The horticultural industry is responsible for approximately half of the invasive plant introductions in North America. To reduce these introductions, voluntary initiatives are preferred over government regulations. This thesis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of two types of voluntary initiatives. At the gardener level, I investigated the effectiveness of alternative species promotion campaigns, called “Grow Me Instead” programs. Adult gardeners visiting the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario, as well as customers at two garden centres, participated in a conjoint analysis which measured their preferences for various traits of potential ground cover species. Results showed that gardeners generally prefer plant species having invasive characteristics, suggesting these programs may not be as effective as initially believed. At the retailer level, this study aimed to build upon the work done by Burt and colleagues (2007) to obtain further understanding of the relative strength of internal (ethical motivations) and external (legislation, stakeholder pressures and economic opportunities) factors for motivating participation in voluntary initiatives. Telephone interviews were conducted with 30 industry professionals from southern Ontario to assess their adoption of the St. Louis Voluntary Codes of Conduct. Results found that participation rates of industry professionals in southern Ontario were lower for every specific initiative than those interviewed by Burt et al. (2007). Industry professionals presently experience the most pressure to participate from a sense of personal responsibility and the desire to create a green business image. Pressure was significantly higher from these sources than from pressure from employees. Together these two studies identified several barriers to the efficacy of voluntary initiatives as well as some reasons for optimism. To ensure the success of future voluntary initiatives, efforts must be made to encourage these two groups to work together. Understanding how both retailers and gardeners respond to voluntary initiatives will assist in the development of more effective programs and lead to fewer horticultural invasive species introductions in the future.

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Am Standort Dresden-Pillnitz wurde von 2009 bis 2011 an neuen Lösungen für eine programmierte Produktion von Pelargonien und Poinsettien geforscht. Ziel war eine verbesserte Nutzung der Steuerungstechnik in den Gewächshäusern für eine energiesparende, umweltfreundliche und sichere Produktion. Mit speziellen Softwarebausteinen auf dem Bedienungs-PC der Gewächshäuser lassen sich 10 bis 20 Prozent Heizenergie und damit CO2-Emissionen einsparen. Weitere Bausteine überwachen die reale Wärme- und Lichtentwicklung und nehmen automatische Anpassungen an die Jahreswitterung vor. Eine mengenbilanzierte Düngung sichert die bedarfsgerechte Nährstoffversorgung für die geplante Pflanzengröße. Die neuen Lösungen verringern den Kontroll- und Bedienaufwand und erhöhen die Kultursicherheit. Für Pelargonien und Poinsettien werden spezielle Kombinationen von Programmbausteinen empfohlen.

An Zierpflanzen im Gewächshaus wurden mengenbilanzierte Düngungsverfahren getestet. Die Düngegaben erfolgten in Wochenportionen per Hand, mit Dosiergeräten, per Düngecomputer oder als Depotdünger. In die Versuche wurden Pelargonien, Sommertopfkulturen im Gewächshaus, Poinsettien und Cyclamen einbezogen. Wochenportionen können nur bei einheitlichen Anbausätzen je Bewässerungseinheit realisiert werden. Der Kostenaufwand bei Depotdünger beträgt das Dreifache gegenüber einer Bewässerungsdüngung. Allerdings sind die Düngeverluste geringer. Mit einer mengenbilanzierten Düngung lassen sich Über- und Unterversorgung der Pflanzen vermeiden.

Salate eignen sich gut für den Anbau im Haus- und Kleingarten. In der Broschüre werden sowohl Standardsorten als auch Wildsalate und seltene Gartensalate aus verschiedenen Pflanzenfamilien vorgestellt. Neben Hinweisen zu Aussaat, Pflanzung, Wasser- und Nährstoffbedarf sind Empfehlungen zur Fruchtfolge, zum Verfrühen und zur Eingliederung in die Mischkultur enthalten. Abgerundet wird die Broschüre durch eine Planungshilfe für den Salatanbau im Freiland.

Von 2003 bis 2011 wurden 65 Apfelsorten und Mutanten im Rahmen einer Sortensichtung am Standort Dresden-Pillnitz getestet, um geeignete Sorten für die notwendige Erneuerung der Sortenstruktur im sächsischen Erwerbsobstbau zu ermitteln. Neben Erhebungen zum Blühverhalten, zum Ertrag, zur Farb- und Größensortierung der Früchte sowie zur Lagerfähigkeit wurden wertgebende Inhaltsstoffe bestimmt und der Geschmack bewertet. Ergänzend dazu erfolgten Kundenbefragungen zum Kaufverhalten. Grenzwerte zur Bestimmung des optimalen Erntetermins von bekannten und neuen Sorten wurden aktualisiert bzw. neu aufgenommen. Im Ergebnis können zwei Sommer-, vier Herbst- und vier Lagersorten oder Mutanten für den Intensivobstanbau in Sachsen empfohlen werden.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Canterbury, 2009. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (p. 167-178). Also available via the World Wide Web.

