Source: CLEMSON UNIVERSITY submitted to
IMPROVED WATER QUANTITY AND QUALITY FOR HORTICULTURAL CROP PRODUCTION
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
TERMINATED
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1010910
Grant No.
(N/A)
Project No.
SC-1700539
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Program Code
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Jan 3, 2017
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2020
Grant Year
(N/A)
Project Director
White, SA, .
Recipient Organization
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
CLEMSON,SC 29634
Performing Department
Agricultural & Environmental Sciences
Non Technical Summary
Container production operations (e.g. nursery and greenhouse) use large volumes of water on a daily basis to produce saleable crops. Competition for quality water resources is increasing for urban, industrial, agricultural, and ecological purposes. Water use (quantity and source) by specialty crop producers and all of agricultural crop production is increasingly scrutinized by legislators, regulators, and communities. Thus it is highly important to help producers efficiently use water. Efficient water use begins with water application methodology and ends with managing runoff water from production areas.We will address both reducing water use and managing and cleansing water runoff to better preserve and enhance both water quantity and water quality available for crop production. We will do this in three ways: (1) by developing new strategies and models for managing mist irrigation so that commercial growers can take advantage of current computer control technologies. The end result will be more sustainable use of water and plant nutrients, reduced fungicide application and an improvement in propagation performance of vegetatively-propagated horticultural crops. (2) by developing sustainable remediation technologies to encourage use of alternative water resources, especially recycled irrigation runoff. Which will help growers to recycle irrigation runoff water, helping to ensure a more consistent supply of water, even during periods of drought, as well as to reduce dependency on potable water sources for irrigation. And (3) by developing decision support tools to assist growers with making decisions as to the treatment technologies which may prove most effective (economically and environmentally) for their operation. Providing growers with a science-based tool that grounds decision-making using research based information will enhance grower confidence in selecting alternative practices, and may save them money in infrastructure investments that are not effective for their operation.Developing decision support tools both to aid determination of mist timing and frequency and to aid in design of treatment technologies to facilitate recycling irrigation water, will not only assist growers during propagation to enhance water use efficiency and increase the quality of the propagative material, but will also help ensure a more consistent, quality supply of water, even during periods of drought. Ensuring a stable water supply may help agricultural producers and their labor force maintain economic viability (harvest / plants for sale) during periods of drought.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
20%
Applied
40%
Developmental
40%
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
Knowledge Area


Subject Of Investigation


Field Of Science

Goals / Objectives
Project goals are:(1) To accurately determine the proper strategies and models for managing mist irrigation so that commercial growers can take advantage of current computer control technologies.2. To develop, quantify, and model treatment technologies efficacy to remediate nutrient and phytopathogen contaminants to facilitate recycling of production runoff at nursery and greenhouse facilities.Thus we have 3 supporting objectives that will help us (1) develop a dynamic mist control system and to (2) design and model remediation systems:(1) To explore the potential of overhead sensor technology to monitor the water status of underlying crops, i.e., utilizing the reflectance of visible and infrared wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum.(2) To characterize the susceptibility of 7 wetland plant species to 5 spp. of Phytophthora, translating these data to plant selection for vegetative channels;(3) To quantify how physico-chemical properties effect contaminant fate in treatment systems(4) To integrate data generated from treatment technology studies into a model system to develop a decision support tool for growers.
Project Methods
Dynamic mist control systemsCutting temperature provides an indication of the water status of cuttings in the propagation environment (Faust and Heins, 1998). In low evaporative-demand environments, water uptake by unrooted cuttings can adequately supply the water requirement of cuttings in propagation, thus the cutting is transpiring at a high enough rate to maintain plant tissues at temperatures equal to or lower than the surrounding air temperature. Under these conditions, mist is not required to be applied to the cuttings in order to maintain leaf turgor. In contrast, in high evaporative-demand environments, unrooted cuttings cannot supply the water requirements of the plant. As a result, plant temperatures increase and wilting occurs. Under these conditions misting is necessary to maintain cool plant temperatures and minimize water loss from the cuttings. Thus, we hypothesize that an infrared camera mounted on an overhead irrigation boom can determine the need for mist in propagation by monitoring canopy temperature and applying mist, as needed, to maintain plant temperatures below the surrounding air temperature.Species: Model species to be used in this study will include poinsettia and osteospermum. These species are of large commercial importance. Stock plants can be easily maintained in a vegetative stage of development. Cuttings are propagated during different production seasons, e.g., poinsettia propagation takes place during June and July, while osteospermum propagation takes place in December through February.Experimentation: The initial experimentation will quantify the plant temperature of unrooted cuttings in the propagation greenhouse under differing environments, under the presence and absence of water on the foliage, and amongst cuttings of differing water status. These observations will indicate the potential of infrared temperature measurements to be used to determine the need for mist during the propagation of unrooted cuttings. Our hypothesis is that plant temperature will increase relative to air temperature as foliar-applied water is no longer present on the cuttings and the rate of water uptake from the severed stem can not meet the water demand of the cutting.Once plant temperature responses are understood, experiments will be conducted to determine if mist can be applied in a timely response to increasing cutting temperatures as determined by overhead infrared temperature measurements. The project will entail making infrared temperature measurements, evaluating the pattern of changing temperatures, making mist management decisions, and communicating that information to the mist system to provide water where and when there is cutting demand. Rooting will be compared using this new technique in comparison to conventional mist-control methods.Laboratory and greenhouse facilities at the Clemson Institute of Environmental Toxicology and the Aquatic Research Laboratory, and partnerships with local SC growers for pilot-scale installation of treatment technologies will be used to accomplish the proposed research.Wetland plant susceptibility to phytopathogen propagules - Understanding plant susceptibility to Phytophthora propagules will help to tailor plant selection in vegetation-based treatment systems to limit potential for re-infesting water with propagules released from plants established in treatment systems.In Y1-Y2, aquatic plant species (Agrostis alba, Carex stricta, Iris ensata, Panicum virgatum, Pontederia cordata, Typha latifolia, and Sagittaria latifolia) will be screened using the in-situ inoculation protocol developed by Ridge et al. (2014). This involves simple 4 week screening trial exposing plants to 5 species of Phytophthora (P. nicotianae, P. palmivora, P. citricola, P. citrophthora, and P. cryptogea) and evaluating infection by plating roots exposed, and noting presence or absence of infection. Those aquatic plant species not susceptible to Phytophthora infection will be use to establish FTWs and replicated "designer" vegetative buffers in Y2-Y3. Replicated vegetative buffers will differ in plant composition, planting strategy (i.e. order in which plant species distributed within the buffer), and length of treatment area to permit characterization of removal potential (reduction in zoospore presence) for Phytophthora. In Y4 vegetative buffers will be installed/retrofitted at nursery/greenhouse production facilities to quantify treatment efficacy in terms of sizing and plant densities to limit Phytophthora break-through or release and seasonal variability. Furthermore, installation hours, maintenance hours (removing invasive species), treatment efficacy, durability, and potential return on investment will be calculated to inform models used to develop the decision support system.Physico-chemical properties and contaminant fate in treatment systems- Lab, pilot, and field scale studies to manipulate physico-chemical conditions within stand-alone and paired treatment technologies for contaminant removal. In Y1-Y2, replicated mesocosm trials (Figure 1) with FTWs will evaluate nutrient and pathogen removal with a commercially available, scalable FTW scaffold. All experiments conducted with a 7-day hydraulic retention time in a static-renewal system. Treatment factors to be evaluated include: nutrient load (5, 10 ppm N and 1, 3 ppm P), pathogen load (zoospore count/presence - CFUs determined based on nursery data), and plant nutrient uptake capacity (7 plant species screening in pathogen trials). In Y3-Y4, FTWs will be deployed in ponds to evaluate treatment efficacy with larger water volumes. In Y4, pilot-scale FTWs will be deployed in water infrastructure (e.g. canals, containment ponds) at collaborating grower(s), and installation hours, harvest hours, treatment efficacy, and durability will be characterized. These factors will be used to determine potential for use in commercial setting to cleanse water for recycling and estimate return on investment.Model Development - This proposed work is designed to address barriers to the use of alternative water sources such as recycled irrigation runoff after remediation with various TTs, and to track and assess associated benefits and limitations of these practices. Models will be designed to function using current operational parameters, and new parameters generated for evaluation by this project. Treatment technologies, along with storage and reuse of irrigation water will be used to assess water quality improvements and quantify water conservation through research testing and model development.Operation-scale model framework will be developed and adapted from an existing prototype (Majsztrik, 2011) that characterizes container nursery and greenhouse production inputs, outputs, and key water quality parameters. This project will extend the benefits of and generalize this tool, which will support both growers and researchers.Treatment systems are designed to treat a specific contaminant and loading rate, but most design recommendations are not based on factors specific to greenhouse and nursery runoff. Our research will tailor design recommendations for greenhouse or nursery runoff and incorporate data from past research with remediation of nutrient and phytopathogen contaminants. This information will be modeled using STELLA® simulation software (ISEE Systems, Inc.) and used to develop if-then models to help guide grower selection and installation of technologies to increase use of recycled water. One example of a tool to be shared with growers is an irrigation water treatment tool that incorporates chlorination and filtration for pathogen removal based on contact time. Another future tool would be a floating treatment wetland design tool where sizing is based on adequate hydrologic retention time to remove potential pollutants from runoff water without the introduction of plant pathogens into nursery operations if this water is reused for irrigation.

