Proceedings Library

This type of graft can be made using a whole root or pieces of roots. For a whole root graft, it is advantageous that both scion and root be of the same size.

Usually the whip and tongue method is used but also the wedge or saddle graft can be used. The length of the root should be not less than half the length of the scion. If both are the same length, even better. This will depend a lot on the internode length of each cultivar or species, availability of material, and the depth to which the graft is to be planted.

If scion

Controlled-release (CR) formulations of insecticides have been investigated in Australia since 1979 for control of soil insect pests such as sugar cane grub, or more recently, cockchafer beetle in turfgrass. Since some of the pesticides formulated in this fashion have been systemic chemicals, the potential exists for their use in containerised nursery stock to control sucking pests such as aphids or scale. In addition, there are several root-inhabiting pests (e.g., root mealy bug and weevil larvae) common in nursery stock that require fairly toxic, persistent chemicals for control. A product providing a safer formulation of such chemicals as well as the potential for once-only application, could have significant potential in the nursery industry.

In 1986–87, the Nursery Industry Association of South Australia (SA) and the Australian Special Rural Research Fund sponsored trialwork by our department to look at the potential application within the nursery industry of the

The following summary emphasizes several areas of research and public outreach currently in the Center's programs.

Papers on the topic of callas appear in recent volumes of the IPPS Proceedings. One of the most significant was a paper presented by Cohen in 1981 (2) detailing his work on micropropagation of callas. This work opened the doorway for commercialisation of a crop that was previously slow to clonally propagate in large numbers.

In 1983 Hatch (4) outlined procedures involved with breeding and selecting hybrid callas. This was followed in 1986 by a paper I authored entitled "A system for the evaluation of Zantedeschia (calla lily)" (7). In 1988 I joined with Plummer to co-author a paper entitled, "Preliminary evaluation of dwarf white calla lily as a potted plant" (10).

This paper will

The first garden festival was held in Dusseldorf in 1952. Since then, Germany has hosted many other garden festivals.

German festival sites are planned and planted over a 10 year period, so that all plants are very well established by the time the gates open to the public. After the Festival, these sites become new important high grade open spaces or parks for the host city.

The Garden Festival movement is controlled by the Bureau Internationale Exhibitions (BIE) in Paris. Various countries, around the world submit bids to

Chemical treatments have come in over the last few decades and in some ways have masked larger problems that lurk just behind this barrier. Dr. Ken Baker (1) in his book The U. C. System for Producing Healthy Container Grown Plants says, "Emphasis in control is placed on clean soil, clean stock and sanitary procedures to keep them that way. Once the pathogen has penetrated into a plant it is not economically possible to eradicate it. Chemical treatments generally are ineffective. For this reason prevention is emphasised in plant disease control rather than cure as in medical procedures. " Similarly, we can take an extract from James S. Wells book (2) Plant Propagation Practices — " A good grower is not dirty and untidy especially in his greenhouse area. Is a trim appearance enough? No it is not! We need to go far beyond

It is a high honor to speak to you today celebrating our Society's 40th Anniversary. All of the words I will share with you today will not appear in the 40th Proceedings. Eastern Region Editor Heuser has a paper covering the salient points of my comments, but I plan to do a bit of digression during this discourse.

For the edification of those of you who do not know me, I have served as I.P. P.S. Historian since 197 1, and have had the high honor of sitting on the International Board since 1970. I have proudly attended all Board Meetings since that date.

I attended my first meeting, in this great city, in 1954 as a guest of my mentor, Hugh Steavenson, and in 1955 with quaking knees presented my first paper. I appear on Secretary John Wott's records as an Eastern Region member

Our nursery is located in Hardiness Zone 4 in the province of New Brunswick, bordered on the south by the cool waters of the Bay of Fundy and by the relatively warmer waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the east. To the north and west, in a straight line to Alaska, 4000 miles of arctic highs. Our site has an average minimum winter temperature of -30° C with a record low near us of -50° C.

Growing roses commercially in such a place may seem a daunting prospect to those of you familiar with the vagaries and uncertainties of rose growing. Certainly if we were attempting a crop of hybrid teas we might well be carted off to the jails we call mental institutions. But the roses we grow are quite special. I like to think of them as masters of supercooling, that amazing talent possessed by hardy plants which enables them to transfer all water outside the cell walls except a thin pliable film of water which protects the cell's vital components until spring.

Our interest in roses

Our growing area consists of 22,000 sq ft of very old glass greenhouses plus about ¾ acre of cold frames. The basic business concerns itself with the wholesale production of perennials, herbs, and assorted ground covers.

The production of containerized herbs has been sort of like "Topsy" —it just grew year after year. Now, after seven years of production we are up to approximately 350,000 3&-in. pots, plus some few hundred quarts and gallons.

Our herb houses are all benched with a bio-therm type heating system. Some of the houses are also equipped with rolling benches, thus making greater use of existing area.

All of the herbs, whether culinary or aromatic, are sold with tags that supply minimal cultural information. Some tags have pictures. Stock pots are always tagged in that many of the rosemary's, as well as other plants, take on a different

1. Species used for ornamental horticulture, i.e. water gardens, bog gardens, and landscaped areas associated with wetlands. The emphasis in this group is on plants that have ornamental qualities, yet can survive under wet conditions. Almost all species in this category are herbaceous.
2. Species grown for restoration, wetland replication, or revegetation purposes. This group includes naturally occurring woody and herbaceous plants, and many species in this group would not be considered ornamental in the usual horticultural sense.

The relatively recent interest in revegetation has raised several issues that should be taken into account by nurseries growing plants for restoration. The

Our methods of trying to propagate trees by softwood cuttings utilizes double-layer, inflated polyhouses, 30 × 95 ft with a 2 ft hard sidewall insulated for cold protection. The overhead mist system we use has Eddie mist nozzles, water pressure of approximately 50 psi controlled by a variable timer. The procedure starts with 10 sec of water every four min, depending on the weather. We use well water, approximately 58°F, with a pH of 7.2.

The rooting containers used are 2 3/8 or 3 5/8 in. "Anderson" bottomless tree pots placed directly on plastic net floor covering, over well-drained sand. The rooting medium is a peat and perlite (1: 1, v/v) mixture. The peat is steam-sterilized, then mixed with the perlite.

The floor and the pots are treated with Physan before the pots are lined out to receive

Veierskov, et al. (9) found no apparent correlation between C/N ratio and root number in the cuttings, when using seedlings with different reserve nutrients and growing the plants under different light levels. However, altering the environment under which plants are grown, may also change important growth stimulants which makes it difficult to distinguish between the role of carbohydrates and the environmental impact. By use of pea plants with genetic lesions in their photosynthetic apparatus, it was possible to grow the plants under identical environment, and obtain plants

Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Donn ex Smith), a valuable hardwood restricted to Western Australia, provides two-thirds of the sawn timber from the State. Natural stands have been badly affected by dieback caused by the soil fungus Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands (5). It is suspected that a low, but significant number of jarrah plants may show resistance to the disease. If lines of jarrah known to be resistant were available, they could be used to replant "graveyard" areas where the disease has killed virtually all jarrah, and in reafforestation after bauxite mining.

