Search Results
You are looking at 21 - 28 of 28 items for
- Author or Editor: Richard A. Criley x
Several reports suggest that late-planted rhizomes of Curcuma alismatifolia produce their inflorescences in less time than those that have been planted earlier in the forcing season. Two cultivars of this ginger species were removed from the ground in late February following a lengthy dormancy period in the field. About 6 weeks later, after air drying, weekly plantings were initiated through the end of June. Five rhizomes per cultivar were planted singly in 15-cm pots in ProMix BX medium. All plants were forced outdoors under full sun conditions and an overhead spray stake irrigation system that delivered 200 ppm each of nitrogen and potassium with each watering. Cultivar differences were apparent. Plant-to-sprout days for the DP and LP cultivars ranged from 20–51 and 21–57 days, respectively, with means of 3 8 ± 9.2 and 44 ± 11.9 days, respectively, over the 10-week planting cycle. Sprout-to-flower days showed much less difference with ranges of 61–75 and 58–72 days for DP and LP and means of 69 ± 4.3 and 66 ± 4.0 days, respectively. Plant to flower times differed largely because of the length of time required for the rhizomes to sprout rather than for the amount of time spent in inflorescence initiation and development. Plant heights at flowering and inflorescence counts were not different within cultivars over the 10-week planting period. Degree days and solar integrals will be presented for the 10 growing periods.
Inflorescence abortion in heliconia contributes to an economic loss to growers. In an effort to determine the cause, we manipulated temperature, daylength and light intensity. Plants of Heliconia stricta cv. Dwarf Jamaican were grown in 4 day/night temperature regimes (15/10, 20/15, 25/20 and 30/25°C) under 14 hr daylength. In a separate experiment, plants were grown in full sun, 60% and 80% shade. Both experiments had been conducted after inflorescences were induced (4 weeks of short days). Apical meristems were dissected weekly to follow inflorescence development. Leaf abscisic acid level was detected by an indirect ELISA. Significantly more inflorescences were aborted in plants grown under high temperature regimes than in plants grown under low temperature regimes and under different light intensity. Abscisic acid concentration increased in heliconia leaves under regimes that induced inflorescence abortion. The results could provide a mean to improve heliconia inflorescence production.
The Hawaiian Native Plant Propagation Web Site (http://pdcs.ctahr.hawaii.edu:591/hawnprop) is a collection of organized propagation information for selected Hawaiian indigenous and endemic plants. It was designed to provide easy access to this information for university extension personnel, researchers, students, conservationists, and nursery and landscape professionals. Journals and newsletters published in Hawaii provided the most relevant data for this Web site. The first prototype was a database-driven Web site that provided sophisticated search capability and dynamically generated Web pages for each plant record. Subsequent testing of the prototype identified a number of usability problems. These problems were corrected by redesigning the Web site using a hybrid databasestatic Web page approach. The database software search features are retained, but each database record is linked to a static Web page containing the propagation information for a specific plant.
Abstract
Fruit bearing branches of 7 ornamental trees were sprayed with ethephon, or ethephon and chlorflurenol. Five species of ornamental figs (Ficus lyrata Warb., F. retusa L., F. palauanense Merrill, F. macrophylla Desf., and F. benjamina var. comosa Kurz.), and Samanea saman Jacq. responded significantly to the chemicals. The materials did not induce abscission of fruits of Cassia fistula L. Chemical names used: (2-chloroethyl) phosphonic acid (ethephon); 2-chloro-9-hydroxy-9H-fluorene-9-carbox-ylic acid (chlorflurecol = chlorflurenol).
Abstract
In South Africa, proteas are a popular cut flower featured in garden shows and available at most flower shops. They are exported to Europe and the British Isles where their popularity is increasing. The National Botanic Gardens of South Africa at Kirstenbosch, and the King's Park and Botanic Garden in Western Australia, have been instrumental in bringing into cultivation the ornamental species of Proteaceae native to their regions of the world.
Sixteen accessions of Curcuma germplasm and several selected accessions of Curcuma were evaluated for use as potted plants or as cut flowers. Curcuma alismatifolia Gagnep. and C. thorelii Gagnep. `Chiang Mai Snow' met standards for cut flower and pot plant use, respectively. Furthermore, C. parviflora Will. `White Angel' proved to be a good selection for potted plant production. Optimum storage temperatures of rhizomes were studied in relation to greenhouse forcing and carbohydrate changes. It is recommended to store rhizomes at 25 to 30 °C after harvest for 2 to 3 months to break dormancy. Plants of C. parviflora `White Angel' flowered in 50 to 89 days and C. `CMU Pride' flowered in 104 days after potting, and were acceptable as potted plants. Plants of C. alismatifolia flowered 96 to 133 days after potting with floral stem length suitable for use as a cut flower. A high level of boron or manganese may cause the burn at the margin of the leaves (marginal leaf burn) observed on old leaves of `CMU Pride' at flowering. The level of ethanol-soluble fructose, glucose, and sucrose in elongated rhizomes with emerged short shoots of Curcuma was higher than the level in rhizomes and increased as storage temperatures increased. Accelerated leaf emergence may be associated with the increase in the glucose and fructose content. Based on the similar morphological characters between C. thorelli `Chiang Mai Snow' and C. parviflora `White Angel', identification of Curcuma accessions is required in future studies.
Fourteen species of ginger belonging to Zingiberaceae and Costaceae were evaluated for susceptibility to the bacterial wilt pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum (Rs) race 4 (ginger strains) by several methods of inoculation, including tests to simulate natural infection. Twelve of 14 species tested were highly susceptible to all strains of Rs race 4 upon stem inoculation, and susceptible plants wilted within 21 days. In contrast to previous reports that Rs strains from an invasive alien species, kahili ginger (Hedychium gardenarium), are nonpathogenic on ornamental gingers, the kahili ginger strain wilted both ornamental and edible ginger (Zingiber officinale) species within 21 days. Pour inoculation to the base of 11 plant species to simulate natural infection confirmed the ability of Rs to invade all the tested species without root wounds. Shampoo ginger (Zingiber zerumbet) was the most susceptible (wilted in 26 days) whereas pink ginger (Alpinia purpurata) and red ginger (A. purpurata) were the least susceptible and wilted in 71 and 76 days respectively. Pathogen survival in potting medium was evaluated by enumerating viable cells in effluent water from drenched pots with and without infected edible ginger after stem or rhizome inoculation. Ralstonia solanacearum survived in plant-free potting medium for 120 days and for 150 to 180 days in potting medium with infected edible ginger. The ability of Rs race 4 to infect many ginger species without wounding and to survive for long periods indicates that high risks will be incurred if the kahili ginger strain is inadvertently introduced from the forest reserves into ginger production areas.