Progress 01/03/17 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Growers of containerized floriculture and nursery crops, stormwater managers and research and extension professionals. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One local high school student completed a research project and wrote the results for a professional trade journal. Students also directed a hands-on water filtration demonstration with female middle school students at the Bring Your Daughter to Clemson event. Graduate students trained on the project wrote and received funding for multiple grants including a USDA NIFA PreDoctoral Fellowship (Award # 2018-67011-28074. $89,083), one Center for Applied Nursery Research Grants, one USGS grants ($84,777), and two HRI grants ($28,200). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Lack of technical and unbiased information limits adoption of water use, management, recycling and conservation technologies by greenhouse and nursery growers. Clemson researchers collaborated with researchers from across the US to develop a central extension platform related to water and the green industry. Over the course of this project, Clemson researchers authored 31 peer-reviewed journal articles (additionally, 1 is in-press and 5 are in-review), 20 trade articles, six extension factsheets, two book chapters, one book, gave presentations in five, day-long workshops to growers and stormwater managers, gave interviews to magazine writers so they could write pieces for their industry audiences, and gave 70+ presentations at regional, national, and international conferences. Invited presentations were given in Bogota, Colombia; Matera, Italy; Quito, Ecuador; Ontario, Canada; and Denver, CO USA). Clemson researchers also submitted research-based information now hosted on the cleanwater3.org informational website that has over 11,000 users (50%international). Clemson researchers also provided content for an online four-week training course in English and Spanish that had 60 industry participants in its first year and 70% completion rate; and 70 emailed newsletter of research outputs with an average of 850 active readers. Industry participants in the outreach program reported increased knowledge, over 95% intend to use the outreach information in their operations, including the adoption of water conservation and treatment technologies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Goal #1 Water and nutrient management during greenhouse propagation and production is key to growing saleable plants. Resource use efficiency is critical for sustainable production. Clemson researchers focused on three areas: (1) Water management in propagation. Growers can now use mist requirement models to determine how much water to apply, saving water and nutrients during propagation. (2) Nutrient delivery during production and post-harvest plant performance. Reduced fertilization rates are good for the environment, but consumers may notice reduced plant performance. An allied partner developed a new fertilizer product to improve consumer plant performance. Fertilizer pulsing helps growers minimize fertilizer applications during production while supplying adequate nutrients for improved consumer performance. (3) Use of non-chemical methods for disease management. Disease management in humid greenhouse environments continually provides management challenges for commercial growers. Botrytis or gray mold is a particularly difficult pathogen for flowering crops since the flowers are susceptible to infection. Calcium spray applications are more effective than traditional fungicide treatments. Calcium applications are now the industry standard practice for Botrytis management in US greenhouses. Colombian cut flower rose growers now treat flowers with calcium to improve post-harvest performance on shipments sent to the US. The newly emerging industrial hemp industry also uses calcium-based sprays to manage diseases. Goal #2 On-farm water management is a recurring issue for agricultural producers. Researchers at Clemson evaluated tools and technologies to clean water and help mitigate both pathogen and agrichemical contaminants. Clemson researchers, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Florida, Oregon State University, and the University of California, developed a suite of decision support tools helping growers make decisions related to both disease risk management and water management. Growers can use these decision support tools to make informed choices about management practices that save them money while (1) mitigating the risk of diseases on-farm, (2) sizing irrigation reservoirs to capture stormwater for irrigation purposes, (3) removing disease propagules from irrigation water, and (4) reducing environmental impacts by removing contaminants from irrigation return flow before it leaves their property. Point and nonpoint source pollution have been a concern to watershed health for many years. Best management practices (BMPs) have been one method of addressing these nonpoint issues. Assessing the effectiveness of these BMPs relies on measuring water quality. Water quality is complex and challenging to describe as many factors combine to quantitatively "define" quality. This year, Clemson researchers investigated the establishment of vegetation on varying soil conditions and with the use of soil modifiers to evaluate nonpoint source pollution from generated runoff. Clemson Researchers conducted a two-year study at the Agricultural Sciences Erosion Testing Facility to address difficulties in establishing vegetation and its effects on water quality/quantity runoff. The study tested two different soil amendments, topsoil, and an organically modified amendment, coupled with supplemental irrigation on re-establishing vegetation (Kentucky #31 fescue and common bermudagrass). The plantings occurred during the spring and summers of 2019 and 2020. The associated runoff was collected and analyzed for turbidity and total suspended solids to determine how percent vegetative coverage affects runoff water quality. Supplemental technical specification were revised for porous baffles. A technical specification and qualified product policy (QPP) were developed for polymer coagulants/ flocculants to control sediment. These two specifications and new QPP will allow for improved performance of sediment BMPs. The cost and capacity of floating wetlands to remove nutrients from irrigation return flow and stormwater wet detention basins are not well documented. Intensive container-plant production generates irrigation return flow that contains nutrients above ecosystem-safe levels, as does stormwater that enters stormwater detention basins. Since 2015, researchers at Clemson University have tracked and assessed the growth and nutrient removal potential of over ten species of plants in floating wetlands under variable nutrient levels, exposure times, and pH and alkalinity levels representative of the industry and stormwater with the assistance of twelve undergraduate student workers. Floating wetlands remove up to 70% of nutrients from irrigation return flow when installed in an irrigation reservoir and serve as viable options for non-traditional plant production areas. For stormwater mitigation, a threshold of 33% floating wetland coverage of a mesocosm is sufficient to remove N and P and reduce algal growth. In comparison, 66% cover is nearly equally if not slightly more effective. With this opportunity, growers can remove nutrients from irrigation return flow while producing a saleable product, generating a return on investment in less than three years. Effective, reliable, and low-cost water treatment methods are needed to remove plant disease inocula (zoospores) from irrigation return flow at nurseries and greenhouses. Floating wetlands and