Clones have been raised from mature trees which have survived in graveyard areas, using nodal explants from the crown of the trees. Some clonal lines showed a level of resistance to the disease (1), but the tissue culture process was very difficult. Branches from the crowns of the trees were hard to surface sterilize, shoot multiplication rate was low, shoots did not root until after a prolonged period (3)

The development of any novel or improved technology would be incomplete without extensive comparisons to pre-existing technology. For novel methods of propagating ornamental plants this comparison typically starts in the research phase with comparisons of rooting, establishment, and survival percentages. Yet, ultimately, the comparison ends on the accountant's desk, where the costs incurred in each propagation method are balanced with the revenue returned from each plant sold.

At Cornell University we have worked for the last eight years on improving and testing methods for increasing the success of softwood cutting propagation. We have focused on improved stem banding methods and stock plant etiolation schedules which extend the production season in northern climates by moving stock plants indoors early in the year. We have applied stock plant etiolation and stem banding with success to nearly 60 ornamental tree species and cultivars (12). These methods consistently

In earlier years, those involved with plant propagation and other skilled horticultural occupations in the United States were mostly immigrants from Europe. In Europe, practical horticultural knowledge had evolved through the ages by trial and error and was handed down from one generation to the next. The skill and ability that propagators had was acquired through long apprenticeships which usually started when they were young boys. Craftsmanship which they had to offer was usually basic in aspect, highly work intensive, but productive.

Much of the great progress in plant propagation made during recent years can be credited directly to this great organization, The International

As part of the IPM project, we also conduct experiments to provide additional information about the management of key pests.

The major commercial nematode is currently named Steinernema carpocapsae, first collected and described in both the United States and Czechoslovakia in 1954. It has also recently been called S. feltiae, and Neoaplectana carpocapsae. The name S. feltiae has now been assigned to what used to be known as S. bibionis, so the distinction is important.

More than 20 years ago, the decline of dairy farming in our region was becoming obvious. And because our business was expanding rapidly, we were forced to search for new sources of organic material to supplement the declining supplies of cow manure, our primary soil additive. Every B&B plant we harvested from our land took with it some of our topsoil; without the addition of new organic matter to each field before replanting, our already thin New England soils would soon consist largely of clay or gravel and consequently be of

While an important part of the over-wintering process, bubble-pac is not an answer in and of itself. Effective overwintering of cuttings can only be accomplished by efforts having been started during the spring and summer. Several principles should be followed to insure effective overwintering of cuttings with a minimum of losses. At Moon Nurseries the methods used are as follows:

1. Cuttings should be taken as early as possible with an emphasis placed on cold-sensitive plants such as Viburnum

The main reason we experimented without dipping cuttings in a hormone was to reduce labor cost in the planting of cuttings. Without having to dip cuttings, we figured we would spend about 20 to 30% more time planting instead of dipping cuttings. There is also a cost savings in the amount of IBA that is used.

Our process to determine if a cutting gets dipped or not is fairly simple. Any new taxa, on which we do not have information are all dipped the first year. The second year, a small trial of undipped cuttings is tried. If that is successful, the third year we do a larger trial; up to 25 to 50%. After the third year, if we feel comfortable with our trial results, we do not dip that plant.

There are some other factors you might want to consider when dipping cuttings. If

At this point I would like to explain a physical property of all liquids called surface tension. This is a property of liquids that tends to draw the surface molecules together, thereby forming droplets. Also surface tension holds droplets together to somewhat resist the forces of

We use ours for at least two things: 1) as a covering for our summer softwood cutting propagation beds and, 2) to provide extra overwintering protection for softwood cuttings and small potted plants in flats in polyhouses, without the use of heaters. Instead of just discarding the poly that comes off our overwintering houses, we save it. We cut it into two pieces which are 12 x 100 ft. by slicing it lengthwise down the center with a knife before the poly is removed from the houses. Then we remove each piece, fold, and tie it into small bundles, and store it out of the sun.

Later in June, July, and August when it is time to root cuttings, we pull out a sheet of poly and after the cuttings are stuck into sand beds we cover them with white poly and

Our past International President, Mike Dunnett, recently spoke at a U.K. Conference on this very issue, whilst our present International President, Elton Smith, has identified this issue as one of the major challenges. I have had the opportunity of working in many countries with the nursery industry and the picture is the same in any country. We do not seem to be attracting the young propagators in the numbers we require and we are, in some areas, such as budding and grafting, losing the skills of propagation.

Firstly, we should ask ourselves why we are not attracting young people into propagation. The answer seems to be

Our product at D&B Plants consists of 127 taxa of woody ornamental plants, vegetatively propagated by cuttings. These cuttings are rooted under intermittent mist in either sand beds or plug trays, and then transplanted into 2½ in. peat or 4 in. plastic pots. They are then overwintered for spring shipping.

Our overwintering practices encourage plants to acclimate naturally until late November in southeastern Michigan. Then the 14 × 96 ft hoop houses are covered with two layers of clear 4- mil plastic. We are emphatic about the use of clear plastic for most of our plant material. Extended periods of humid, cloudy weather raise havoc with plants susceptible to fungal problems under white poly. The accelerated growth achieved under clear plastic also seems to give our liners an

We do not have a pad and fan system for summer cooling and began to reason that our timing for cuttings (June through July) coupled with the heat at that time of year was directly linked to our rooting problems. Since heat, mist, soil mix, and rooting hormones were working with the other plants, we decided it was time to rethink the situation in regards to the mentioned plants and their cultivars.

What we decided to do was not revolutionary to our industry. In fact, it was very simple; we had overlooked the obvious. We had overlooked an established

One of the biggest pest control problems for the nurseries is weeds. Weed control must be properly addressed if quality plant material is going to be produced.

Post-plant weed control is then the primary concern. It should be noted that what is done to a field before the nursery crop is planted can pay big dividends after the crop is in.

I will discuss both pre-and post-plant weed control and how they work together for good weed control. Also, I hope to convey the need for means other than chemicals for a complete control program.

While post plant weed control is the major concern, what we do to the nursery fields, pre-plant is also very important. Good cultural practices on unplanted nursery fields will do much toward long term weed control. A program of cover cropping, along with the use of post emergence weed control

Let me start with a brief review of defoliation in propagation and in the storage of rooted cuttings in heated houses. All of the genus Ilex, be it I. opaca, I. crenata, or I. × meservae, are sensitive to buildup of ethylene in closed structures, which is the actual culprit that causes the leaf drop. The problem usually shows up beginning in November through December when the heated houses receive only occasional ventilation. To prevent this problem we have moved the propagation of the Meserve hollies back from October to

Sweetgum is commonly propagated by seed, but genetic variation and seed source variation make sexual propagation less than ideal in many instances. When asexual propagation must be used to propagate any of the numerous sweetgum cultivars, propagators usually have to employ grafting onto seedling rootstocks, since cutting propagation is rarely viable on a

The committee received six excellent applications and had a difficult time selecting the single grant application to receive the award. If your grant was not the one selected, I encourage you to resubmit it this year. I would encourage all members to submit proposals they believe of interest to plant propagators. The application form is only one page and the value of the 1991 grant is $4,000.

This year's Research Grant has been awarded to Dr. Patricia S. Halloway, Associate Professor of Horticulture, University of Alaska at Fairbanks. Dr. Halloway's proposal is titled: Vegetables Propagation of the lingonberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea.

I had an opportunity to meet Dr. Halloway in November at the American Society for Horticulture Science meeting in Tucson, Arizona. She was

The two crops to be discussed in this paper are apple (Malus), and chestnut (Castanea). Both are deciduous and are grown in the cooler regions of Australia.

