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Extension
Environments with a low red (R, 600 to 700 nm) to far-red (FR, 700 to 800 nm) ratio (e.g., with high plant density) promote stem elongation, and a high R: FR suppresses it. While FR light promotes stem extension, it is also required for rapid, uniform flowering of many long-day plants. We investigated how a new FR filter [creating a FR-deficient (FRd) environment] influenced plug growth and subsequent flowering of pansy (Viola ×wittrockiana `Crystal Bowl Yellow'), petunia (Petunia ×hybrida `Carpet Pink'), impatiens (Impatiens wallerana `Accent Rose'), snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus `Liberty Scarlet'), and tomato (Solanum lycopersicon `Beefmaster'). One-week-old seedlings were placed under three filter treatments with 16-h photoperiods: the FRd filter, a neutral-density filter (N) that transmitted a similar PPF, and transferring plugs from the N to the FRd filter when leaves of each species began to touch (7 to 11 days later). The predicted phytochrome photoequilibria under the FRd and N filters was 0.80 and 0.72, respectively. After 25 to 35 days at 20 °C, node number and stem (or petiole for pansy) length were collected. Twenty plants of each species and filter treatment were then transferred to 4-inch pots and grown under natural photoperiods (14 to 15 h) at 20 °C until flowering. Compared to plants continually under the N filter, stem length under the FRd filter was significantly reduced in impatiens (by 11%), pansy (by 18%), petunia (by 34%), snapdragon (by 5%), and tomato (by 24%). Flowering of plants from plugs under the FRd filter was delayed by 2 to 3 days for snapdragon, petunia, and pansy. Filter treatment of plugs had no significant effect on flower number or plant height at flower.
PRECODEPA was formed with the purpose of coordinating research and extension to improve small-farm potato production. The program involves 9 countries in North, Central America and the Caribbean with the cooperation of the International Potato Center (CIP). Research and extension work was planed based on identified bottlenecks. Work was coordinated when similar bottlenecks were identified in different regions and/or countries. The project strategies emphasized the following: training of personnel to coordinate the work between extension and research; development of integrated pest management (IPM) practices; technology generation and validation trials on farmers' fields, and market development for commercialization purposes. The success of this unique program should serve as a model for similar agricultural projects in the future.
Abstract
The 6-month student intern program offered by the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University assists rural and urban Iowans in home food production through extension programs, mass media, and community projects. Advanced undergraduate horticulture students are granted internships at the county/area level and receive credits and a salary for their work. An extension horticulture associate based in the department provides the overall leadership and coordination.
Intern training sessions concentrate on the type of questions to expect and problem diagnosis methods. More than 50% of homeowner concerns are related to home food production. The intern program has been received enthusiastically and has reduced the summer workload of county staff and state specialists.
Borthwick, 1957 ). This is a result of P FR falling below the effective threshold more rapidly when NI is from FR than from R radiation ( Kasperbauer et al., 1964 ). In contrast, R radiation provided by day extension or NI is ineffective at promoting
Experiments were conducted to investigate the potential effect on floral bud initiation in strawberry (Fragaria × ananasa, cv. Chandler) by interrupting inductive short day cycles with a day-length extension treatment. Vegetative plants were exposed to 10-, 15-, or 20-day cycles of inductive short days in growth chambers. After receiving an inductive short day treatment plants were transferred to a greenhouse where they were exposed to non-inductive long days, which stimulated panicle elongation. Dissections of apical meristems immediately following each cycle of short days revealed that cycles of 20 days resulted in detectable floral bud formation. After 15 days in the greenhouse, all short day treatments had initiated floral buds. In the greenhouse, under long days, subsequent flowering in cohorts of plants which had previously received inductive short days showed a positive correlation between interruption of short days with day length extension and reduction in the number of floral buds initiated on earliest emerging panicles. These results suggest potential for manipulation of floral bud induction and potentially fruit size in Chandler, and perhaps other cultivars by interruption of a cycle of inductive short days with a day length extension treatment.
Each US state was surveyed to obtain a list of teaching materials and methods used to extend information on comporting. Most states offer a bulletin on the subject and some have audo/visual materials. Methods of delivery include traditional lectures by staff and volunteers in most areas. Unique programs include the “Don't Bag It” program in Texas aimed at management of lawn clippings and the “Master Composers” in Washington State that develops volunteers trained specifically for comporting education. A reference list of materials and programs submitted for this project will be available.
Most administrators regard strategic planning as a structured process to produce fundamental decisions and actions shaping and guiding what their organization is, does, and why it does it. A concerted focus on the future is usually involved in the effort. In North Carolina, all Extension Agriculture and Natural Resource Agents, Specialists, Directors and State Staff recently utilized such a structured process in a 3-day conference entitled “The Summit”. The success of this strategic planning process can be measured by the degree to which the process lead to strategic management within NCCE. The Summit used a framework that fully explored forces affecting or impeding strategic thinking. That framework was a day of laying groundwork and with various keynote speakers helping to set the stage; a day of stakeholder direction and attendee active listening and debate; and a day of group reflection. The results of this conference were chronicled in “White Paper” written by a team representing all major in-house stakeholders. While many of the usual problems affecting Extension were reviewed, stakeholder input to both administration and staff is re-shaping the way NCCE uses resources and directs programs. Ten recommendations came out Action te Such an outcome is strategic management, and the framework of The Summit may allow other similar organizations to also have successful strategic planning meetings.
Since the passage of the Organic Foods Production Act in 1990, certified organic produce has begun to make a large impact on national markets. However, USDA statistics indicate that many states in the southern region have considerably reduced certified organic acreage when compared to other regions in the United States. The absence of organic acreage may perhaps originate with a lack of training and educational materials provided to producers due to unanticipated growth of organic markets. A thorough review of all Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service (ACES) materials, such as bulletins, publications, and workshops over the past 10 years, would reveal what information has been provided to producers on certified organic production. This review of ACES materials defines the existing groundwork on which ACES could construct future organic publications and outreach programs in order to sustain and stimulate organic farming within the state.