bioreactors remove other contaminants, but their capacity to filter plant disease inocula from water remains poorly understood. Researchers at Clemson University tested lab-scale bioreactors containing fir or pine bark and model-scale floating wetlands containing pickerelweed or redtop bentgrass to determine if floating wetlands reduced the flow-through of active zoospores. Lab-scale fir bark (74% reduction in zoospore activity) and pine bark (41% reduction in zoospore activity) bioreactors and floating wetlands planted with pickerelweed (at controlled model-scale) at a 4-hour flow rate reduced the flow-through of active zoospores by 50% as measured by the capacity of zoospores to infect leaf baits. Floating wetlands and bioreactors show potential for remediation of plant diseases from irrigation runoff. Researchers from Clemson University analyzed and published results from experiments with floating wetlands to determine their potential to remediate nutrients and plant pathogen contaminants from nursery irrigation return water. Floating wetlands established with pickerelweed removed nutrients from irrigation return water and filtered Phytophthora inocula from water, diminishing potential for infestation of recycled water. Regarding outreach to change behavior and implement best management practices.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Garcia Chance, LM, JP Albano, CM Lee, SM Wolfe, SA White. 2019. Runoff pH influences nutrient removal efficacy of floating treatment wetland systems. HortTechnology. 13pp. doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04299-19
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Huang, P, AJ Lamm, LA Warner, SA White, P Fisher. 2019. Exploring nursery growers relationships with water to inform water conservation education. Journal of Human Science and Extension. 7(3):186-205.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: White, SA. 2019. Clean WateR3: Reduce Remediate Recycle  Using transdisciplinary science to help specialty crop producers conserve water and resources. HortTechnology. doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04295-19
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lamm, AJ, LA Warner, P Beattie, A Tidwell, PR Fisher, SA White. 2019. Identifying opportunities to promote water treatment practices among nursery and greenhouse growers. HortTechnology. doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04245-18
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Under Review Year Published: 2021 Citation: Lamm, AJ, LA Warner, ASD Tidwell, KW Lamm, SA White. 2020. (In Review) Treating water for reuse: testing an adoption decision-making model with nursery and greenhouse growers. Acta Horticulturae. Proceedings of the IX International Symposium on Irrigation of Horticultural Crops.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2021 Citation: Garcia Chance, LM, JP Albano, CM Lee, AM Rovder, SA White. Alkalinity of Irrigation Return Water Influences Nutrient Removal Efficacy of Floating Treatment Wetland Systems. Journal of Environmental Horticulture. Awaiting Publication
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Garcia Chance, LM, JC Majsztrik, WC Bridges, SA Willis, JP Albano, SA White. 2020. Comparative nutrient remediation by monoculture and mixed species plantings within floating treatment wetlands. Environmental Science & Technology. 54(14): 8710-8718. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c00198.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Warner, LA, AJ Lamm, SA White, PR Fisher, PN Beattie. 2020. A new perspective on adoption: Delivering water conservation extension programming to nursery and greenhouse growers. Journal of Agricultural Education. 60(1):172189. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2020.01172
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: White, SA, JC Majsztrik, WHJ Strosnider, LM Garcia Chance, NL Bell, DR Hitchcock. 2020. From Pot to Reservoir: Tracking Nitrogen Movement at a SC Nursery. Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Louisville, KY (Jan-Feb). HortScience. 55(9):S396-7.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: White, SA. 2020. Clean WateR3  Helping growers reduce, remediate, & Recycle irrigation water. South Carolina chapter, Soil and Water Conservation Society, Charleston, SC (February).
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: White, SA, JC Majsztrik, BJL Pitton, CL Swett, JL Parke. 2020.Dialing Down Diseases Nursery Management, April, 36(4):6pp. http://magazine.nurserymag.com/article/april-2020/features-irrigation-dialing-down-irrigation-diseases.aspx (Subscribers:15,117 per month)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: White, SA, JC Majsztrik, BJL Pitton, LR Oki. 2020. Clean It Up Nursery Management. March, 36(3):7pp. http://magazine.nurserymag.com/article/march-2020/feature-irrigation-clean-it-up.aspx (Subscribers:15,117 per month)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Majsztrik, JC, BJL Pitton, LR Oki, SA White. 2020. Irrigation System Checkup Nursery Management. February, 36(2): 9pp. (Subscribers:15,117 per month) http://magazine.nurserymag.com/article/february-2020/irrigation-system-checkup-online-conservation-tools-resources.aspx
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Majsztrik, JC, BJL Pitton, LR Oki, SA White. 2020. How long will it last? Nursery Management. January, 36(1): 6pp. http://magazine.nurserymag.com/article/january-2020/irrigation-tools-how-long-will-it-last.aspx (Subscribers:15,117 per month)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Owen, JS and SA White. 2019. Tools for Clean WateR3 at your Nursery and Greenhouse. VNLA News. The Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association Magazine. Winter. pp 12-15. https://issuu.com/leadingedgepubs/docs/vnla-news-2019-winter/12 (Subscribers: 3,200 readers)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: White, SA. 2019. Helping Specialty Crop Growers Reduce, Remediate and Recycle Water. VSC News (Vegetable and Specialty Crop News Magazine, readership 6,200). November 27, 2019. http://vscnews.com/helping-specialty-crop-growers-reduce-remediate-and-recycle-water/ (Subscribers: 6,200)
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Faust, J.E. 2020. Advances in protected cultivation of ornamentals. In: Achieving sustainable cultivation of ornamental plants. M. Reid, ed. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Mu�oz, M.E., J. Faust., W. Bridges, and G. Schnabel 2020. Relationship of pink pigmentation in rose petals and Botrytis cinerea. Plant Health Progress doi.org/10.1094/PHP-12-19-0100-RS
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Samarakoon, U.C. and J.E. Faust. 2019. Quantifying the effects of chelated calcium and salicylic acid on the postharvest quality of poinsettia cuttings. HortTechnology 29:30-34
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2021 Citation: White, SA, WHJ Strosnider, Chase, MEM, MA Schlautman. Removal and reuse of phosphorus from plant nursery irrigation return water with reclaimed iron oxides. Ecological Engineering. Revised & Resubmitted. 2021
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: White SA, Park D, Barrett A, Jones J. How the 2020 definition of WOTUS affects agricultural and specialty crop producers. 2020. Land-Grant Press by Clemson Extension. LGP 1075. http://lgpress.clemson.edu/publication/how-the-2020-definition-of-wotus-affects-agricultural-and-specialty-crop-producers.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Park, DM, SA White, DR Hitchcock, G Younts. Collecting Samples for Agricultural Irrigation Water Quality Testing. 2020. Land-Grant Press by Clemson Extension. LGP 1084. http://lgpress.clemson.edu/publication/collecting-samples-for-agricultural-irrigation-water-quality-testing .