The public demand for the fruits of these crops has a direct effect on the nursery production of the trees. Should a particular cultivar of apple or chestnut become hard to sell in the market place then the grower will cease to produce the fruit and demand for the nursery-grown trees will diminish. It is important, therefore, that the growers and the nurseries communicate with one another for future requirements.

Both apples and chestnuts are introduced crops to Australia, and are basically of European origin. Since the introduction of apples there has been a number of chance seedling cultivars discovered throughout the production regions.

Today and throughout the 90's the introduction of new cultivars, particularly in apples, is going to be of great importance to the nursery industry. Breeding programmes are carried

Fellows of the Region are to be recognized for outstanding contributions to plant propagation in one or more areas. These include leadership in plant propagation in industry or in the areas of teaching, research, or extension activities related to plant propagation. Contributions to Region functions are also considered.

Recipients of the Fellow Award must be active members of the Eastern Region with at least 10 years of membership. Any Eastern Region member may make one or more nominations of an individual(s) for the award.

Tonight it is my pleasure to present the first class of Fellows of the Eastern Region—International Plant Propagators' Society.

Our first award recipient is Dr. Len Stoltz. In the academic area Len has taught plant

Wayne was born in Missouri on January 13, 1936, and obtained his education in the "show me" state. He received his BS degree, majoring in horticulture, from the University of Missouri in June, 1958. Since being a student at the University of Missouri, Wayne has continued to support education at the college level. He has been the University coordinator for the Missouri

At Twixwood Nursery we prefer vegetative cutting techniques as a method of maintaining cultivars or superior strains. This gives us control over inventory and allows us to increase numbers quickly either by maintaining adequate stock plantings or by late winter forcing of containerized material for cuttings.

In order to obtain a high quality product we strive to take our cuttings from pest and disease free stock. We also strive to provide a clean work area as well as treat our propagation houses with Green Shield™

‘Wichita Blue’ is a consistently good performer, disease and drought resistant, full in form, and exceptional in colour. This plant is always in demand, a classic blue upright juniper. We like to field-grow this plant to perfection.

Following is our procedure for the propagation of J. scopolorum ‘Wichita Blue’.

Timing and selection. On November 20th, select 8 to 12 in. shoots from vigorous 2-year field-grown plants, containing new hard juvenile growth always dark at the base for 3 to

Photomorphogenetic effects of certain light spectral bands are mediated by pigments such as phytochrome, blue, and near UV photoreceptors. The physiological processes that underlie in vitro photomorphogenetic effect expression may be various but strictly connected to the degree of tissue differentiation. When microcuttings, shoot apexes, and leaves are concerned these processes involve mainly apical dominance physiology, dormancy induction, and/or bud opening and root induction and formation. With undifferentiated tissue such as callus, cells, or protoplasts we may obtain induction and formation of organs such as roots and shoots and somatic embryos.

Because of different protocols and methodologies among

MODERATOR SHUGERT: How do you root Picea glauca "Conica"?

DAVE BAKKER: I presented a paper on that in a earlier meeting. [EDITOR'S NOTE: See volume 33:415-417 for details].

MODERATOR SHUGERT: Has anyone had much success rooting beech cuttings?

BRIAN MAYNARD: We have successfully rooted beech using our etiolation technique. [EDITOR'S NOTE: See volume 36:599-604 for details].

MODERATOR SHUGERT: Proplyene glycol, recreational-vehicle water system antifreeze, has been recommended as a carrier for IBA in the previous 2 years' meetings. I found that one brand, "Easy Going RV Antifreeze". is 75% water (even though the list of ingredients doesn't list it). It also has potassium hydrogen phosphate and a pink dye. I am sure that other brands are also full of unwanted materials. Before using RV antifreeze I recommend that it be cleaned up by distillation

We believe ‘Whitestone’ to be hardy in Zone 5b and 5a with protection. The plant is a strong grower with a medium to tall bushy habit. Leaves are large, medium green. Flowers are full hose-in-hose pure white with light greenish throat

Chemical control of pests and diseases is being questioned increasingly as people pay more attention to their health and the environment. Previously accepted chemicals for the control of particular problems are now being questioned, re-tested, and withdrawn from usage in many instances.

Consequently there is a growing need to find—or return to— alternative methods of protecting plants against pests and diseases.

Grafting scion cultivars onto rootstocks has been a common practice in fruit and ornamental

The project evolved after trips to Europe and the U.S.A. revealed a strong interest in Australian daisies for use as "indoor potted colour" and "balcony plants," as well as for landscape use.

Traditionally, daisies such as chrysanthemum and gerbera have been amongst the top four sellers in both the pot-plant and the cut-flower markets throughout the world. Australian daisies are quite different from these and their unique nature, beauty, and suitability for pot culture have particularly excited overseas growers. For example, Prof. W.U. von Hentig of the Geisenheim Institute in West Germany has developed a form of Brachyscome multifida for the European market and this plant now commands sales of about 6,000,000 units per annum in that market place.

Plant breeders in Holland, Germany, and the U.S A. are

It is generally regarded that any species of a Western Australian wildflower will only flower for a short time but, within a single species, there may be many hundreds of variations of flowering times. Flower colour, foliage, and the size of the plant will also vary. In most books reference is made to a species flowering at a certain time, but a knowledgeable plant person would know that by selecting from a wide area on which a species grows the variations can be great. To a nurseryman, landscape architect, botanist, horticulturist, or cut flower grower, a more accurate flowering time is important.

Many species have plants in the wild that flower at different times, and if one makes many visits into the field and observes

Both of these methods have disadvantages. Plants grown in containers have problems. Because of the higher aeration levels at the outside of the container, 80% of the roots occur in a sheath near the container wall, with the remainder of the soil acting as ballast.

The size of a container limits growth, the stock must either be sold, be re-potted, or be thrown away when roots become too limited. The third option is rarely taken due to the high cost of production of advanced trees.

The other method of growing advanced trees is in the ground, and this method has been used since man first grew trees.

Even though this method results in a tree with good vigour and root growth, there are several

Kangaroo paws occur naturally only in the southwest part of Western Australia. They are fairly new to cultivation, only having become widely grown since the 1970's, but they are now grown in many countries and are now well established in the international cut flower trade. They are also being sold as container plants and used in landscaping and amenity horticulture.

Kangaroo paws have bizarre, colourful, uniquely beautiful bird-pollinated flowers that are covered in a velvety "fur" which, together with the strange, but attractive shape of the inflorescence, makes them a widely appreciated and highly desirable plant to grow. Growing kangaroo paws has not always been easy, many species are difficult to grow from seed and many species are short-lived and are also subject to attack by debilitating fungal diseases that usually prove to be fatal in susceptible species. Long-lived hybrids have been developed that have good resistance to the fungal diseases and

When the anthers ripen first it is known as protandry, and when the stigma is receptive first, it is known as protogyny. The carnation is protandrous as the pollen is mature when the flower opens.

When breeding anything, whether it is plant or animal it is generally accepted that the final result will be as in nature, that is the strongest will be more dominant and eventually the most successful. So the first lesson comes from nature.

Selection for breeding. When selecting carnations for breeding, pick strong and vigorous plants. Usually the pollen-bearing male plants contribute more to the physical make up than the female plants, but they both contribute to the progeny.

