Search Results
Marketable size plants of sweet viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum Ker-Gawl.), waxleaf ligustrum (Ligustrum japonicum Thunb.), and azalea (Rhododendron spp. L. `Southern Charm') grown in 11.4-L containers were irrigated with overhead impact sprinklers at container spacings ranging from 0 to 51 cm apart. Water reaching the substrate surface was quantified and the percentage of that applied calculated as percent capture (% capture). Percent capture is defined as the percentage of water falling above the plant within a projected vertical cylinder of a container that reaches the substrate surface. For all species, % capture increased linearly with the decline in adjacent canopy interaction, which results from canopies extending beyond the diameter of a container. Increases in total leaf area or leaf area outside the cylinder of a container, in conjunction with increasing distance between containers, were significantly (P < 0.05) correlated with increases in % capture for ligustrum and viburnum. Increases in % capture partially compensated for decreases in percentage of production area occupied by viburnum containers as distances between containers increased, but not for the other two species. Under commercial conditions, optimal irrigation efficiency would be achieved when plants are grown at the minimum spacing required for commercial quality. This spacing should not extend beyond the point where canopies become isolated.
Plants infected with Meloidogyne spp. (root-knot nematodes) often are stunted and lose aesthetic value due to chlorosis, wilting, and leaf margin necrosis. We assessed reproduction of three root-knot nematode species, Meloidogyne arenaria, M. incognita, and M. javanica, on five plant taxa native to the southeastern U.S. The plant taxa included were: Hydrangea quercifolia `Oakleaf', Viburnum obovatum `Densa', Itea virginica `Little Henry', Illicium parviflorum, and Clethra alnifolia `Ruby Spice'. Three commonly grown non-native shrubs, Ligustrum japonicum `Texanum', Ilexcrenata `Compacta', and Buxus microphylla `Wintergem', also were included in the study to serve as susceptible, positive controls. Highest gall rating (10) was observed on roots of I. crenata `Compacta' infected with M. incognita, but highest number of eggs (6397 eggs/g of roots) was observed in plants of this cultivar inoculated with M. javanica. Few or no galls were observed on roots of the five native plant taxa, and nematode eggs were recovered only from roots of I. virginica `Little Henry' inoculated with M. arenaria and M. javanica (13 and 20 eggs/g of roots, respectively). Fresh weights of shoots or roots were not affected by nematode inoculation. Due to lack of root gall development and little or no reproduction on the native taxa, we conclude that these are resistant or immune to the three species of Meloidogyne and might be suitable for planting in infested soil.
99 ORAL SESSION (Abstr. 558-565) WOODY PLANT STRESS PHYSIOLOGY
68 WORKSHOP 9 (Abstr. 662–666) Ornamental Plant Breeding in the Midwest
Poster Session 7—Ornamental Plant Breeding 18 July 2005, 1:15–2:00 p.m. Poster Hall–Ballroom E/F
Poster Session 7—Ornamental Plant Breeding 18 July 2005, 1:15–2:00 p.m. Poster Hall–Ballroom E/F
The agricultural valorization of waste, rich in organic matter and minerals, is one of the best economical and ecological methods of disposal. This study was carried out to evaluate the release of mineral elements restrained in fresh bio-filters, composted sewage sludges, and composted de-inking sludges, and their effects on growth of Physocarpus opulifolius `Nanus' produced in containers. The physical and chemical analysis of the organic residues proved that the fertilization value of composted sewage sludges was greater than the other residues. Moreover, the granular characteristics of fresh biofilters and composted de-inking sludges were finer than composted sewage sludges. Each organic residue was combined, in proportion of 10%, with peatmoss, composted conifer bark, and fine crushed gravel. The regular leaching of container medium showed that the composted sewage sludges release a higher quantity of major mineral elements. Physocarpus opulifolius `Nanus' plants were larger than those plants grown in the control substrate (without residue). The results obtained in media containing fresh bio-filters or composted de-inking sludges were similar to those obtained in the control substrate.
15 ORAL SESSION 4 (Abstr. 025-032) Woody Ornamentals/Landscape: Propagation and Tissue Culture
Abstract
Chemical growth retardants are unique in the history of chemical regulation of plants. All types thus far used by growers have been synthetics. Unlike many other classes of growth regulators, we have thus far not detected the naturally occurring chemicals that account for the development of dwarf plants. For one reason, dwarf plants may result from reduced or degenerated biosynthetic pathways for the natural production of gibberellin-like compounds. Also, they may result from the synthesis of a number of interrelated compounds, which separately have little effect on growth. In certain combinations and concentrations, however, they affect cell division and expansion control systems. Chemical growth retardants permit a direct approach to growth control by retarding internode elongation without seriously disrupting the growth processes that involve chlorophyll and phytochrome. They permit growers to predetermine the size of the plant for many different uses and have become an integral part of many plant production systems (Fig. 1). Florists’ and nurserymen’s catalogs designate cultivars as particularly responsive to a specific chemical growth retardant.