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Warner, LAS, AJ Lamm, SA White, PR Fisher, PN Beattie. 2019. Meeting US Nursery and Greenhouse Growers Needs with Water Conservation Extension Programs. University of Florida IFAS Extension. AEC664.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: White, SA, NL Bell, JC Majsztrik, SN Jeffers DR. Hitchcock. 2019. Remediation of phytopathogen contaminants from irrigation runoff using floating treatment wetlands. International Society of Horticultural Science. IX International Symposium on Irrigation of Horticultural Crops. Matera, Italy (June)
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2021 Citation: Park, Jiwoo and James E. Faust. 2020. Fertilization Strategy Affects Petunia Production and Post-production Consumer Performance. HortTechnology
  • Type: Books Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2021 Citation: Faust, J.E. and J.M. Dole (eds.) Cut Flowers and Foliages. CABI Publishing Horticultural Series.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Mu�oz, M. E., Faust, J., and Schnabel, G. 2019. Characterization of Botrytis cinerea from commercial cut flower roses. Plant Dis. 103:1577-83.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bennett, Katherine, Jared Jent, Uttara C. Samarakoon, Guido Schnabel, and James E. Faust. 2019. Reduction of Botrytis cinerea infection on petunia flowers following calcium spray applications. Hortscience 55:188-191
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Bennett, Katherine, Mary Vargo, Guido Schnabel, and James E. Faust. 2020. Calcium Application Method Impacts Botrytis Blight Severity on Petunia Flowers. HortScience 55:192-195
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Mu�oz, M., Faust, J. and Schnabel, G. 2020. The use of calcium sprays and dips to improve Botrytis management. AFE Thrips and Botrytis Newsletter #1, Feb.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Faust, J.E. 2019 Water use efficiency of drought-resistant SunPatiens; Sakata North America
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Mu�oz, M., P. Millar and J.E. Faust. 2019. Calcium and silicon applications in gerbera daisies and their effect against Botrytis cinerea infection. Floriculture Research Alliance Annual Research Meeting
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Purcell, Andrew, Puskar Khanal, David Willis and Thomas Straka. "Valuing Ecosystem Services on Coastal Wetlands and Marshes". Clemson Land-Grant Press Clemson Extension, Clemson Extension. LGP 1032. January 2020.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Willis, David B., Ken Rainwater, Rachna Tewari, Jeff Stovall, Kathryn Hayhoe, Steve Mauget, Gary Leiker, and Jeff Johnson. Projecting the Economic and Groundwater use Impacts of Alternative Climate Change Forecasts Using a Coupled Economic and Hydrologic Model in the Texas High Plains. In review Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Koparan, C., A. B. Koc, C. Sawyer and C. Privette. 2020. Temperature profiling of waterbodies with a UAV-Integrated sensor subsystem. Drones2020, 4(3), 35.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Koparan, C., A. B. Koc, C. V. Privette, C. B. Sawyer. 2020. Adaptive water sampling device for aerial robots. Drones 4, 5.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Barnette, E. (MS) Analysis of soil amendments and supplemental watering in re-establishing bermudagrass and fescue on poor soils in the piedmont region of South Carolina. Clemson University.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2021 Citation: Bell, N.L., S.N. Jeffers, D.R. Hitchcock, and S.A. White. Potential susceptibility of six aquatic plant species to infection by five species of Phytophora. Plant Disease, in review.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: White, SA, JC Majsztrik, WHJ Strosnider, LM Garcia Chance, NL Bell, DR Hitchcock. 2020. Tracking Nitrogen from Pot to Reservoir: A SC Nursery Case Study. SNA Research Conference Proceedings, 64, 123-128.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bell, N.L., D.R. Hitchcock, S.N. Jeffers and S.A., White. Potential of Denitrifying Bioreactors to Manage Phytophthora Species in Agricultural Runoff and Drainage. Oral Presentation; Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers; Boston, MA (2019).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2021 Citation: Hitchcock, D.R., N.L. Bell, W.H.J. Strosnider, and M.C. Smith. Spatiotemporal variation in water quality in a surface flow wastewater treatment wetland. Journal of Environmental Quality, in review.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bell, N.L., D.R. Hitchcock, S.N. Jeffers, J.C. Majsztrik, and S.A. White. Potential of floating treatment wetlands to manage Phytophthora species in agricultural runoff and drainage. Oral Presentation; Annual Meeting of the American Ecological Engineering Society; Asheville, NC (2019).
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ridge, G.A., Bell, N.L., Gitto, A.J., Jeffers, S.N, White, S.A. 2019. Workshop: Phytophthora species associated with plants in constructed wetlands and vegetated channels at a commercial ornamental plant nursery over time. HortTechnology, 29, 736-744.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Garcia Chance, L.M., Bell, N.L., Chase, M.E., Spivey, W.W., White, S.A. 2019. South Carolina Irrigation Water Source Methods for the Specialty Crops Production Industry. Southern Nursery Association Proceedings of Research Conference. 63, 155-161.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: White, S.A., Garcia Chance, L.M., Bell, N.L., Chase, M.E. 2019. Potential and Problems of Floating Treatment Wetlands for Mitigating Agricultural Contaminants. Wetland Science & Practice. 36(2), 119-124.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Majsztrik, JC, B Behe, CR Hall, DL Ingram, AJ Lamm, LA Warner, SA White. 2019. Social and Economic Aspects ofWater Use in Specialty Crop Production in the USA: A Review. Water. 11: 2337. doi:10.3390/w11112337.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: White, SA, JS Owen, Jr., JC Majsztrik. LR Oki, PR Fisher, CR Hall, JD Lea-Cox, RT Fernandez. 2019. Greenhouse and Nursery Water Management Characterization and Research Priorities in the USA. Water. 11, 2338. doili:10.3390/w11112338.


Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Growers of containerized floriculture and nursery crops, stormwater managers and research and extension professionals. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Clemson researchers associated trained 2 female PhD students, 2 female and 3 male MS students, and 8 undergraduate students. With regard to professional development, postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate students have had the opportunity to submit manuscripts, author outreach articles, develop outreach videos, author abstracts and present their work at regional, national and international professional conferences, and present their work at grower meetings (Cultivate, Southern Nursery Association, & Floriculture Research Alliance). They also directed a hands-on water filtration demonstration with female middle school students at the Bring Your Daughter to Clemson event. Graduate students trained on the project wrote and received funding for multiple grants including a USDA NIFA PreDoctoral Fellowship (Award # 2018-67011-28074. $89,083), one Center for Applied Nursery Research Grants, one USGS grants ($84,777), and two HRI grants ($28,200). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Lack of technical and unbiased information has been a limiting factor for adoption of water recycling and conservation technologies by greenhouse and nursery growers. A comprehensive outreach program was developed and delivered via collaboration of Clemson researchers with CleanWateR3 national research team. This year Clemson researchers authored 6 trade articles (Two series: (1) calcium research and (2) water treatment tools), 2 extension factsheets, and 1 book chapter, gave presentations in five, day-long workshops to growers and stormwater managers, gave interviews to magazine writers so they could write pieces for their industry audiences, and gave multiple presentations at regional, national, and international conferences. Invited presentations were given in Bogota, Colombia; Matera, Italy; Quito, Ecuador; Ontario, Canada; and Denver, CO USA). Results of this research have provided better understanding of turbidity and TSS effluent levels being discharged from various linear BMPs. Findings have also led to a revised supplemental technical specification for porous baffles and development of a new supplemental technical specification for polymer coagulants/flocculants for sediment control. To accompany the new polymer coagulant/flocculants specification, a qualified products policy (QPP) for polymer use has also been established. These two specifications and new QPP will allow for improved performance of sediment BMPs. Two research final reports have also been distributed to both the South Carolina Department of Transportation and the South Carolina Natural Resource Conservation Service. Clemson researchers also submitted research-based information now hosted on the cleanwater3.org informational website that has over 11,000 users (50%international). Clemson researchers also provided content for an online four-week training course in English and Spanish that had 60 industry participants in its first year and 70% completion rate; and 70 emailed newsletter of research outputs with an average of 850 active readers. Industry participants in the outreach program reported increased knowledge, over 95% intend to use the outreach information in their operations, including the adoption of water conservation and treatment technologies. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Clemson Researchers plan to analyze data, develop and publish four to multiple (10+) journal articles next year based on the work detailed herein. Results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals, on the Clean WateR3 website, Clemson Extension website, and via presentations at professional and grower meetings.