The things to look at in carnation parent stock are:

1. resistance to disease, particularly rust.
2. a strong and lengthy stem.
3. a flower to look you

The flora of Western Australia is diverse and unusual, ranging from the spectacular to the seemingly mundane. Sandplain and forest areas north and south of Perth, respectively, support over 8000 plant species, with perhaps another 1000 yet to be described.

Commercial plantings of Australian native plants in a row crop situation began in the early 1980's mainly in response to increasing export demand for species not widely distributed in the bush. In Western Australia, the area of native plants under cultivation has increased from 20 ha in 1980 to approximately 1080 ha in 1988 (9).

The area of South African proteas planted in Western Australia has also increased substantially, from virtually nil in 1983 to over 200 ha in 1988 (9).

Weed control in cultivated native plants and proteas is essential for optimum plant growth and flower yield. Weed control in native plants was not required when the flowers and foliage were being harvested from the bush. However, successful

Today we are going to take a look at its origins… who conceived it, who gave it life, energy, direction, and character.

At that first organizational meeting at Asilomar on October 14, 1960, the discussion was lively and sometimes even a bit heated. Fred Real and I remember it well even though we were mere boys at the time.

To better understand the seriousness of the discussions it is necessary to take a look at the origins of the Plant Propagators Society itself. The forward to Volume I of the Proceedings of the first meeting in 1951 reveals the following: that an earlier propagators' society went out of existence back in 1934. The depression and the lack of experienced propagators who were willing to share information caused it to fail. But this need still existed and the thought of reviving the

The California horticulture industry, which includes general ornamentals: shade, fruit, nuts and vines, potted plants, cut flowers, bedding plants, and others, is a billion dollar farm gate value industry. It ranks number 4 or 5 following livestock, dairy, and hay. It is difficult to assess its ranking at the retail level as there are no means of accumulating this data.

Though the industry enjoys its share of "corporate giants" the nursery industry is primarily sole ownership although there are many

The British, who have had a similar problem, have begun to solve it through the formation in 1979 of the National Council for the

Alfred Fordham, former propagator at the Arnold Arboretum near Boston is Mr. Plant Propagator and will always be known by that title, I am sure. During all the years that he was with the Arnold Arboretum, Alfred shared his knowledge with any and all who asked for his help and was on the other end of the telephone when anyone called for his assistance. (Just think what we could have done with a Fax machine and Alfred!!) He is among those who have presented many papers to the International Plant Propagator's Society, and, though he has been retired for some time, is still willing to talk with new members as well as old friends on

The cold frames were 150 cm wide. At the lower end they were 20 cm high and at the upper end 30 cm. high. They were covered by glass windows 100 cm in width. The length of the frames could be variable. Every 100 cm a wooden lath was nailed like a cross beam to the frames, to give them stability and to support the windows. At that time all our frames were made of wood.

In the bottom of the cold frames first came a layer of horse manure (to provide the heating), which was covered with sifted

As Western Nursery Specialist for the United States Department of Agriculture—Forest Service, one of my primary responsibilities is to provide technology transfer to forest nurseries in the western United States. "Technology transfer" is one of those terms that is widely-used, but can be most practically defined as the sharing of information. The motto of the International Plant Propagators' Society—"To Seek and to Share"—is an excellent example of technology transfer in action.

Technology can be transferred in a variety of different ways ranging from individual personal contacts, such as telephone inquiries and nursery visits, to group approaches, which include workshops and publications (Table 1). All of these technology transfer methods can be effective, but I have found that they are not equally efficient in terms of specialist-to-user time. Nursery visits are one of the best ways to provide technology transfer because they

Although none of the new diseases reported here are as potentially threatening overall as a problem such as the ash white fly, to individual growers they can be a serious problem.

Anigozanthos spp. are interesting Australian plants grown for cut-flowers and recently as a potted plant. Following its introduction into California for cut-flower production,

Ficus species are tropical woody shrubs and trees that play a significant role as interior foliage plants. It is estimated that some 20,000,000 Ficus plants are produced annually in the U.S. for interior use. Size ranges from large-scale trees to small containers with either single or multiple stems. The bulk of U.S. production is currently being done in south Florida

Curtain systems have been used for environmental control in greenhouses for over 10 years. When they were originally installed, their main function was either:

Over the last 10 years, there has been a dramatic improvement in the level of environmental control that can now be achieved in a greenhouse with environmental control curtain systems. This is due mostly to improvements in:

1. the curtain system fabric, which provides better cooling and greater heat savings at night.
2. more dependable curtain system mechanics; i.e. systems that can be automatically controlled so that an operator does not need to be present to monitor the movement of the system.
3. more sophisticated controls for the curtain systems, i.e. computers.
4. growers now having a better understanding of how to use the curtain systems to maximize environmental control and consequently their crop

Severe pruning and proximity to roots are known to influence the rooting potential of shoots (5) and stool beds have been used to provide a source of apple shoots that result from both very severe pruning and a close proximity to roots (7).

The

Phytophthora diseases of citrus (gummosis, root rot) attack the root system and/or the trunk. Depending on soil, moisture conditions, and treatment, the affected tree may die quickly, or make periodic attempts at regrowth. Contaminated citrus seed can be a source of Phytophthora infection. The extracted seed needs to be heat-treated in agitated water at 52° C (127° F) for 10 min. The seed is then dusted with a protective fungicide and stored in poly bags at 30° to 7° C (35° to 45° F).

Growing media used in the

Carica pentagona belongs to the same group of plants as the papaya. It has a thick, fleshy trunk. Its leaves and fruit alike are held on stalks from the trunk. The plant itself looks very tropical with its heavy green trunk and palm-like foliage. It grows as a single trunk unless pinched or nipped by a heavy frost. It then becomes multiple, having as many as four or five trunks. Although it seems very tropical, when grown properly, Carica pentagona seldom dies from a winter freeze in Southern California. More than likely problems will be related to heavy soil or excessive moisture in the winter months.

Unlike most tropical papayas, Carica pentagona does not need male and female plants and requires no cross pollination. The small fruits are already set as the flower opens. Ripe fruit can reach a weight of up to six or seven pounds. It can be left on the plant to ripen, or picked when the fruit just begins to turn yellow and ripened indoors. Another attribute is that the

Plants are rooted from cuttings to preserve the genetic (clonal) characteristics, is a fast method of increase, is relatively cheap, and is relatively simple (6). Many plants today are grown from cuttings. Factors affecting the rooting of cuttings fall into three very broad categories; one is the anatomical relationships of where the new (adventitious) roots emerge; another is the physiological or biochemical aspects of the internal workings of the

In 1963 he took a sabbatical leave to obtain his Master's Degree in Agricultural Extension at Purdue University, then returned to Oregon to continue his career and spend more time on nursery and greenhouse programs.

He became Staff Chairman of Marion County

This "Honorary Membership" category is for those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of plant propagation, and who have made equally outstanding contributions to our Society for at least 10 years.

Our Awardee has become a worldwide leader in tissue culture production of woody plants. His research to develop a tissue culture laboratory has set the groundwork for further experimentation and innovation in plant production systems.

Innovation exemplifies his commitment to the future of the nursery industry. He is an excellent reminder that the learning process is not confined within university walls. He has spent a lifetime being inquisitive. If he needed an expert, he found one. He has surrounded himself with strong young minds full of new ideas.

