearly 100 pounds -- are
harvested and placed inside the greenhouses for
guest viewing. Also featured: the Cinderella
pumpkin, named for the shape it shares with
Cinderella's famous coach.
Nine-pound lemons: While they're
not Mickey Mouse shaped, the nine-pound lemons grow
to what their descriptive name implies -- a lemon
that weighs nine pounds. These sour mammoths begin
as young, green fruit on trees inside the
greenhouse. As they mature, they take on the
familiar lemony-yellow hue and preserve all of the
taste of smaller variety lemons.
"Cucumber tree": Similar in concept
to the "tomato tree," The Land's "cucumber tree" has
produced more than 800 individual fruits. That's
more than 525 pounds of cucumbers.
Guests on the Living with the Land attraction
also see:
The Tropics Greenhouse, growing crops
native to Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America and
the southern United States. Rice, sugar cane,
peanuts, cacao, bananas and a 59-foot peach palm
flourish under a 60-foot dome.
The Aquacell, showcasing crops that swim
-- fish and other aquatic life including alligators,
catfish, tilapia, sunshine bass and American eel.
The Temperate Greenhouse, featuring the
concepts and technologies of sustainable
agriculture, including intercropping, integrated
pest management and specialized irrigation systems
that reduce waste and increase crop production.
The Production Greenhouse, where tons of
tomatoes, peppers, lettuce and other vegetables are
grown for use in The Land's Garden Grill Restaurant
and other Epcot restaurants. The Land scientists
utilize growing systems that are kinder to the
environment and improve productivity.
The Creative House, showing imaginative
ways to grow crops -- without soil, hanging in the
air, even on a space station. USDA scientists
currently are working at The Land to develop dwarf
pear trees for greater production efficiency.
"Behind the Seeds" greenhouse tour:
Guests interested in taking a closer look at the
four greenhouses and fish farm that are part of the
Living with the Land attraction can take the
45-minute "Behind the Seeds" tour. Tour highlights
include tasting produce grown in The Land, taking an
herb and spice challenge, feeding fish at the fish
farm, sprouting seeds to take home and releasing
ladybugs.
™
™