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Disease management in humid greenhouse environments continually provides management challenges for commercial growers. Botrytis or gray mold is a particularly difficult pathogen for flowering crops since the flowers are highly sensitive to infection. Starting in 2015, Clemson researchers screened various products for their potential to control botrytis infection on petunia flowers. Calcium spray applications are an effective treatment, even more so than fungicide treatments due to the high rate of fungicide resistance present in the commercial industry. We have developed more specific recommendations for best management practices to maximize the efficacy of calcium applications. Calcium applications are now considered to be an industry standard practice for Botrytis management in US greenhouses. Colombian cut flower rose growers are now also treating flowers with calcium to improve post-harvest performance on shipments sent to the US. Other crop industries, such as industrial hemp, have also begun to use this practice. Fertilization rates applied by commercial growers have gradually declined over the past decade. Reduced fertilization rates are good for the environment, but plant performance at the consumer level may be reduced. Clemson researchers recently completed a project to help growers balance low environmental impact practices with high performing plants for consumers. As a result of this project, an allied partner developed a new fertilizer product to improve consumer plant performance. Fertilizer pulsing, a new practice, has been refined so that growers can minimize fertilizer applications during production while supplying adequate levels of nutrients for improved consumer performance. Point and nonpoint source pollution have been a concern to watershed health for many years. Agricultural best management practices (BMPs) have been one method on addressing these nonpoint issues. Assessing the effectiveness of these BMPs relies on measuring water quality. Water quality is complex and difficult to describe. This is largely due to many factors that influence and the many parameters that are collected to portray it quantitatively. One such technique is edge-of-field monitoring (EOFM). EOFM provides the necessary resolution to spatially target, design, and evaluate in-field conservation practices for reducing nonpoint source pollution from agricultural runoff. Floating wetlands are a young technology used to clean nutrients from water. The efficiency and cost/benefits of using floating wetlands to remove nutrients from stormwater wet detention basins (ponds) remains in question. To resolve this lack of understanding of treatment efficacy and cost, Clemson undergraduate students have conducted aquatic mesocosm studies to assess floating wetland water surface area coverage vs. the removal of nutrients [nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) compounds] and algal productivity/growth. We determined a threshold of 33% floating wetland coverage of a mesocosm is sufficient to remove N and P and reduce algal growth in water, while 66% cover is nearly equally if not slightly more effective. Future work will focus on whether these responses are due to sunlight shading of surface waters or actual plant nutrient uptake. The capacity of floating wetlands to remove nutrients from irrigation return flow is not well documented. Intensive container-plant production generates irrigation return flow that contains nutrients above ecosystem-safe levels. Since 2015, researchers at Clemson University have tracked and assessed the growth and nutrient removal potential of over 10 species of plants in floating wetlands under variable nutrient levels, exposure times, and pH and alkalinity levels representative of the industry with the assistance of nine undergraduate student workers. Floating wetlands not only remove up to 70% of nutrient from irrigation return flow when installed in a tailwater recover pond, but also serve as viable options for non-traditional plant production areas. With this opportunity, growers can remove nutrients from irrigation return flow while producing a saleable product, generating a return on investment in less than 3 years. Effective, reliable, and low-cost water treatment method are needed to remove plant disease inocula (zoospores) from irrigation return flow at nurseries and greenhouses. Floating wetlands and bioreactors remove other contaminants, but little is known about their capacity filter plant disease inocula from water. Researchers at Clemson University tested lab-scale bioreactors containing fir or pine bark and model-scale floating wetlands containing pickerelweed or redtop bentgrass to determine if floating wetlands reduced the flow through of active zoospores. Lab-scale fir (74% reduction in zoospore activity) and pine bark (41% reduction in zoospore activity) bioreactors and floating wetlands planted with pickerelweed (at controlled model-scale) at a 4-hour flow rate reduced the flow through of active zoospores by 50% as measured by the capacity of zoospores to infect leaf baits. Floating wetlands and bioreactors show potential for remediation of plant diseases from irrigation runoff. Researchers from Clemson University analyzed and published results from experiments with floating treatment wetlands to determine their potential for remediation of nutrients and plant pathogen contaminants from nursery production runoff. Floating treatment wetlands established with Pontederia cordata have the potential to both remove nutrients from runoff and to filter Phytophthora inocula from water, diminishing infections potential in recycled water. Regarding outreach to change behavior and implement best management practices. Results were presented at a well-attended (50+) grower meeting in Connecticut, at a Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association Webinar (39 attendees), and at a 2-day workshop organized by Bailey Nurseries, Inc. (25 attendees). The Clemson researchers in collaboration with the Clean WateR3 team (a national group of water researchers) continue to collaborate to develop an integrated outreach website that provides growers a single website that consolidates answers related to water quantity, quality, and management questions.

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Submitted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Privette, III, C.V. and C. Sawyer, D. Garcia. 2019. Edge-of-Field Monitoring in the Piedmont and Lower Coastal Region of South Carolina. USDA NRCS. September.
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Privette, III, C.V. and C. Sawyer. 2019. Compliance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency Effluent Limitation Guidelines Turbidity Control and Surface Outlets. SCDOT. FHWA-SC-19-01.
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Privette, C.V., C. Sawyer. 2019. Supplemental Technical Specification for Porous Baffles SCDOT Designation: SC-M-815-16. South Carolina Department of Transportation. Columbia, SC. January 2019.
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Privette, C.V., C. Sawyer. 2019. Supplemental Technical Specification for Polymer Coagulants/Flocculants for Sediment Control SCDOT Designation: SC-M-815-XX. South Carolina Department of Transportation. Columbia, SC. January 2019.
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Privette, C.V., C. Sawyer. 2019. Qualified Products Policy for Polymer Coagulant/Flocculant Used For Sediment Control Qualified Products List. South Carolina Department of Transportation. Columbia, SC. January 2019.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Garcia, D. (MS) Assessment of the water quality index model for agricultural runoff (WQIag) and comparison to edge of field data from pastures and row crops in South Carolina. Clemson University.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Dixon, D. (MS) Linear sediment control best management practice assessment across three distinct eco-regions of South Carolina . Clemson University.
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2020 Citation: Faust, J.E. 2020. Advances in protected cultivation of ornamentals. In: Achieving sustainable cultivation of ornamental plants. M. Reid, ed. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing. In press.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Mu�oz, M. E., Faust, J., and Schnabel, G. 2019. Characterization of Botrytis cinerea from commercial cut flower roses. Plant Dis. 103:1577-83.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bennett, Katherine, Jared Jent, Uttara C. Samarakoon, Guido Schnabel, and James E. Faust. 2019. Reduction of Botrytis cinerea infection on petunia flowers following calcium spray applications. Hortscience In press.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2020 Citation: Bennett, Katherine, Mary Vargo, Guido Schnabel, and James E. Faust. 2020. Calcium Application Method Impacts Botrytis Blight Severity on Petunia Flowers. HortScience In Press
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Bennett, Katherine, Guido Schnabel, and James E. Faust. 2020. Evaluation of calcium sources for spray damage and botrytis blight efficacy on petunia flowers. HortTechnology. In Review.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Park, Jiwoo and James E. Faust. 2020. Fertilization Strategy Affects Petunia Production and Post-production Consumer Performance. HortTechnology In Review.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Under Review Year Published: 2020 Citation: Park, Jiwoo and James E. Faust. 2020. Fertilization and Paclobutrazol Application during Greenhouse Production affects Petunia Growth and Flowering in the Greenhouse as well as in the Post-production Environment. HortTechnology In Review.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bennett, Katherine and James E. Faust. 2019. Improving Plant Performance with Calcium. GrowerTalks September issue. Part 1 of 3 part series
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bennett, Katherine and James E. Faust. 2019. Calcium Improves Leaf Strength and Resistance to Botrytis Infection. GrowerTalks October issue. Part 2 of 3 part series
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Bennett, Katherine and James E. Faust. 2019. Making Calcium Work For You. GrowerTalks December issue. Part 3 of 3 part series