Development of the

Western Samoa is an independent Republic about the size of Rhode Island. It is located half way between Hawaii and New Zealand 300 miles south of the equator. There are two major islands; it has a population of 163,000, imports are $38 million and exports are 17 million in U.S. dollars. The per capita income is $616 US and there is a literacy rate of 99 %. It is a truly tropical island with a rainfall of over 100 in., most of which comes between October and June.

With the stream bed dry and no piped water in the 11 acre Botanic Garden when we arrived, I turned to my second objective—that of training workers. Even though the Samoans depend on their agriculture,

With support from the B.C. Nursery Trades Association, the Botanical Garden was fortunate in receiving funding of $136,000 (Can.) for a three year project, commencing in 1988, to systematically collect plants showing potential from various areas in the Province. This funding came from

While there have been many advances in virus detection over the years, the methods for detecting bacterial and fungal pathogens are much the same today as they were 100 years ago. Detection usually involves some form of culture-indexing, which can be slow, and may require both specialized laboratory facilities and personnel skilled in taxonomic identifications. These constraints have limited the effort and success of screening programs for

Western Australia has over 350 species of native orchids (1) and all are terrestrial with the exception of two epiphytic species, found only in the Kimberly area. The majority of these 350 species are found in the southwest corner of the state. The flowers of terrestrial orchids are usually smaller and more delicate than those of the more commonly cultivated exotic epiphytes, but have a wide variety of form and colour. Many, such as the Thelymitra, Diuris and Caladenia, would make attractive horticultural subjects. Unlike the epiphytic orchids, which are an important part of the floriculture industry, terrestrial orchids have not been commercially exploited to any significant degree. Potential growers have probably been discouraged by both the lack of efficient propagation methods and the long dormancy period.

In order to survive hot, dry summers terrestrial orchids have evolved a deciduous growth cycles (Figure 1) and spend 4 to 6 months of the driest part of the year as

Since the latter part of the 1970s, scientists have proposed that genetic engineering, based on the new recombinant DNA technology, would have a profound impact on plant breeding. Indeed, even more today than a decade ago, technological advances in the field of plant molecular biology make it possible to consider seriously the role molecular genetic techniques will play in commercial breeding programs. This paper presents a brief review of plant breeding strategies and discusses the feasibility of incorporating recombinant DNA technology into conventional plant breeding programs.

The majority of the work reported here took place at Tree of Life Nursery, which produces about 300 species of California native plants for both horticultural and revegetation purposes.

With the revegetation plants, especially, we are concerned that they leave the nursery in a condition that will allow them to survive the rigorous conditions of a land restoration job. Those conditions include no irrigation except natural rainfall, little or no fertilization, and minimal help against weeds and herbivorous animals. For that reason we have established a program of inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi.

I hope to cover three areas: what we expected of tissue culture, what we thought we were getting, and what we really got.

The 1960's saw a dramatic conquest of the major problems confronting orchid propagation. The orchids were slow to propagate vegetatively and were almost universally infected with viruses that caused a dramatic shortening of the shelf life of the flowers. Morel (6) described the methods for producing virus-free Cymbidium orchids and how to use tissue culture for clonal propagation of orchids. Scully (10) described clonal propagation of Phalaenopsis. Sagawa and Shoji (9) described clonal propagation of Dendrobiums. Scully (10) wrote about meristem culture of Cattleya orchids.

So here, after decades of steady but slow improvement in vegetative orchid propagation, tissue culture burst on the scene successfully. Where did this put our expectations? Why, we were

Palms are arborescent or shrubby monocots. Related plants in this monocot group are plant families such as the bamboos and grasses, bananas, strelitzeas, aroids, and lilies. In addition to their ornamental value, palms are very important economically in the world. Coconut and African oil palms are widely grown for their tropical oils and other food products. Date palms are grown for their production of the edible date fruit. Many new palm plantations have recently been established in tropical areas for the production of hearts of palms, a gourmet delicacy.

The creation of the Research Centre for Ornamental Plants marked a new era in the history of cultivation of ornamental plants in Belgium. This Centre is an amalgamation of three experimental gardens: for Floriculture, Nursery Stock, and Cut Flowers. The Experimental Horticultural Station B.V.O., established at Wetteren (Ghent) in 1954, now also forms part of the Centre. The Research Centre for Ornamental Plants is situated in Destelbergen (Ghent), right at the heart of the ornamental plant-growing region. Both the amalgamation and the location of the Centre have enhanced its function as a research and information agency, improving the two-way flow if ideas.

On 1 October 1988, one year after building work began, the buildings and facilities of the Ornamental Plant Research Centre were ready for occupation. On 16 September 1989, the Research Centre was officially opened. The Ministry of Agriculture, the Flemish executive, and the Growers Association itself have all made

Two difficult stages in the production of micropropagated roses are weaning and growing-on. This paper will discuss how we at Micropropagation Services carry out the weaning and some of the recommendations we make following trials on the growing on of young plants. I will also discuss some of the problems of weaning and growing-on and how to overcome them.

Soil Structure. Before starting to produce a crop of roses the first thing to note is the possible soil structure that a field can offer. I like to take a sample of soil from an uncultivated area, which can usually be found in a corner of a field, and compare it with that found well out into the field. Usually there is a noticeable difference. For instance, on many clay-based soils the particles are much more compacted in the middle of the field compared with the edge. Soil structure is a very important factor and can influence the cultivation, as well as the quality of crop.

Cultivation. The primary operation has to be sub-soiling followed by ploughing. As an alternative a digging machine can be used. These machines are non-rotary in action. Their digging action completely

In a second experiment, Banksia ericifolia seedlings were grown in a pine bark/peat mix amended with seven levels of Fe, added as ferrous sulfate, and seven levels of P, added as single superphosphate Shoots at 12 weeks ranged in colour from dark green at the highest levels of Fe combined with the lowest levels of P, to yellow and/or dead at the lowest levels of Fe combined with the highest levels of P.

Guidelines for interpretation of analytical data for potting media to be used for growing "P-sensitive" plants are given.

The name "County Series" has been given to a group of repeat flowering cultivars of ground cover roses. As a result of their repeat flowering nature they are much less vigorous than existing cultivars, such as ‘Max Graf’ and ‘Pheasant’. This makes the "County Series" roses much more suitable for small gardens and container growing for garden centre sales. Each British county has its own distinct character as does each of the "County Series" roses.

Flowering from June to October on their own roots, sucker-free, pest and disease resistant and hardy, "County Series" roses have characteristics and a colour range that were not available in existing ground cover cultivars.

Planting distances depend upon the cultivar, but range between 45 cm centres for R. ‘Rutland’ and 75 cm centres for R. ‘Surrey’. Petals drop cleanly so dead heading is not necessary. A light trim during the autumn and winter can be carried out to keep the plants tidy.

There are

My interest in roses dates back to the beginning of the 1960s. It was by chance that I came in contact with the families, Dickson and McGredy. The work in rose breeding of these two families held a very particular fascination for me and, in all fairness, I must admit it was they who inspired me to take up rose breeding. They taught me a great deal during our many discussions and they quite often made it clear that the breeding of roses was not just a simple matter of putting pollen on stigmas, but rather, involved the building of a line toward a specific goal. In addition, I was assured that the breeding of roses would be an

The British Association of Rose Breeders (B.A.R.B.) is a non-profit association whose aim is:

1. To license growers to propagate protected rose cultivars for sale and administer and monitor the numbers being grown.
2. To collect royalties on behalf of rose breeders and/or their agents.
3. To represent members' interests in all matters appertaining to Plant Breeders' Rights.
4. To promote "New Roses".

