Performing Department
Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center
Non Technical Summary
The ornamental industry is known for producing high quality and beautiful crops. Plant growth will vary and change with different types and amounts of fertilizer, the type of growing substrate, and the type of irrigation system as well as the amount of water applied. A change in one factor will influence the other factors. Implementing changes in production are not always cost effective to the grower. Research needs to be conducted to develop economically feasible and sustainable greenhouse and nursery production activities that maximize production, as well as study the relationship between plant growth, media properties, irrigation methods, and fertilization. The ultimate goal is to reduce runoff pollution from greenhouses, conserve water, reduce fertilizer and still produce marketable crops. The objective is to study alternative water sources and irrigation techniques, alternative fertilizer sources and amounts, and alternative media through a series of experiments. Ornamental plant growers will be able to use data generated from these experiments to conserve water and fertilizer, reduce runoff pollution, improve plant health and quality as well as produce marketable crops. Growers also will be able to use the data when choosing alternative water, fertilizer and/or media for their production systems that have been evaluated in our research program.
Animal Health Component
50%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
50%
Applied
50%
Developmental
0%
Goals / Objectives
Floriculture and nursery crops include crops like ornamental shrubs, bedding plants, foliage plants, potted flowering plants, cut flowers, and cut greens. The approximate wholesale value of floriculture products in the United States in 2012 was $4.1 billion (NASS/USDA, 2013). The wholesale value of floriculture crops produced in California was valued at $985 million and the value in Florida was $812 million. Many allied agribusiness companies such as garden centers, landscape maintenance contractors, landscape architects, and similar enterprises are supported by the ornamental horticulture industry.The horticulture industry traditionally produces high quality crops quickly by adjusting production practices (Ball, 1991). Plant growth response varies with the type and amount of fertilizer, the type of growing substrate, and the type of irrigation system as well as the amount of water applied. A change in one factor will influence the other factors. Implementing changes in production are not always cost effective to the grower. Research needs to be conducted to develop economically feasible and sustainable greenhouse and nursery production activities that maximize production, as well as study the relationship between plant growth, media properties, irrigation methods, and fertilization.Other concerns of ornamental plant growers include improved water management and conservation as well as correcting nutritional problems. The Florida Nursery, Growers, and Landscape Association (FNGLA; www.fngla.org) research priorities include the use of reclaimed water for production, the use of more efficient irrigation systems, recycling water, improved pest management practices, and improved production systems practices and strategies. For example, nutritional disorders of container grown ornamental plants can result in losses as high as 30% due to discolored and un-saleable plants. Our goals are to:1. Evaluate the interaction of production techniques such as substrate choice, fertilization, irrigation (water sources), or application of chemicals on growth and flowering of ornamental plants2. Evaluate the interaction of growing environment and production techniques on plant growth and flowering.
Project Methods
This work will be accomplished through a series of experiments. Examples of typical experiments aimed at each objective are listed below.Objective 1: Evaluate the interaction of production techniques such as substrate choice, fertilization, irrigation, (water source), or application of chemicals on growth and flowering of ornamental plants.Experiment: Baseline data will be generated from a series of experiments using popular foliage plants, bedding plants, and woody ornamental plant species. In each experiment, plants will be watered with RWW from two local city water treatment facilities and with tap water. For all water sources, plants will be watered every day or every 2 days (depending on the crop and time of year) with either 50, 100 150 or 200 ml of water. We will monitor substrate electrical conductivity (EC) levels using the pour-though technique. The goal is to find the volume of RWW to apply that will produce a desired substrate EC ranging from 2 to 4mS/cm. This will vary slightly depending on the crop being grown.Leachate samples will be collected once a week for analysis of pH, EC, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, phosphorus, nitrate, sulfate, iron, total dissolved solids, and sodium absorption ratio. Plants also will be fertilized with the standard rate (for that crop) of controlled release fertilizer incorporated prior to planting. Ten replicates will be planted per treatment combination (water source x leaching fraction x fertilizer rate). Data to be collected will include plant quality rating (scale of 1 to 5 with 1 - dead, 3 - saleable, 5 - excellent), plant height, width, number of flowers, shoot and root dry weight. Municipal and reclaimed waste water samples also will be analyzed for elements listed above. Objective 2: Evaluate the interaction of growing environment and production techniques on plant growth and floweringExperiment: To investigate the effects of supplemental irradiance and fertilization on the growth and flowering of ornamental species. For example, orchid propagules will be transplanted into 6" round pots filled with a standard orchid substrate. Plants will be fertilized with a controlled release fertilizer applied at four rates (none, low, medium, high) and grown under four supplemental irradiance levels (none, 100, 200, or 300 umol?s-1?m-2). Days to first flower, number of flowers, plant height, plant width, and plant quality will be recorded. Plant quality will be rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 = excellent, 4 = good, 3 = average, 2 = poor, 1 = dead. A plant rated with 3 or better is considered saleable. Quality will take into account flowering.