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Willis, David, Ken Rainwater, Tewari Rachna, Katherine Hayhoe, Jeff Stovall, and Jeff Johnson. The Economic Impact of Alternative Climate Change Scenarios on Groundwater Use and Agricultural Profitability in the Texas High Plains. Selected Paper presented at the Annual Meetings of the Western Agricultural Economics Association, Coeur dAlene, Idaho: June 30- July 2, 2019.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Willis, David B. Economic Benefits of implementing a Tradeable Permit System in a Rapidly Growing Urban Watershed to Achieve Regional Water Quality Standards Selected paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southern Association of Agricultural and Applied Economists, Birmingham, Alabama: February 3-5, 2019
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Purcell, Andrew, Puskar Khanal, Thomas Straka, and David Willis. "Valuing Ecosystem Services on Coastal Wetlands and Marshes". Clemson Land Grant Press, 2019
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Shreckhise, JH, JS Owen Jr, MJ Eick, AX Niemiera, JE Altland, SA White. 2019. Dolomite and micronutrient fertilizer effect on phosphorus fate in pine bark II: Fallow column study. Soil Science Society of America Journal (1.997, 38% acceptance rate, doi:10.2136/sssaj2018.12.0493)
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Majsztrik, JC, B Behe, CR Hall, DL Ingram, AJ Lamm, LA Warner, SA White. 2019. Social and Economic Aspects ofWater Use in Specialty Crop Production in the USA: A Review. Water. 11: 2337. doi:10.3390/w11112337.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: White, SA, JS Owen, Jr., JC Majsztrik. LR Oki, PR Fisher, CR Hall, JD Lea-Cox, RT Fernandez. 2019. Greenhouse and Nursery Water Management Characterization and Research Priorities in the USA. Water. 11, 2338. doili:10.3390/w11112338.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Garcia Chance, LM, JP Albano, CM Lee, SM Wolfe, SA White. 2019. Runoff pH influences nutrient removal efficacy of floating treatment wetland systems. HortTechnology. 13pp. doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04299-19
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Huang, P, AJ Lamm, LA Warner, SA White, P Fisher. 2019. Exploring nursery growers relationships with water to inform water conservation education. Journal of Human Science and Extension. 7(3):186-205.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: White, SA. 2019. Clean WateR3: Reduce Remediate Recycle  Using transdisciplinary science to help specialty crop producers conserve water and resources. HortTechnology. doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04295-19
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lamm, AJ, LA Warner, P Beattie, A Tidwell, PR Fisher, SA White. 2019. Identifying opportunities to promote water treatment practices among nursery and greenhouse growers. HortTechnology. doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04245-18
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2019 Citation: Ridge, GR, NL Bell, AJ Gitto, SN Jeffers, SA White. 2019. Phytophthora species associated with plants in constructed wetlands and vegetated channels at a commercial plant nursery. HortTechnology. doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH04300-19
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Garcia Chance, LM, SC Van Brundt, JC Majsztrik, SA White. 2019. Short- and long-term dynamics of nutrient removal in floating treatment wetlands. Water Research. 159(1):153-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2019.05.012 (7.051)
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Spangler, JT, DJ Sample, LJ Fox, JS Owen, Jr., SA White. 2019. Floating treatment wetland aided nutrient removal from agricultural runoff using two wetland species. Ecological Engineering. 127:468-479.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Spangler, JT, DJ Sample, LJ Fox, JS Owen, Jr., SA White. 2019. Data on floating treatment wetland aided nutrient removal from agricultural runoff using two wetland species. Data in Brief. 22:756-761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2018.12.037 (0.287)
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Spangler, JT, DJ Sample, LJ Fox, JP Albano, SA White. 2019. Assessing nitrogen and phosphorus removal potential of five plant species in floating treatment wetlands receiving simulated nursery runoff. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 18pp. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3964-0 (2.80)
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Warner, LA, AJ Lamm, P Beattie, SA White, P Fisher. 2018. Identifying opportunities to promote water conservation practices among nursery and greenhouse growers. HortScience. 53(7):958-962. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI12906-18 (0.83)
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Lauren M. Garcia Chance, Remediation of Nursery and Greenhouse Runoff Using Floating Treatment Wetlands. May 2019.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Natasha L. Bell, Evaluation of the potential for ecological treatment technologies to remediate species of phytophthora from irrigation runoff. August 2019 (PhD)
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: K. Bednarick, S. Byrd, M. Davis, E. Gottberg, M. Finlayson, C. Moriarty, B. Parazczuk, N. Pignone, J. Short, W. H. J. Strosnider, S. A. White, D. Hitchcock. 2018. Floating treatment wetlands: effects of varying coverage on eutrophic pond mesocosms. (poster). Behind the Gate Student Research Symposium, Clemson  Baruch Institute, Georgetown, SC.
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: C. Coskrey, W. Spivey, W. H. J. Strosnider, S. A. White, D. Hitchcock. 2019. Floating treatment wetlands: effects of varying coverage on eutrophic pond mesocosms. (poster). Behind the Gate Student Research Symposium, Clemson  Baruch Institute, Georgetown, SC.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Other Year Published: 2020 Citation: D. R. Hitchcock, K. Bednarick, C. Coskrey, M. Finlayson, W. H. J. Strosnider, S. A. White. Floating treatment wetlands: effects of varying coverage on eutrophic pond mesocosms. Manuscript in preparation. To be submitted to Ecological Engineering.


Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Growers of containerized floriculture and nursery crops, stormwater managers and research and extension professionals. Changes/Problems:Once the leaching quantification project is completed, Dr. Faust will terminate work on goal 1 and will write a new Hatch project focusing on flowering (heat stress, temperature x photoperiod interactions). At this time, the goals of this hatch project will be revised to accurately reflect this change in focus. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Post-construction Best Management Practices (BMP)Inspector certification course (two per year) Training of undergraduate and graduate students. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Goal 1: The mist project results will be published in an industry trade journal article in 2019. This will also provide an opportunity for an undergraduate student to take the lead on writing an applied summary of the research results. Goal 2: Results were presented at a well-attended (100+) grower meeting in California, at 5 workshops at the Industry's Premier Event - Cultivate'18 meeting in Columbus OH (100+ growers), and (40+) grower workshop in Maryland. We also hosted 3 special sessions at the American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting in Washington DC and gave invited presentations regarding the floating treatment wetland work at the Society of Wetland Scientists. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Statistically analyze data and quantify relationships between water quality parameters and efficacy of lab-scale subsurface bioreactors and pilot-scale floating treatment wetlands to remediate Phytophthora nicotianae. These results will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals, on the Clean WateR3 website, and via presentations at professional meetings. We will also publish water quality monitoring work completed at SC grower operations. Analyze and publish data associated with Bioreactors, Iron oxide filters, Floating Treatment Wetlands related to nutrient and plant pathogen mitigation. Publish initial lab-to-pilot scale transitional data quantifying plant susceptibility to Phytophthora infection. Finalize leaching, pond volume calculator, and plant disease risk assessment models.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Nutrient resource use efficiency in mist propagation systems is highly variable. Oft-times water is applied most heavily for the first 3 days after transplant, when plants are most susceptible to wilt, this constant saturation results in near continuous leaching of water - and nutrients. If growers refrain from applying nutrients until four days after transplant, they can maintain plants without wilting and minimize the loss of nutrients to leaching. Greenhouse and nursery growers need reliable sources of water to ensure future water security. Competition for potable water sources is increasing. Helping growers to recycle water is critical, yet diseases and salt presence in recycled water limits a grower willingness to use. We successfully removed plant diseases and nutrients from recycled water using floating treatment wetlands and wood-chip bioreactors. Growers have treatment options to effectively remove plant diseases and salts, enhancing the feasibility of water recycling while limiting contaminant release into surface waters. Goal 1: Objective 1. Faust has worked with an undergraduate (Ryan Murphy) student on a Creative Inquiry project to measure nutrient leaching in mist propagation systems for flowering annuals. Understanding hownutrients move through substrate in mist propagation systems is critical in order to improve nutrient and water use. We are developing a mass balance of nutrients within mist propagation systems to ensure we know nutrient fate. We are measuring the mass of nutrients applied and comparing that value to nutrients either leached from the