Progress 08/01/00 to 06/30/05
Outputs
Light is frequently a limiting factor for crop production in commercial greenhouses and yet commercial greenhouse growers lack the information for improving light management. New technologies allow growers to manipulate light in new and different ways, so we studied the impact of light on many greenhouse crops with the objective of improving light management in commercial greenhouses. Daily Light Integral (DLI) is a relatively new concept that we have helped to introduce to the commercial industry. DLI has been used in plant physiology studies since the 1980s to describe plant response to daily sum of light intercepted by plants, but had not been embraced by the commercial industry. This project has allowed us to introduce the concept to growers by 1. conducting experiments to demonstrate the value of DLI for predicting plant growth responses and 2. working with an independent instrumentation company (Spectrum Technologies) to develop an affordable meter (Greenhouse
Weather Tracker) that can be easily used in commercial greenhouse facilities. Retractable shade curtains are a new greenhouse technology that was introduced with the advent of computerized climate control in greenhouses. Our DLI work provided improved strategies for optimally managing retractable shade curtains in order maximize crop production and quality, while minimizing heat stress caused by high light conditions. Hanging baskets have always been grown over bench crops in greenhouse. Our work was the first to quantify the impact of hanging baskets on the greenhouse DLI environment and provide practical suggestions for managing basket density to maximize greenhouse space use and productivity while minimizing the negative impact of the lower DLI environment delivered to the bench crop. Supplemental lighting with high-intensity discharge lamps is an older technology on which much research has already been conducted. Our work on DLI has provided insight into to how to manage lamps to
maximize energy efficiency, although no further experimentation in this area was performed. We are in the final stages of introducing an on-line software program (Greenhouse Crops Simulator) that allows growers and students to manipulate light in a computer-simulated commercial production scenario and then watch and learn how their actions affect the greenhouse light environment and subsequent crop growth. In conclusion, we believe that as a direct result of our research project the commercial greenhouse industry has embraced the concept of DLI and is currently manipulating DLI in order to manage greenhouse crops more effectively. Our work has provided the basic plant research, the technology and instrumentation development, and the educational materials and presentations necessary to allow the research to be practically applied by our stakeholders.
Impacts
Dr. Faust was been invited to present the results of his light research in CA, CO, GA, IL, MA, MI, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, and Canada (Saskatchewan & Ontario) and has conducted training courses in U.S., Canada and Central America. He has written on the topic of light and greenhouse production for several books, scientific journals, and trade publications. He has conducted several related projects for specific businesses based on his expertise in this area. The result of his research program and industry-related speaking and writing has been that growers are now better able to understand and manipulate the greenhouse light environment in order to improve crop production and greenhouse profitability. It is difficult to quantify the degree to which businesses alter their production methods, but it is clear that the many growers are now managing the greenhouse environment differently. For example, during February 2006, Dr. Faust visited two greenhouses in PA and Ontario. Both
facilities had purchased the Greenhouse Weather Tracker and were incorporating DLI into their greenhouse production strategies. Dr. Faust is currently assisting Spectrum Technologies with the development of the next generation of greenhouse environmental instrumentation.
Publications
- Cerny, Teresa A., James E. Faust, Desmond R. Layne, and Nihal C. Rajapakse. 2003. Influence of Photoselective Films and Growing Season on Stem Growth and Flowering of Six Plant Species. JASHS 128(4)486-491.
- Faust, James E. 2003. Measuring DLI. Greenhouse Product News.
- Faust, James E., 2004. Hanging basket production and profitability. In: Tips on Greenhouse Profitability, P. Konjoian and James E. Faust (eds.), Ohio Florists Assoc., Columbus, OH
- Korczynski, Pamela C. and James E. Faust. 2007. Quantifying the effects of hanging baskets on the greenhouse light environment. HortSci. (in review)
- Faust, J.E., 2000. Temperature and Light. In: Pansy Production Handbook. B.E.Whipker, P.A.Thomas and T.J.Cavins (eds.). North Carolina Commercial Greenhouse Growers Assoc., Raleigh, NC (pp. 20-22)
- Ecke, Paul III, James E. Faust, Jack E. Williams, and Andy Higgins. 2004. The poinsettia manual (4th Ed.). Chpt 10: The Greenhouse Environment. Ball Publishing, Chicago, IL
- Konjoian, P., J. Faust, and K. Williams. 2004. Tips on Greenhouse Profitability, Ohio Florists Assoc., Columbus, OH
- Chong, J.C., J.E. Faust, E. Runkle. 2006. Temperature and Light. In: Vegetatively propagated annuals. J. Dole and B. Whipker (eds.) Ball Publishing, Chicago, IL
- Korczynski, Pamela C., Joanne Logan and James E. Faust. 2002. Mapping the monthly distribution of the daily light integral across the contiguous United States. HortTech. 12(1):12-15.