After Plant Breeders' Rights were introduced in 1964 individual rose breeders licensed certain rose growers to propagate their new roses but this was found to be inefficient and expensive for both breeders and growers alike. It also had the disadvantage of different systems being operated by different breeders and, more particularly, did not promote the growing of the newer roses.

In the winter of 1972 a number of breeders joined together. The group included those well known names, Jack Harkness, Pat Dickson, and the late Alec Cocker and, after a great deal of

The only countries of the South American continent having a climate comparable with that of Britain and Ireland are Argentina and Chile. Garden-worthy plants from these two countries have found their way into British gardens through the implacable efforts of intrepid botanists and horticulturists, such as the Victorian plant collector, William Lobb, who pioneered the introduction of some of the most noteworthy plants from temperate South America. Latterly, Harold Comber, who made several extended visits during the 1930s, not only reintroduced many of William Lobb's

The Material. Rockwool is a uniform growing material made from melted volcanic rock spun into fibres. It is inert and free from pests and diseases. In the same way as peats vary in their water:air holding characteristics so do different rockwools. Only Grodan rockwool is discussed here. This material has been used as a medium for the production of cut roses and salad crops for over 15 years.

Grodan SBS offers the potential for improved rooting percentages, faster rooting, and easier potting along with easier management. Because Grodan SBS is propagation block and carrying tray in one, this cuts out the labour input, machinery costs, and management time involved in organising the mixing of media and filling of trays with loose fill

Each year 20 plants of each cultivar are taken out of the saleable stock and potted up into 2 litre pots. The other stock plants are then potted up a size, that is, 2 litre into 4 litre; 4 litre into 6 litre; 6 litre into 7.5 litre; 7.5 litre into 10 litre. This ensures a steady turnover of stockplants and generates good, young vigorous cuttings. These stockplants are housed in a ventilated polytunnel on a capillary bed. This keeps the foliage dry which prevents Botrytis infection and prevents watersplash and the transfer of Rhizoctonia.

The plants are sprayed fortnightly with fungicide; alternately with Rovral and Elvaron. Stockplants are regularly trimmed to prevent their producing too many flowers. Too much flowering tends to mean harder

This presentation does not claim to solve the problems of in vitro reproduction of waterlilies (Nymphaea spp.), but I hope that it will provide an insight into the need to develop such a technique and give some indication of progress so far. The work that I and my colleagues have undertaken only refers to the Nymphaea subgenus, Chamaenymphaea — the hardy waterlilies.

The production of aquatic plants is one of the fastest growing areas in decorative horticulture in Europe, Australasia, and North America. It is estimated that 1.5 million households in the UK have garden ponds (3) and that the UK market in waterlilies is approximately 500,000 plants each year. Home production accounts for about 50%, the remainder being imported from continental Europe and Japan Waterlilies require specialised production and are high value plants retailing between £4.25 and £60.00 each, the average selling price being about £12 00.

Crown rot disease has devastated many UK stocks in recent

The genus is divided into two subgenera: Magnolia, comprising mainly American species and the later-flowering species from Japan and China, and Yulania, comprising all the precocious flowering species that make such a brilliant contribution to spring gardens in Britain. All the species of the Yulania subgenus are worthwhile from a horticultural viewpoint and will provide the main focus for this paper.

The Yulania subgenus is divided into sections as follows:

Nearly all these are cultivars of H. × intermedia, the hybrid between H. mollis (Chinese witch hazel) and H. japonica (Japanese witch hazel). Several have originated in the Kalmthout Arboretum in Belgium, but others have been raised in England, Germany, Denmark, USA, and Japan.

A number of selections of the North American species, H. vernalis, (Ozark witch hazel) have also appeared during recent years. With, perhaps, one or two exceptions,

The significant conclusions developed by these groups are given in the papers that follow.

Australian Cyperaceae (sedges) and Restionaceae (rushes) are important components of the Western Australian cutflower industry. They are used fresh, dry, and dyed as greens or as fillers in dry floral arrangements. One species, Ecdeiocolea monostachya (Ecdeiocoleaceae) is also being examined for fibre extraction. Most plant product is collected from the wild or from semi-managed wild stands usually on private land. The total Western Australian production of these plants for local consumption and export is 3 to 4 million stems annually and is set to increase.

Twenty species (representing 2% of the 391 species of rushes and sedges native to Western Australia) have been utilised with 12 species used intensively. The main eastern Australian species used are: Caustis blakeii and Restio tetraphyllus, and important Western Australian taxa are Caustis dioica (and morphs), Leptocarpus scariosus, Evandra spp., Mesomelaena spp. and Restio ustulatus. A number of other taxa show

Collection. For the indigenous species, Betula pendula and B. pubescens, it was noted that collection from sources with a similar latitude to the final planting site was best because their growth pattern depends closely on the day length of their provenance. Seed collection allows for the introduction of Asiatic and North American species from known provenances in the wild permitting botanic gardens to build up a better picture of their variability and distribution. It is important not to collection seed from the various exotic species growing in parks, arboreta, etc. As a wind-pollinated genus, hybridization between species regularly occurs.

Seed treatments. Birch seed does not store well and rapidly loses viability, but as collection is easily accomplished each year, this is not a problem.

Germination percentages are much improved with a two or three week cold, moist stratification at 0 to 1 ° C. Naked stratification leads to problems with aeration, so it is

Seed propagation is used for wild-collected seed, for the production of understocks, for some species where the likelihood of cross pollination is not great, and for intended hybridization programmes.

Gathering seed is a problem with large plants so long arm pruners, or even shotguns are used. The time of ripening needs to be known so that seed can be collected before it has dispersed.

Seed must be extracted from the fruiting cones and the fleshy outer covering must also be removed. This is easily done by fermentation in a plastic bag and then extracted by maceration and flotation. Once extracted, the seed must be prevented from drying out by mixing with a moist medium.

The seed needs a cold period of two to three months at 0 to 1 ° C to overcome dormancy conditions so that germination can be obtained.

Because of their value, the seeds are best sown after pretreatment either into trays and pricked out later, or directly into liner-sized containers.

1. Sell, offer or expose for sale, reproductive material of the protected variety.
2. Produce reproductive material of the protected variety for sale.
3. Exercise any further rights specified in the scheme.

At present, Plant Breeders' Rights are only exercised in individual countries. Protection must be taken out separately in each country where it is needed. International rights are controlled by a Convention that meets in Geneva. There are proposals that, by 1992, all countries in the European Community will operate to a common law. This will greatly simplify registration and increase property protection for breeders.

The plant was first recorded by Kirk in 1880 (2), and was then known as Senecio compactus. It is a member of the Asteraceae, the daisy family, one of the largest plant families in the world, with about 25,000 species. There are about 260 species of Asteraceae found in New Zealand (1). Many are woody or semi-woody species. This is unusual as most members of the Asteraceae, elsewhere, are herbaceous. Brachyglottis compacta is a shrub with a soft corky bark less than 2m high, semi-spherical in growth, with grey leaves, which are very hairy underneath. The inflorescences have yellow ray and disc florets.