substrate, remaining in the substrate, or incorporated within plant biomass. The amount of variability in the water delivery system and the limited accuracy in our instrumentation system has made this project more challenging than anticipated, but we still have practical results that provide guidance in terms of best management practices for water and nutrient use in propagation systems. For example, the vast majority of nutrient leaching occurs during the first 1-3 days in propagation because the cutting water use efficiency is quite poor at this time (documented in the Alem papers noted above). Cutting water use efficiency is much higher from day 4 through 10. In other words, cuttings wilt more aggressively during the initial days in propagation, thus mist is applied frequently to the foliage while the propagation media is at or near saturation. The result is considerable leaching which is difficult to prevent even with excellent mist management. By day 4, the cuttings no longer require frequent misting to prevent wilting, so leaching can be minimized. Thus, we recommend that nutrients not be placed in the mist during the first 3 days. Starting day 4, nutrients can be added to the mist to help prevent nutrient deficiencies, and the associated reduction in growth, without the threat of wasting those nutrients via leaching. Goal 2 - Objective 2. Three years of greenhouse susceptibility trials of 7 aquatic plant species with 5 species of Phytophthora were completed and results informed selection of plant species for use in pilot-scale vegetated channel experiments. Root samples from Agrostis alba, Iris ensata, Pontederia cordata, and Sagittaria latifolia were never infested or infected by zoospores from the five species of Phytophthora screened (P. cinnamomi, P. citrophthora, P. cryptogea, P. nicotianae, and P. palmivora) that were selected because they are commonly found in nursery production operations in the southeastern US. The capacity of pilot scale vegetated channels to mitigate Phytophthora nicotianae propagules present in recycled water was also evaluated using 2 hydraulic retention times (1-hour and 4-hour), and the presence / absence of a floating scaffold, presence or absence of plants within the floating scaffold, and the influence of 2 plant species (Agrostis alba and Pontederia cordata). Mitigation capacity was quantified by collecting water samples from the effluent end of each channel and quantifying the capacity of infectious propagules to infest leaf baits as a proxy for the presence of propagules remaining in the treated water. Planting floating wetlands in the vegetated channels reduced the incidence of bait infection and also delayed breakthrough of inoculum, which is pertinent because the longer water takes to flow through conveyance systems, the greater the decrease in propagule viability (slower water flow rates result in decreased viability of plant disease propagules to infect new plants). Goal 2 - Objective 3. A summer undergraduate intern performed two trials of nutrient reduction in floating treatment wetland aquatic mesocosms, using varying raft size proportions and simulating pond water treatment to reduce algal growth. White, Majsztrik, Chase, and Strosnider conducted experiments to determine if iron-oxide residuals from mine drainage can be used in filters to remove phosphorus from irrigation runoff. Laboratory and pilot-scale experiments were conducted. Iron oxide mixed evenly with sand can quickly bind 11.5 mg of phosphorus per g of substrate, which is relatively high for phosphorus binding. Iron-oxide:sand filters show promise for removal of phosphorus from irrigation runoff, since they are inexpensive, widely available, and can reuse a waste product from mine drainage reclamation. Graduate and undergraduate students working with White and Hitchcock completed lab-scale work determining the efficacy of bark-substrate based bioreactors to remediate Phytophthora nicotianae. Results suggest that bark-based bioreactors may reduce flow-through of zoospores of P. nicotianae. Goal 2 - Objective 4. Hitchcock, White, Majsztrik, Garcia Chance, Bell, Chance and multiple undergraduate students sampled and monitored pond and field runoff for both irrigation and storm-related events. We are characterizing runoff for water quantity (flows) and quality (sediment and nutrients) to be used in model calibration and validation for prediction using the EPA StormWater Management Model (SWMM). Majsztrik, White, Parke, and Swett have also completed the question and response matrix for online assessment of nursery disease risk. Grower feedback will be sought, and content revised after beta-testers provide comment. Several additional tools have been developed and are being optimized prior to going live on cleanwater3.org for grower use. These decision support tools include a pond refill calculator, irrigation volume tool, leaching fraction tool, coefficient of uniformity tool, and chlorination tool.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Garcia Chance, LM and SA White. 2018. Aeration and Plant Coverage Influence Floating Treatment Wetland Remediation Efficacy. Ecological Engineering. 122:62-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2018.07.011
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Pitton, BJL, CR Hall, DL Haver, SA White, LR Oki. 2018. A cost analysis of using recycled irrigation water in container nursery production: A Southern California nursery case study. Irrigation Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-018-0578-8
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: White, SA. 2018. Design and season influence nitrogen dynamics in two surface flow constructed wetlands treating nursery irrigation runoff. Water. 10(1) article #8, 16pp. DOI:10.3390/w10010008
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bednarick, K. and D. R. Hitchcock. 2018. Floating Treatment Wetlands. Clemson-Baruch Behind the Gate program. July 27, 2018, Georgetown, SC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: White, SA. 2018. Clean WateR3: Helping Growers Save Water and Money. SNA Research Conference Proceedings, 62, 99-101.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: White, SA. 2018. Clean WateR3: Integrating Research and Extension to Help Specialty Crop Growers Recycle Water. Acta Horticulturae. Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Woody Ornamentals of the Temperate Zone, Number 1191, 193-198
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bell, N.L., Garcia, L.M., White, S.A. 2018. Clean WateR3: Evaluation of three treatment technologies to remove contaminants from recycled production runoff. Acta Horticulturae. 1191, 199-206.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Majsztrik, JC, DR Hitchcock, S Kumar, D Sample, SA White. 2018. Clean WateR3: Developing Tools to Help Specialty Crop Growers Understand the Costs and Benefits of Recycling Water. Acta Horticulturae. Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Woody Ornamentals of the Temperate Zone, Number 1191, 187-192
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: White, SA and JC Majsztrik. 2018 Building Multi-state Research Collaborations. Clemson University, College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences Spring Seminar. (January)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: White, SA. 2018. Clean WateR3 for Specialty Crop Production: Past, Present, and Future. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Washington D.C. (July)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: White, SA, LM Garcia Chance. 2018. Potential & Problems of Floating Treatment Wetlands for Mitigating Agricultural Contaminants. Invited Symposia: Floating Wetlands: From Natural to Novel Ecologies. Society of Wetland Scientists, an International Organization. 2018 Annual Meeting. Denver, CO (June)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Pitton, B.J.L., C.R. Hall, D.L. Haver, SA White, LR. Oki. 2018. Comparing the Cost of High-Quality and Recycled Irrigation Runoff Water in Container Plant Production: A Southern California Nursery Case Study. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Washington D.C. (July)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bell, N.L., Hitchcock, D.R., Jeffers, S.N., White, S.A. 2018. Phytophthora species associated with plants in constructed wetlands and vegetated channels at a commercial ornamental plant nursery. Oral Presentation; Annual International Meeting of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers; Detroit, MI.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Garcia Chance, LM, NL Bell, SA White. 2018. Nutrient and Pathogen Remediation using Floating Treatment Wetlands. American Society for Horticultural Science Annual Conference, Washington D.C. (July)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Garcia Chance, LM, SA White. 2018. A Cost-Profit Analysis of Floating Treatment Wetlands as a Remediation Tool for Nursery and Greenhouse Effluent. Invited Symposia: Floating Wetlands: From Natural to Novel Ecologies. Society of Wetland Scientists, an International Organization. 2018 Annual Meeting. Denver, CO (June), Wetland science & practice. 35(3):S282 (abstr. presentation 1114)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bell, N.L., Hitchcock, D.R., Strosnider, W.H.J., White, S.A. 2018. Floating treatment wetland influences hydraulic performance of a pond receiving irrigation runoff. Oral Presentation (Invited Symposium Speaker); Annual Meeting of the Society of Wetland Scientists; Denver, CO.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Chase, M, LM Garcia Chance, NL Bell, SA White. 2018. Concurrent reduction in phosphorus and suspended sediment concentrations after installation of a floating treatment wetland. Invited Symposia: Floating Wetlands: From Natural to Novel Ecologies. Society of Wetland Scientists, an International Organization. 2018 Annual Meeting. Denver, CO (June). Wetland science & practice. 35(3):S231 (abstr. presentation 1341)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: White, SA. 2018. Nitrogen speciation in two constructed wetlands treating nursery irrigation runoff. Southern Region-American Society for Horticultural Science, Jacksonville, FL (February).