- Holcombe, Veronda and James E. Faust. 2002. Quantifying the effect of daily light integral on bedding plants. Masters Thesis
- Donnelly, Caroline, Paul Fisher and James Faust. 2001. Effect of light intensity on the photosynthetic rate of Scaevola aemula New Wonder Chpt IV. Masters Thesis.
- Faust, James E. and Kelly P. Lewis. 2001. Pansy quality and timing are dependent on temperature and light. Greenhouse Product News 11(13):10-14.
- Holcombe, Veronda, Kelly P. Lewis and James E. Faust. 2001. How much light do bedding plants really need? Greenhouse Product News 11(7): 26-30.
- Faust, James E. and Pamela C. Korczynski. 2001. Are hanging baskets keeping your bench crops in the dark. Greenhouse Product News 11(2):20-24.
- Fisher, P.R., C.S. Donnelly, and J. Faust. 2001. Evaluating supplemental light for your greenhouse. Ohio Florist's Association Bulletin No. 858. May 2001 p.4-7.
- Korczynski, Pamela C., Joanne Logan, and James E. Faust. 2000. Mapping light across the United States. Greenhouse Product News 10(10):20-24.
- Faust, James E. 2000. Measuring available light in the greenhouse. Greenhouse Product News 10(11):16-17.
- Faust, James E., Bin Liu, Royal D. Heins and Pamela Korczynski. 1999. Shedding some light on poinsettia stem breakage. Greenhouse Product News 10:48-51
- Faust, Jim. 1999. Improving the way we describe the light environment in the greenhouse. Ohio Florists Assoc. Bulletin 3:1,9-10.
- Complete listing of publications over lifetime of the project. 2006
- Bunnell, B.T., L.B.McCarty, J.E. Faust & W.C. Bridges. 2006 Simulating the effects of trees on the daily light integral delivered to a dwarf bermudagrass golf green. (in review)
- Faust, J.E., V. Holcombe, N.C. Rajapakse, and D.R. Layne. 2005. The effect of daily light integral on bedding plant growth and flowering. HortScience 40:645-649.
- Bunnell, B.T., L.B.McCarty, J.E. Faust, W.C. Bridges and N.C. Rajapakse. 2005. Quantifying a daily light integral requirement of a TifEagle bermudagrass golf green. Crop Science 45:569-574.
- Faust, J.E. 2005. Temperature and Light. In: Pansy Production Handbook. 2nd Ed. B.E.Whipker and T.J.Cavins (eds.). North Carolina Commercial Greenhouse Growers Assoc., Raleigh, NC (pp. 28-31)
- Both, A.J. and J. Faust. 2004. Light transmission in greenhouse design and coverings. Chapter 4. In Lighting Up Profits, P. Fisher and E. Runkle, eds. Meister Media Worldwide Publishing, Willoughby, OH. (pp.33-35)
- Fisher, P, J. Faust and E. Runkle. 2004. Light management for stock plants. Chapter 12. In: Lighting Up Profits, P. Fisher and E. Runkle, eds. Meister Media Worldwide Publishing. Willoughby, OH (pp. 79-82)
- Faust, J. 2004. Light Maps to Estimate Daily Light Integrals Across the U.S. (pp. 15,17). In Lighting Up Profits, P. Fisher and E. Runkle, eds. Meister Media Worldwide Publishing. Willoughby, OH
- Faust, J. 2004. The Effect of Hanging Baskets on the Greenhouse Light Environment (p. 36). In Lighting Up Profits, P. Fisher and E. Runkle, eds. Meister Media Worldwide Publishing. Willoughby, OH
- Cerny, T.A., N.C. Rajapakse and J.E. Faust. 2004. Role of gibberellin inhibitors on flowering and stem elongation under modified light environments. HortScience 39 (Dec. issue)
- Faust, J.E., 2003. Light. In: Ball RedBook, 17th ed., D. Hamrick (ed.), Ball Publishing, Chicago IL (pp.71-84)
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
Joaquin Chong (Ph.D. student) is nearing completion of his project that focuses on developing a model to predict poinsettia stock plant responses to light and temperature. The model will be used to predict cutting yields and to predict the result of using different stock plant management techniques to optimize production efficiency. Additional experiments were completed examining the effect of stock plant management techniques on cutting yield of several annual crop species. Papers are currently in press and will be published in 2005. In 2004, several experiments were conducted to examine the effects of light and temperature on the flowering of several annual species (New Guinea impatiens, double impatiens, argyranthemum, petunia, calibrachoa, verbena). Models have been developed to predict flowering dates based on the greenhouse light and temperature environment. The models are termed bud meters and will be used in commercial greenhouses in the spring of 2005. These
models allow growers to produce these crops on a programmed schedule, i.e., the rooted liners can be guaranteed to flower for the wholesale grower within 4 weeks of transplanting. This allows the grower to more efficiently utilize their greenhouse space and to re-use the space for multi-crops in the same season, thus increasing business profitability. The work conducted by Veronda Holcombe (M.S.) on developing the daily light integral (DLI) concept for the greenhouse industry has been published in the trade press and is currently in press for the scientific journals. Pranahita Andolu (M.S.) developed a greenhouse crop simulation software program that will be offered to commercial greenhouses and educational institutes as a training tool. The program allows the user to enter greenhouse management information (light, temperature et al.) and cultural procedures (fertilization, plant growth regulators et al.) and then visually observe pictures of the crop growing during a 5 minute
