The unique multi-disciplinary blend of horticulturalists and agricultural economists continue to provide innovative and thorough analyses and collaboration. The committee includes representation from twenty two states, with twelve of these states being outside the Southern region. This national membership has evolved because of the relevance of investigating the production, marketing, and economic impacts of landscape plants within and across plant hardiness or climatic zones, rather than state or regional boundaries.
Progress is reported under the appropriate project objective.
Several projects were completed that evaluated alternative production systems. Cultivars bred for greenhouse pot plant culture had leaf tip burn after 5 days in the media and were dead within two weeks. Geraniums were also grown in the shredded rubber media under drip, hand, or ebb and flood irrigation. Leachate samples were collected bi-weekly and were analyzed for pH, soluble salts, and zinc content. At the end of the experiments, foliage samples were also collected and analyzed for mineral content.