Seed of Agapanthus praecox ssp. orientalis [syn. A. orientalis] is collected in April (autumn) as soon as the pods start opening. After some drying the seed is roughly cleaned by rubbing and sieving, then sown as soon as possible into trays in a normal seed raising medium. The sown trays are stacked on top of each other, about 15 trays high, with an empty tray on top, on the floor of a house heated to 20° ± 2° C. After 15 days the stack is reversed and any moisture loss corrected. The stack is inspected every second day thereafter with germination

In ornamental horticulture clonal understocks have been used more for convenience than for standardising growth of plants produced, but clonal understocks have long been an integral part of commercial orchard operations. Fruit yield and tree performance can be controlled by understock selection, i.e. apple cultivars can have dwarf, semi-dwarf, or vigorous understocks. It is often more convenient to grow understocks from seed than by vegetative methods. This report discusses the selection of clonal. understocks for Magnolia spp., but the principles can be applied to other genera.

I recall my university days on the subject of "Management" and the process of "Decision Making": Observe, Analyse, Decide, Action. At that time it seemed rather abstract, but now that I am running my own business it is much more real. It made quite an impact on me at that impressionable age. Since then observation has always been an important part of my life. As a plant propagator and retailer, I keep a very large working diary.

The commitment to becoming organic arrived through this observation process about ten years ago when I was foreman on a large orchard. I started thinking about the massive amounts of poisonous sprays that went onto the fruits and into the environment, and the consequences of that. I concluded that we must work towards enhancing and sustaining our world, taking out only what is put back at a renewable pace. If we are not prepared to confront the environmental problems of today they will be visited upon our children.

Somatic embryogenesis has been reported in many plant species, with the earliest in carrot cell cultures over 30 years ago (3). There has been significant progress and many reviews in recent years (5). Woody species often require more complex cultural manipulations than herbaceous species. Reported successes include conifers (e.g. 1, 2,4). Somatic embryogenesis has considerable potential as a basic technique for propagation of conifers. The ability to regenerate large quantities of plantlets or even artificial seeds from somatic embryos from superior trees with desirable traits, such as faster growth, better quality wood, and disease resistance would improve existing reafforestation programmes, and be a major asset to the forest industry.

Somatic embryogenesis is the formation of embryos similar to zygotic (sexual) embryos formed in nature, but initiated from somatic cells rather than zygotic cells. Somatic cells are from the plant body, zygotic cells are from the

Nuytsia floribunda (Labill.) R. Br. is a tree to 15m high or, rarely, a prostrate shrub in coastal areas. (6, 12) Nuytsia is a monotypic genus, and is one of only three root parasites in the mistletoe family Loranthaceae (9). This species is the largest known parasitic flowering plant (10). The distribution of Nuytsia is limited to an area from the Murchison River at the northern tip of the southwest land division of Western Australia, to Israelite Bay in the southeast (9). Nuytsia is renowned for its spectacular displays of orange flowers (14) during the Christmas period, hence the tree's common name of "Christmas Tree". These attributes, together with the fact that the species is virtually unavailable commercially, give the tree great horticultural potential.

Propagation by cuttings is the standard nursery practice for producing large numbers of plants from a species which is difficult or impossible to establish from seed. Although Nuytsia seed is not difficult

Despite the widely publicized advantages of IPM, and the pressure to reduce the use of synthetic pesticides around the globe, many growers still have not accepted that IPM can work for them. Many lack confidence in IPM programmes and quite often they are satisfied with their present chemical control methods. My own experience with IPM has been in controlling two-spotted mite (Tetranychus urticae), or TSM for short

In the winter of 1982 we leased a greenhouse that had several large specimen plants permanently planted in it. There were cultivars of Ficus, Schefflera, Codiaeum, and some palms. Within a few weeks we realised that we had inherited a healthy collection of assorted pests, namely, mealy bug, aphids, and TSM.

A routine spray programme soon had the situation under control through spring and early summer, or so I thought

I am regularly asked to comment and advise on why people's plants are not growing well, and what we use in the nursery to get our plants to grow. We even sell our blend of fertiliser to the general public in an effort to assist. Modern high-quality, blended, slow release fertilisers have taken much of the skill away from the art of plant nutrition. If a plant does not grow well with a handful of Osmocote, Nutricote, Magamp, or whatever, then it is declared impossible to grow, which is indeed unfortunate.

The correct use of fertiliser in plant nutrition is the difference between complete success and total crop failure. I am convinced the average nursery could double its output with correct plant nutrition. Nearly all fungal and bacterial diseases are a result of poor nutrition. The first sign that all is

Four test plants were selected that varied in growth habit and ultimate use. Boronia heterophylla and Leucodendron were selected as cut flower crops and Abelia grandiflora and Metrosideros excelsa were used to represent hedging plants.

Tip cuttings were harvested in mid-autumn when the wood was mature. The cuttings were prepared, dipped in "Seradix" containing 0.1% indolebutyric acid (IBA), then placed in peat:pumice (1:1, v/v), on bottom heat at 21°C under fog. Cuttings of five sizes were used (2,8,14,18 and 27 cm),

There has been little work done on the influence of the time of year cuttings are taken on the rooting of cuttings of New Zealand native plants. Work of Butcher and Wood (1) on the rooting of cuttings of Sophora microphylla ‘Earlygold’, ‘Goldie's Mantle’, and ‘Goldilocks’ showed that certain times of the year were better for propagation purposes than others. After taking cuttings at three to four week intervals for a complete year they showed that approximately 100% rooting could be achieved with these three cultivars by taking semi-hardwood cuttings in June, July, or August (winter). This paper reports our studies on the effect of the time of year on the rooting of cuttings of four other common New Zealand native ornamental plants.

1. Abelia × grandiflora, variegated prostrate form. This beautiful, creamy, variegated, ground-cover abelia is a sport of the cultivar, ‘Sherwoodu’. White blooms in the summer and a prominence of pink-tinted foliage and stems in the winter means this plant is bound for greatness The new growth terminals are also pink Winter hardiness, drought tolerance, and old-time toughness are a few characteristics that are retained in this new cultivar of an old garden heritage This plant will be properly named and patented by Flowerwood Nursery.
2. Ilex crenata ‘Beehive’. This plant was developed by Rutgers University ‘Beehive’ is a small-leaved holly that can be pruned easily to a beehive or pyramidal shape The foliage color is gray-green. Winter was extremely cold last year and this proved to be the most tolerant Ilex crenata that we grow. It is a more attractive specimen than ‘Highlander’ and smaller in nature than ‘Steeds’ holly.
3. Ilex crenata ‘Soft Touch’. ‘Soft Touch’ was found among an assortment of

The landscaping sector of our industry is not greatly affected by new cultivars as it seems to be less imaginative, less likely to innovate and try different plants than are retail consumers. Throughout the South, cultivars that were used en masse 20, ten, and five years ago are basically the same cultivars, that are used today. Kurume azaleas, variegated liriope, dwarf Burford holly, ‘Helleri’ Japanese holly, ‘Compacta’ Japanese holly,

The technique of grafting Australian plants has been used with success where otherwise there have been losses due to:

• disease
• failure of more traditional propagating methods
• a lack of suitable propagating material
• failure due to climatic or soil conditions.