simulation. The user can then make adjustments in shade curtain management strategies, greenhouse locations (different climates), supplemental artificial light and run further simulations to see how the greenhouse light environment is affected. Todd Bunnell (Ph.D. student in turfgrass) finished his thesis work on the effects of DLI on Bermuda grass golf greens. This work determined the light requirements for bermudagrass golf greens (one paper in press) and developed a method for estimating the amount of shade cast be neighboring trees in order to determine the viability of bermudagrass greens (one paper in progress).
Impacts
Dr Faust was been invited to present the results of his light research in CA, MI, MA, VA, OH, SC, and Canada and has conducted training courses in U.S. and Central America. He has written on the topic of light and greenhouse production for several books, scientific publications, and trade publications. He has conducted several related projects for specific businesses based on his expertise in this area. The result of his research program and industry-related speaking and writing has been that growers are able to better understand and manipulate the greenhouse light environment in order to improve crop production and greenhouse profitability. It is difficult to quantify the degree to which businesses alter their production methods, but it is clear that the many growers are now managing the greenhouse environment differently now. In general, growers are using less shade to produce higher quality and higher yielding crops. Stock plant management techniques have altered
to allow for higher cutting production without excessive flowering. He continues to work with a shade curtain manufacturer, a greenhouse lighting company, and an agricultural instrumentation company to help develop new products and techniques for managing light and crop production.
Publications
- Both, A.J. and J. Faust. 2004. Light transmission in greenhouse design and coverings. Chapter 4. In Lighting Up Profits, P. Fisher and E. Runkle, eds. Meister Media Worldwide Publishing, Willoughby, OH. (pp.33-35)
- Fisher, P, J. Faust and E. Runkle. 2004. Light management for stock plants. Chapter 12. In: Lighting Up Profits, P. Fisher and E. Runkle, eds. Meister Media Worldwide Publishing. Willoughby, OH (pp. 79-82)
- Faust, J. 2004. Light Maps to Estimate Daily Light Integrals Across the U.S. (pp. 15,17). Research Highlights In: Lighting Up Profits, P. Fisher and E. Runkle, eds. Meister Media Worldwide Publishing. Willoughby, OH
- Faust, J. 2004. The Effect of Hanging Baskets on the Greenhouse Light Environment (p. 36). Research Highlights In: Lighting Up Profits, P. Fisher and E. Runkle, eds. Meister Media Worldwide Publishing. Willoughby, OH
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Progress 01/01/03 to 12/31/03
Outputs
Joaquin Chong (Ph.D. student) is developing a model to predict poinsettia stock plant responses to light and temperature. The model will be used to predict cutting yields and to predict the result of using different stock plant management techniques to optimize production efficiency. The initial results suggest that light is a critical factor influencing node development rates. Historically, temperature is the primary factor used to model poinsettia development models; however, we observed that in a dense stock plant canopy light is primary limiting factor for cutting production and quality. Additional experiments have been completed examining the effect of stock plant management techniques on cutting yield of several annual crop species. Since cutting yield and quality is highly correlated to light interception, the effect of light provided to the stock plant on the respiration rate of cuttings in the post-harvest environment was examined. Further work is focusing on
designing shipping containers in order to provide adequate gas exchange based upon the respiration and ethylene production rates of unrooted cuttings. This project is being undertaken by a new PhD student, Amy Enfield. A new project was initiated in 2003 examining the effects of light and temperature on the flowering of several new annual species. Models are being developed to predict flowering dates based on the greenhouse light and temperature environment. These models allow growers to produce these crops on a programmed schedule, i.e., the rooted liners can be guaranteed to flower for the wholesale grower within 4 weeks of transplanting. This allows the grower to more efficiently utilize their greenhouse space and to re-use the space for multi-crops in the same season, thus increasing business profitability. Weather data were collected from several commercial greenhouses and run through a greenhouse light transmission model that we developed for retractable shade curtain systems.