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: White, SA. 2018. Clean WateR3  Why clean water & recycling matters. 2018 SCRI-Water3 Conference  Recycling and Treatment of Agricultural Runoff Water. College Park, MD (August)
  • Type: Other Status: Accepted Year Published: 2018 Citation: Garcia Chance, LM, NL Bell, SA White. 2018. Floating Treatment Wetlands: Nutrient & Pathogen Remediation. 2018 SCRI-Water3 Conference  Recycling and Treatment of Agricultural Runoff Water. College Park, MD (August)
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bell, N.L., Majsztrik, J.C., White, S.A. 2018. Water Treatment Series - Part 5: Microbial Technology. Nursery Management magazine. January 2018 Issue: http://magazine.nurserymag.com/article/january-2018/microbial-technology.aspx.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Pitton, BJL, LR Oki, SA White. 2018. Slow Sand Filters. American Nurseryman. January:24-27.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Garcia Chance L, JC Majsztrik, SA White. 2017. Plants with Purpose. Nursery Management. December, 34(12): 14-18.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Majsztrik, J, SA White. 2017. Successful sanitation. Nursery Management. October, 34(10): 23-27.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: DeLaBarre Chase, Megan Elizabeth Mary. 2018. "Iron Hydroxide from Coal Mine Drainage to Remove and Reuse Phosphorus from Greenhouse and Plant Nursery Runoff. All Theses. 2956. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/2956


Progress 01/03/17 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Growers of containerized floriculture and nursery crops, research and extension professionals, stormwater managers. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?A Presentation was made on the topic of water use in propagation at the Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Niagara Falls, Ontario (Oct. 2017). Presentations were made on the topic of biological treatment systems and developing tools for growers to use to manage water at the following venues: White, SA. 2017. "Plant-based remediation systems to manage agricultural contaminants." UConn Pond Management Workshop. (August). White, SA. 2017. "Biological Treatment of Runoff." California Nursery Conference. (July). White, SA. 2017. "Clean WateR3: Research you can use on water conservation, recycling and treatment." Clean WateR3 webinar series #1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJlMzlpRxLo (January 24). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Goal 1: Future plans include expanding the data collection to include analysis of the media, plants, and leachate, to determine the fate of the nutrients in the system. Additional experiments to determine the best settings to achieve the least amount of leachate, without reducing cutting quality, will be conducted. Further experiments will be conducted to include additional species. Goal 2: Integration of greenhouse and field trial results toward the development of treatment rates/efficiencies for wetland plants, bioreactors, and vegetated channels, thus guiding design criteria such as sizing, retention/contact time, and plant selection. Develop empirical and simulation models for these treatment systems.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Under goal 1 (objective 1) we have successfuly constructed an irrigation boom system that can be triggered by a data-logger to mist based on numerous environmental factors. The environmental factors that the data-logger is collecting are temperature, light, humidity, fan speed, and leaf wetness. After the data-logger collects the environmental data, it can make decisions based on settings entered by the user. The system includes six different zones allowing for six different settings to be tested at one time. Within this system, additional components have been designed to capture and measure the amount of leachate from mist events. Currently, an experiment is being run with different vapor pressure deficit settings. Fertilizer is being run through the system. The amount of leachate, as well as the salt concentration from each zone, is being collected. Under goal 2 (objective 2) we have continued evaluation of 7 wetland plant species for susceptibility to species of Phytophthora common in nursery runoff. Of the 7 species screened three have had positive infection events, indicating that they are likely not suited for use in vegetated buffers where pathogen mitigation is a desired treatment endpoint. Rather we are focusing on the 4 plant species that were not infected either in the 2016 or 2017 trial, and selecting 2 species to evaluatein pilot scale vegetative buffer systems in summer 2018. Under goal 2 (objective 3) we have further evaluated a data set that recorded various physico-chemical properties within a constructed wetland system and performed statistical analyses that permit correlation of physico-chemical parameters such as dissolved oxygen concentration, reduction oxidation potential, pH and temperature with nitrogen fate in 2 constructed wetlands that receive nutrient rich runoff from nursery production. These data are being synthesized into a publication that will be published next year. Under goal 2 (objective 4) we have developed and parameterized SWMM model that can be used to visualize runoff events and to predict sediment loads based on land use.

Publications

  • Type: Other Status: Submitted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Alem, P and J.Faust. Gas exchange of poinsettia leaves from the stock plant through the propagation environment. Acta Hortic
  • Type: Other Status: Submitted Year Published: 2017 Citation: Alem, P and J.Faust. Cutting age affects water demand of unrooted cuttings prior to root initiation. Acta Hortic
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: White, SA. 2017. Integrating socioeconomic, ecosystem engineering, and horticulture research to Clean WateR3. Southern Region-American Society for Horticultural Science, Mobile, AL (February). HortScience 52(9):S35-S36.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Owen, Jr., J. S. and S. A. White. 2017. Monitoring for profit. Nursery Management. 33(1):16, 18-22
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: White, SA, JS Owen, Jr., JC Majsztrik, B Behe, B Cregg, RT Fernandez, PR Fisher, L Fox, CR Hall, D Haver, DR Hitchcock, DL Ingram, S Kumar, A Lamm, J Lea-Cox, LR Oki, JL Parke, A Ristvey, D Sample, C Swett, LS Warner, PC Wilson. 2016. Clean WateR3: Integrating Research and Extension to Help Specialty Crop Growers Reduce, Remediate, and Recycle Water. South Carolina Water Resources Conference. Columbia, SC (poster) Hitchcock, D, JC Majsztrik, DJ Sample, S Kumar, SA White. 2016. Development of Online Tools for Ornamental Container Nursery Water Conservation, Remediation, and Reuse. South Carolina Water Resources Conference. Columbia, SC (poster) Majsztrik, JC, DR Hitchcock, D Sample, S Kumar, SA White. 2016. Water Treatment Technologies for Specialty Crops. South Carolina Water Resources Conference. Columbia, SC (poster) Moriarty, C, J Short, W Strosnider, SA White, D Hitchcock. 2016. Floating treatment wetlands: effects of varying coverage on eutrophic pond mesocosms. South Carolina Water Resources Conference. Columbia, SC (poster) Bell, N, DR Hitchcock, SA White. 2016. Plant Selections for Vegetated Channels: Evaluation of Seven Aquatic Plant Species for Susceptibility to Five Species of Phytophthora. South Carolina Water Resources Conference. Columbia, SC (poster) Garcia, LM, JC Majsztrik, NL Bell, SA White. 2016. Water Quality Effects of Floating Treatment Wetland Systems to Remediate Plant Production Runoff. South Carolina Water Resources Conference. Columbia, SC (poster)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2017 Citation: White, SA. 2017. Clean WateR3: Integrating Research and Extension to Help Specialty Crop Growers Recycle Water. Acta Horticulturae. Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Woody Ornamentals of the Temperate Zone, In-press, Accepted May 8.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2017 Citation: Bell, NL, LM Garcia-Chance, and SA White. 2017. Clean WateR3: Evaluation of 3 Treatment Technologies to Remove Contaminants from Recycled Production Runoff. Acta Horticulturae. Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Woody Ornamentals of the Temperate Zone, In-press, Accepted April 26.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Awaiting Publication Year Published: 2017 Citation: Majsztrik, JC, DR Hitchcock, S Kumar, D Sample, SA White. 2017. Clean WateR3: Developing Tools to Help Specialty Crop Growers Understand the Costs and Benefits of Recycling Water. Acta Horticulturae. Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Woody Ornamentals of the Temperate Zone, In-press. Accepted April 26.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Majsztrik, J.C., R.T. Fernandez, P.R. Fisher, D.R. Hitchcock, J. Lea-Cox, J.S. Owen, L.R. Oki, L. Warner, and S.A. White. 2017. Water use and treatment in nursery and greenhouse crop production: A review. Water Air Soil Pollut. 228:151 DOI 10.1007/s11270-017-3272-1
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Lamm, A. J., Warner, L. A., Taylor, M. R., Martin, E. T., White, S. A., & Fisher, P. 2017. Enhancing extension programs by discussing water conservation technology adoption with growers. Journal of Agricultural Education 58(1), 254-269. https://doi.org/10.5032/jae.2017.01254.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Lamm, A.J., L.A. Warner, M.R. Taylor, E.T. Martin, S. White, P.R. Fisher, 2017. Diffusing Water Conservation and Treatment Technologies to Nursery and Greenhouse Growers. Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education April 2017: 105-119, doi: 10.5191/jiaee.2017.24110.