Irrigation at Lancaster Farms is totally automated, which made it very easy for us to try this new concept. We water early in the morning so that we can be finished before crews start their workday. In our old method of irrigation, a four-station program was designed to water each station for 60 min. beginning at 3:00 a.m. At 7:00 a.m. the irrigation was completed for the day. Now we program each of the four stations for 15 min. beginning at 3:30 a.m. They cycle is repeated at 4:45 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Our daily watering is still completed

The serious lack of pesticides registered for use on ornamentals was brought to light in several surveys carried out in 1976–1977 by the American Association of Nurserymen. The surveys disclosed that there were very few pesticide labels available for control of diseases, insects, and weeds in commercially grown ornamental crops, including floral and foliage plants grown in the greenhouse and out-of-doors; woody nursery stock, both container and field grown; shade and flowering trees; and turf and interior landscape plantings.

The National IR-4 Project is a USDA

For fumigation and sterilization of the topsoil beds we use Basamid—a safe, easy-to-use, granular soil fumigant. Basamid controls nematodes, weed seeds, and diseases such as root rot, Phytophthora, Pythium, and Rhizoctonia. The active ingredient in Basamid is dazomet.

Many appealing factors make Basamid our preferred fumigant. No special equipment is necessary such as soil injectors and plastic coverings. You can use equipment you presently have at your nursery. Basamid can be applied at your convenience since Basamid releases and forms a gas only after moisture is applied. This makes it a safe product to use at the time of application.

Opportunities exist for the marketing of many fruit species, but I will limit my discussion here to only small fruits and grapes. This is appropriate since interest among home gardeners is especially high for this group of fruit crops.

Some of the characteristics of small fruits that appeal to home gardeners are: 1) high production in small amounts of space; 2) consistently productive perennials; 3) less pest problems on most than for tree fruits and vegetables; 4) difficult to purchase high

To meet our requirements for a profitable field division a new system must provide the following:

1. Trickle irrigation. Our concern for water runoff, groundwater pollution, and water conservation dictated that any expansion of the nursery utilize the advantages of trickle irrigation.
2. Wind blowover control. We detest performing

What about the spread of destructive exotic pests, such as the imported fire ant, and the resulting quarantines on movement of nursery stock? Would the absence of safe, effective quarantine controls for the fire ant prevent you from shipping your products to many regional or national markets? Or would good-intentioned but poorly thought out safety or environmental protection measures render your business unprofitable?

Following is a summary of the current status of IBA registration and the imported fire ant quarantine, two major issues confronting southern nursery growers, and some suggestions on how we as an industry

More than one billion hectares, or 7.6% of the world's land, consists of salt affected soils (1). Much of this area is naturally occurring saltland, such as mangrove forests, internally draining basins, and floodplains. However, an increasing proportion of land is becoming saline as the result of agricultural practices. In Western Australia about 12 million hectares of land has been classified as salt-affected, of which about 650,000 ha (5 4 %) is induced salinity as a result of artificially high watertables, or as scalds caused by wind and water erosion (4).

Saltland forestry is one of the many strategies proposed for making productive use of salt affected soils. Planting trees is an attractive option because of the primary benefits of salinity control and land reclamation and the secondary benefits of wood products, livestock shelter, windbreaks, and ecological habitat construction. In many developing countries, planting trees on saltland or using saline groundwater to

In the beginning, labor and management needs could be handled by relatively few people. However, as the nursery grew, the need for middle level managers and supervisors arose. Because of the quality of employees already on the nursery, we felt our need could be met through promotion and training from within rather than by hiring outside our employee pool. When considering possible choices, a candidate's job performance, honesty, and level of interest in the nursery in general are of primary importance. Basic plant and nursery skills can be taught later, while the desire to learn and willingness to perform cannot. The ability to complete assigned

Herbs, loosely defined, include plants used in medicine, used for flavorings or seasonings, and for fragrances. Some also include plants used for dried flowers, dyes, or fibers. We feel if we were to look closely enough, most plants would have some type of herbal use. Herbs can be annual, perennial, woody, or herbaceous.

Following are descriptions of some perennial herbs that might be used in the landscape.

Santolina chamaecyparissus — lavender cotton A low-growing shrub that makes an attractive border — it may reach a height of 2 ft. Its silver color makes it a nice contrast plant It grows best in a dry, sunny location and does not do well in humid areas The branches of santolina can be hung in closets to repel moths There are also green-foliaged

A specimen plant with good potential for the southeastern United States is the blue chinafir (Cunninghamia lanceolata ‘Glauca’). This selection of chinafir has a lustrous, glaucous blue foliage and is an excellent accent plant. It has slightly pendulous branches bearing large flat needles that give it an exotic appearance. A tree growing on the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, grounds has survived all adverse weather conditions for the past 20 years, including temperatures as low as -24° F, and has had no insect or disease problems. The blue chinafir is probably a more suitable blue-foliage conifer for the Southeast than either blue spruce or concolor fir, even though it has a somewhat

I believe the North American species of deciduous azaleas are some of the most beautiful of our native plants. Colors can range from white to yellow, orange, red, and pink, with almost any combination in between. Natural and deliberate hybridization have resulted in the availability of many superior forms in terms of bloom size, color, and adaptability.

Propagation is commonly by seed or cuttings. Seed propagation is simple, reliable, and economical, but the resulting offspring will usually be extremely variable. While this is an advantage for the hybridizer looking for new cultivars, it is a disadvantage to a commercial nursery trying to produce a predictable representative of a species.

Seed capsules are collected in the fall as they change from green to brown. They can be dried at room temperature by placing in a paper bag or an open container.

Water recycling is a relatively new factor that can have major implications on plant growth. At a few nurseries this has been a voluntary action (5), at others it has been mandated. Governmental agencies have essentially taken the position that whatever a nursery does to the water they use, they must live with in the future, via collection and recycling.

Four major changes in water occur as a result of collection and recycling. Pathogen populations build up, water chemistry changes, herbicides and weed seeds accumulate.

Pathogens. The pathogens are mostly the water molds Phytophthora, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and others. Because earth is an excellent

Juvenile physiological development. Juvenile growth of plants is physiologically controlled by two principal growth regulator systems. Gibberellins and cytokinins promote cell division and cell elongation while auxins and cytokinins further control growth through apical dominance (8). Other growth-regulating systems exist, but these two should be given prime consideration when explaining root initiation.

Ethylene is known to be an ever-present growth regulator with multiple functions (8). It has an important role in healing, where it is known as wound ethylene (1). In my research, ethylene was released from poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd.,

The big challenge for propagators—in particular, propagation by cuttings—is to control moisture loss from the cuttings during the period of rooting. One of the early approaches to controlling water loss from cuttings was the bell jar. Although it works very well, you have conflicting demands of trying to keep the moisture contained, but at the same time not trapping too much heat from sunlight. As a result, you have to work with shading to keep the temperature under control, but the reduction of light reaching the cuttings reduces photosynthesis, which is essential for the production of carbohydrates and other substances used in root initiation and growth. This

An outstanding member of the Hydrangeaceae family is Schizophragma hydrangeoides. It climbs to 12 m (40 ft) on the bark of trees and bears a mass of creamy-white flowers in July. The reddish new shoots are particularly attractive. Provenances from Japan have shown some interesting variations in foliage color, particularly in the more glaucous-blue colorations. It is effectively propagated from seed following a 10 to 12