We are currently developing a paper that provides guidelines for managing retractable shade curtains based on results of these data. Dr. Faust worked with a commercial supplier and developer of agricultural measurement instrumentation to develop a sensor that could be used for greenhouse light measurements. The result is the Greenhouse Weather Tracker which is the first datalogger useful for commercial greenhouse situations that integrates daily light measurements. This equipment allows commercial growers to utilize the daily light integral (DLI) measurement for real-life situations. DLI is a concept that Dr. Faust (as a result of this project) has been promoting to the greenhouse industry as an extremely useful tool for managing the greenhouse environment to improve crop productivity and quality. Dr. Faust worked with a turf PhD student, Todd Bunnell, to determine the light requirements for bermudagrass golf greens and to develop a method for estimating the amount of shade cast be
neighboring trees in order to determine the viability of bermudagrass greens
Impacts
Dr Faust was been invited to present the results of his light research in CA, MI, MA, VA, OH, SC, and Canada and has conducted training courses in U.S. and Central America. He has written on the topic of light and greenhouse production for several books, scientific publications, and trade publications. He has conducted several related projects for specific businesses based on his expertise in this area. He was highlighted in Greenhouse Grower magazine article that focused on individuals under the age of 40 that are making a significant contribution to the industry. The result of his research program and industry-related speaking and writing has been that growers are able to better understand and manipulate the greenhouse light environment in order to improve crop production and greenhouse profitability. It is difficult to quantify the degree to which businesses alter their production methods, but it is clear that the many growers are now managing the greenhouse
environment differently now. In general, growers are using less shade to produce higher quality and higher yielding crops. Stock plant management techniques have altered to allow for higher cutting production without excessive flowering. He continues to work with a shade curtain manufacturer, a greenhouse lighting company, and an agricultural instrumentation company to help develop new products and techniques for managing light and crop production, i.e., this year he designed a constantly moving lighting system to be used on a professional football stadium to improve turf performance during winter months.
Publications
- Ecke, Paul III, James E. Faust, Jack E. Williams, and Andy Higgins. 2004. The poinsettia manual (4th Ed.). Ball Publishing, Chicago, IL (to be published in July 2004)
- Faust, James E., and A. Enfield. 2004. Post-harvest physiology. In: Vegetatively propagated annuals. J. Dole and B. Whipker (eds.) Ball Publishing, Chicago, IL (to be published in 2004)
- Faust, James E. Temperature and Light (revised). 2004. In: Pansy Production Handbook. B.E.Whipker, P.A.Thomas and T.J.Cavins (Eds.). North Carolina Commercial Greenhouse Growers Assoc., Raleigh, NC (2nd ed. to be published in 2004)
- Faust, James E. and Larry W. Grimes. 2004. Cutting production is affected by pinch number during scaffold development of stock plants. HortSci (accepted for publication)
- Lewis, Kelly P., James E. Faust and James D. Sparkman IV. 2004. The effect of daminozide and chlormequat on the growth and flowering of poinsettia and pansy. HortSci. (accepted for publication)
- Cerny, T.A. and N. C. Rajapakse. 2004. Role of gibberellin inhibitors on flowering and stem elongation under modified light environments. HortScience (accepted for publication)
- Cerny, Teresa A., James E. Faust, Desmond R. Layne, and Nihal C. Rajapakse. 2003. Influence of Photoselective Films and Growing Season on Stem Growth and Flowering of Six Plant Species. JASHS 128(4)486-491.
- Faust, James E. 2003. Measuring DLI. Greenhouse Product News
- Konjoian, P., J. Faust, and K. Williams. 2004. Tips on Greenhouse Profitability, Ohio Florists Assoc., Columbus, OH (to be published in July 2004)
- Both, A.J. and J.E. Faust. 2003 Greenhouse Light Transmission. Greenhouse Grower. Book (Meister Publishing) to be published in 2004.
- Faust, James E., E. Runkle, J. Chong, and A. Enfield. 2004. Temperature and Light. In: Vegetatively propagated annuals. J. Dole and B. Whipker (eds.) Ball Publishing, Chicago, IL (to be published in 2004)
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Progress 01/01/02 to 12/31/02
Outputs
In 2002, we continued to conducted experiments to improve our understanding of how light should be managed in a commercial greenhouse. The primary foci have been to identify the light responses of numerous bedding plant species, to determine the effect of hanging baskets on the greenhouse light environment, and to develop best management practices for operating retractable shade curtain systems. Since light distribution is highly variable in greenhouses due to the style and orientation of the greenhouse, the time of year (latitude) and local climate, we have begun to move towards modeling light distribution and plant responses in order to more effectively extrapolate our lab results to the U.S. commercial greenhouse industry. A M.S. student, Veronda Holcombe, finished her thesis in 2002. Her project examined the responses of various bedding plant species to the daily light integral. This information is useful for determining the best practices for managing retractable
shade curtains and for determining the maximum number of hanging baskets that can be grown in a commercial greenhouse, while minimizing the negative impact on the crops grown below the hanging baskets. This information is very useful for increasing greenhouse profitability, so Dr. Faust has been asked to speak at numerous conferences on this topic (see Expected Impact section below). A model is being developed to estimate the effect of hanging baskets on light distribution in commercial greenhouses. An experiment was conducted at a commercial greenhouse facility in SC to provide data for validation of the current working model. A software program, WinScanopy, is being used to analyze light interception by hanging baskets. This software uses digital fish-eye lens images to determine the shadow patterns created by hanging baskets. A series of experiments was conducted with the gas exchange chambers (described in previous reports) to determine the photosynthesis response curves for a
range of bedding plant species. These curves are used to predict the response of these species to retractable shade curtains. A model is being developed to predict the effect of different retractable shade management techniques on plant growth and flowering. A Ph.D. student, Joaquin Chong, started in May. His project involves modeling poinsettia stock plant responses to light and temperature. The model will be used to predict cutting yields and to predict the result of using different stock plant management techniques to optimize production efficiency. The initial experiment was conducted during the fall. The preliminary results suggest that temperature is the primary factor affecting the rate of node formation, while light is the primary factor determining the number of shoots that develop per unit area. Each shoot in the canopy develops nodes at different rates depending on the position of the shoot.
Impacts
In 2002, Dr Faust was invited to present the results of his light research in CA, MI, MA, VA, OH & Canada. Dr Faust wrote the Light chpt for the Ball RedBook and has been asked to write book chpts on light in 2 books to published in 2003 & 04. Dr Faust was approached by 3 Gh businesses to conduct research to solve different production-related issues. Dr Faust was contacted because of his expertise in the area of light, since the problems were initially thought to be light-related. A large international supplier of poinsettia cuttings was having severe problems shipping their cuttings internationally. The cuttings would defoliate shortly after being received by the wholesale grower. Expts demonstrated a clear relationship between tissue nutrient concentration and post-harvest performance. A large national supplier of pansy plugs was having severe problems with shoot-tip abortion. The problem primarily occurs during July and August, so excessive light was considered to
be a possible cause. Expts demonstrated that shoot-tip abortion is directly related to the amount of water applied via misting. The problem occurs during the summer because mist frequency increases due to the higher solar radiation load and warmer temps. One of the largest producers of Exacum was having consistent production losses due to the inadequate crop height. The literature describes Exacum as a dayneutral species; however, our results clearly show that Exacum is a facultative long day crop. Thus, short days can be provided to delay flowering and consequently increase plant height at the time of flower.
Publications
- Faust, James E., Light. In: Ball RedBook, 17th ed., D. Hamrick (ed.), Ball Publishing, Chicago IL (to be published in 2003)
- Faust, James E., Hanging basket production and profitability. In: Tips on Greenhouse Profitability, P. Konjoian and James E. Faust (eds.), Ohio Florists' Assoc., Columbus, OH (to be published in July 2004)
- Bunnell, B.T., L.B. McCarty, W.C. Bridges, J.E. Faust and N.C. Rajapakse. 2002. Daily sunlight requirements for TifEagle bermudagrass golf greens. ASA Annual Meeting Abstracts 94: In press.
- Korczynski, Pamela C., Joanne Logan and James E. Faust. 2002. Mapping the monthly distribution of the daily light integral across the contiguous United States. HortTech. 12(1):12-15.
- Holcombe, Veronda and James E. Faust. 2002. Quantifying the effect of daily light integral on bedding plants. Masters Thesis
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Progress 01/01/01 to 12/31/01
Outputs
In 2001, a water chiller was added to our gas exchange chambers to provide improved temperature control. Also, we built a retractable shade curtain over each of the four benches in these GHs. Each curtain can be independently opened or closed, and two gas exchange chambers are located on each bench. The gas exchange chambers and retractable shade curtains allow us to effectively conduct studies to determine the effects of retractable shade curtains on GH crop production. Following are projects being conducted at the SC Bot. Gdn. Ghs: -A grad student from the Univ. of New Hampshire visited CU to conduct expts examining the effect of supplemental lighting on the growth of Scaevola stock plants. This experiment allowed us to determine the optimal time of day to use supplemental lighting to improve plant growth and cutting yield. In general, the light saturation point for Scaevola is relatively low, so supplemental lighting results in the largest increase in
photosynthesis when ambient light intensities are below 10% full sunlight. -A grad student is examining the effect that the method of light delivery has on geranium growth. She is currently conducting her second expt. The first experiment showed that it does not matter whether or not plants received constant 25% shade compared to alternating full sun (0% shade) with 50% shade. This information is useful because there are currently GHs being designed to move hanging baskets overhead daily so that the bench crops receive shaded conditions one day and sunny conditions the following day. Our data suggests that plants, in general, are good integrators of light, i.e., they respond to the sum of the light received over a several days, so alternating light conditions do not have a large impact on plant growth. -We have been screening various bedding plant species to determine the best strategies for managing retractable shade curtains in the GH environment. Our data suggest that shade
curtains should be closed above a greenhouse crop when the light saturation point is reached for the crop. Delivering light above the saturation point only serves to heat up the greenhouse and increase the possibility for heat stress. We are running two different species through the gas exchange system every two weeks to determine the light saturation point for each species. -Previous work has focused on developing contour maps to display the average ambient light conditions for the contiguous US for each month of the year. We have also conducted experiments to determine the effect of hanging basket production on the GH light environment. We now have a good understanding of the amount of light delivered to a GH and how much light the hanging baskets intercept, the next step is to determine the light requirements for different greenhouse crops. A grad student is currently completing a project quantifying the response of nine bedding plant species to light. The combination of these
projects will help commercial GH growers to have a better understanding of how to optimize the use of light delivered to a GH throughout the year and will identify the potential impact of providing non-optimal light conditions.
Impacts
The impact that the information generated from this project has had on the greenhouse industry is difficult to gauge. It is more easy to identify that Dr. Faust's research program on greenhouse light management issues has reached a national audience. He has been invited to speak on his light research to several international, national, regional and state programs over the past two years. Presentations on the greenhouse light environment were delivered to professional greenhouse grower conferences at the following locations in 2000-01 -Ohio Florists Short Course 2001, Columbus, OH -Southeast Greenhouse Conference and Trade Show 2001, Greenville, SC -Maryland Greenhouse Conference, Beltsville, MD -Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Guelph, Ontario, Canada -New England Greenhouse Conference, Worchester, MA -South Carolina Horticulture Industries Conference, Myrtle Beach, SC -Ohio Florists Short Course 2000, Columbus, OH -Southeast Greenhouse Conference and Trade Show 2000,
Greenville, SC Dr. Faust is currently writing the Light chapter for the newest edition of the Ball Red Book, a grower's guide to commercial greenhouse production of flowering plants. Two outstanding Ph.D. candidates will begin their dissertation research under the direction of Dr. Faust in 2002. This is another indication that Dr. Faust's program is beginning to receive national recognition.
Publications
- Donnelly, Caroline, Paul Fisher and James Faust. 2001. Effect of light intensity on the photosynthetic rate of Scaevola aemula New Wonder Chpt IV. Masters Thesis.
- Faust, James E., Pamela C. Korczynski and Robert Klein. 2001. Effects of paclobutrazol drench application date on poinsettia height and flowering. HortTech. 11(4):557-560.
- Faust, James E. and Kelly P. Lewis. 2001. Pansy temperature and light. Greenhouse Product News 11(12).
- Holcombe, Veronda, Kelly P. Lewis and James E. Faust. 2001. How much light do bedding plants really need? Greenhouse Product News 11(7).
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Progress 01/01/00 to 12/31/00
Outputs
A graduate student (Amy Joye Lund) was hired in January 2001 to begin the retractable shade curtain portion of the project.The retractable shade curtains are near completion at the SC Botanical Garden Greenhouses and experimentation is expected to begin during the summer 2001. One retractable shade curtain is being built above each of four greenhouse benches. Each curtain can be independently opened or closed. Two gas exchange chambers are located on each bench. The multi-chamber gas exchange system has been developed to semi-continuously measure whole plant photosynthesis in eight individual plexiglass chambers. Each chamber holds either one flat of bedding plants or six 15-cm containers. This gas exchange system will allow us to dynamically measure the effects of retractable shading on photosynthesis and plant growth. Our first opportunity to utilize the gas exchange system occurred during December 2000-January 2001. A graduate student (Carolyn Donnelly) from the
University of New Hampshire visited Clemson to conduct experiments examining the effect of supplemental lighting on the growth of Scaevola aemula stock plants. This was our first opportunity to use the gas exchange chambers. The data are currently being analyzed. A graduate student (Veronda Holcombe) was hired in May 2000 to begin to quantify the response of several ornamental species to light quantity. Experiments were conducted from May-Sept using 12 different species grown under 4 different light quantities. The treatments were provided by permanently mounting shade cloth above the plants. These experiments will be repeated during the summer 2001. Two other experiments were conducted during the spring 2001 to determine the effectiveness of flucuating shade versus constant shade on plant growth and development. The experiments are currently in progress. The gas exchange chambers are being used for these experiments to record changes in whole plant photosynthesis resulting from the
light/shade treatments. A graduate student (Pamela Korczynski) finished her MS degree in August 2000. She conducted experiments to quantify the effect of hanging container density (baskets.m-2), container contents (plants versus no plants), and container color (white versus green) on light transmission to the greenhouse bench. The addition of hanging baskets at low, medium and high line arrangements reduced transmission by 2.3, 5.6, and 9.3% respectively. The 24" (61 cm) spacing arrangement decreased PPF transmission by 3.6%, while the 12" (30.5 cm) arrangement decreased PPF transmission by 7.9%. Green container treatments transmitted 7.4% of the PPF while white containers transmitted 4.2%. Empty container treatments transmitted 2.6% while containers with plants in them decreased PPF transmission by 8.9%. Red to Far-red ratio was not affected by the presence of plants in the containers. This spring, light measurements are being made at commercial greenhouses to validate the data
collected during our experimentation. Contour maps showing the average monthly solar radiation across the U.S. have been completed this past winter.
Impacts
Presentations on the greenhouse light environment were delived to professional greenhouse grower conferences at the following locations in 2000: Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Guelph, Ontario, Canada New England Greenhouse Conference, Worchester, MA Ohio Florists Short Course, Columbus, OH Southeast Greenhouse Conference and Trade Show, Greenville, SC South Carolina Horticulture Industries Conference, Myrtle Beach, SC At the SCHI conference, my students and I presented all of our greenhouse light management work to date in a 3-hour session.
Publications
- Korczynski, Pamela C. and James E. Faust. 2001. Quantifying the effects of hanging baskets on the greenhouse light environment. HortSci. (in preparation)
- Korczynski, Pamela C., Joanne Logan and James E. Faust. 2001. Mapping the Monthly Distribution of the Daily Light Integral across the Contiguous United States. HortTech. (submitted for publication)
- Korczynski, Pamela C., Joanne Logan, and James E. Faust. 2000. Mapping light across the United States. Greenhouse Product News 10(10):20-24.
- Faust, James E. 2000. Measuring available light in the greenhouse. Greenhouse Product News 10(11):16-17.
- Faust, James E. 2000. Temperature and Light. In: Pansy Production Handbook. North Carolina Commercial Greenhouse Growers' Assoc. Eds. B.E.Whipker, P.A.Thomas and T.J.Cavins. pp. 20-22.
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