<p> This project explores the phenomenon of urban agriculture and the benefits of access to horticultural space in a low income community in the city of Santa Ana, California. Based conducted over a one year period, the author utilized participant-observation, conducted 20 personal interviews, coded 120 pages of field notes, analyzed original data on plant species, used demographic data, and food distribution data at the garden. Conclusions drawn from the research include that community gardens can be utilized as spaces which promote social cohesion, a place of food distribution, a place to grow medicinal plants, and a place to grow culturally important plants. This work contributes to the literature on urban gardens by developing an original concept called cultural plant memory&mdash;a theory that treats plants as public symbols, which can enact personal and shared cultural values, memories, and customs. This thesis demonstrates the potential of these spaces and aids in the promotion of horticultural space in urban areas.</p>

<p> The effective management of submersed aquatic macrophytes depends on understanding their reproductive biology. <i>Potamogeton crispus </i> L. (curlyleaf pondweed, Potamogetonaceae) produces numerous asexual propagules that make traditional management difficult. It has spread to roughly half of the counties in California (USA) from alpine habitats such as Lake Tahoe to the tidally influenced Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Studies were conducted from May 2012 till October 2012 at the bench and mesocosm scales in Davis and Sacramento, California, to explore the effects of benthic barrier control measures on the propagules (turions) of <i>Potamogeton crispus. </i> The first study examined the effects of three benthic barrier materials (jute, polyethylene and rubber) on turion sprouting. Jute benthic barrier material allows some light and oxygen through the fabric, while polyethylene allows oxygen, but not light. Rubber barrier material blocks light and oxygen exchange. Turion viability, as determined by sprouting, was then assessed post-treatment. Results showed no significant differences at the bench-scale for the untreated control (100% sprouting, SE=0%), jute (100% sprouting, SE=0%), or polyethylene treatments (96.9%, SE=2.1%) (n=16 for all treatments, &alpha; = 0.05). Rubber treatments resulted in 48.4% sprouting (SE= 10.6%; n=16). Results for the mesocosm experiments showed significant differences between the control and the jute and polyethylene treatments (control = 98.4% sprouting, SE= 1.6%; jute = 71.9% sprouting, SE= 4.5%; polyethylene= 70.3% sprouting, SE= 4.7%, n=16 for all treatments). Jute and polyethylene treatments were not significantly different in the mesocosm experiment. The mesocosm experiment with the rubber barrier significantly reduced sprouting (29.7% sprouting, SE= 6.1%; n=16) compared to other treatments. While light had minimal impact on sprouting, anoxia appeared to be the main factor inhibiting sprouting using benthic bottom barriers. Barrier induced anoxic stress combined with herbicides may potentially offer enhanced efficacy. The second study explored enhancement of the impermeable rubber barrier material with dilute acetic acid loaded into cassava starch "pearls". Turions were exposed for two weeks and then assessed for viability via post-treatment sprouting protocol with and without hydrosoil at the bench- and mesocosm-scale. Results for the bench-scale showed that the 20.8 mmol L^&ndash;1 acetic acid treatment was not significantly different (p=.4231) compared to the untreated control (Tukey HDS; p&le;0.05). However, the 41.6 mmol L^&ndash;1 acetic acid treatment was highly significantly different from the control (p-value &lt; 0.0001) at the bench-scale, but did not completely inhibit sprouting (mean sprouting of 31.25% (<i>SE</i>= 11.97)). Complete inhibition of sprouting turions occurred for both experiments at and above acetic acid concentrations of 83.3 mmol L^&ndash;1 (SE= 0). Results showed that tapioca starch saturated with acetic acid and combined with impermeable benthic barriers may offer an effective chemical treatment for the control of <i>Potamogeton crispus.</i> The final study examined hot water exposures under the barriers to kill and inhibit sprouting in turions. Heated water circulated under an insulated benthic bottom barrier may potentially offer a simple non-chemical rapid method to target surface propagules on the sediment, subterranean propagules and young plants. Heated water was used to treat <i>P. crispus</i> turions at the bench and mesocosm scales (25&deg;C, 40&deg;C, 50&deg;C, 60&deg;, 70&deg;C and 80&deg;C exposures for 30 to 300 seconds). Heated water exposures inhibited sprouting turions at 50&deg;C and 60&deg;C at the mesocosm and the bench scales, however, did not completely inhibit sprouting for all time exposures except at the bench-scale 60&deg;C treatment for 300 seconds. For 70&deg;C and 80&deg;C treatment exposures, there was a slight difference at the 30 second exposure mark, but at 60 second and beyond, all 70&deg;C and 80&deg;C treatments provided 100% inhibition. The cost to raise the temperature 60&deg;C from ambient water temperature under the contained limited volume under insulated barriers is estimated to be approximately $2 per 9.3 m² (100 ft²) for 5 minute treatments or $3459 ha^-1 ($1400 acre^-1).</p>

<p> <b>Purpose.</b> The purpose of this research was to examine how inmate horticulture programs have emerged and have been replicated in an effort to rehabilitate individuals, curtail spending, and reduce recidivism. The research explores how food justice and drug policy intersect, examining the roles of classism and racism and taking note of factors influencing recidivism. </p><p> <b>Theoretical Framework.</b> Diffusion of innovation analyzes the adoption of a new idea, technique, product, or service, focusing on how it is communicated and adopted by a social system over a period of time. It is necessary to understand the relationship among culture, values, existing practices, and political/social/environmental climate in order to facilitate the adoption of a new innovation.</p><p> <b>Methodology.</b> The researcher employed a mixed methods research design. The researcher performed a historical review of policies and events that led to the overcrowding of prisons and the criminalization of certain substances. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 individuals involved with inmate horticulture programs. Elements included in the study are the variation between programs and their perceived efficacy, challenges, and barriers. </p><p> <b>Findings.</b> Research findings revealed inmate horticulture programs fall into different areas of focus; innovative programs have blended components to provide integrated services. Five primary archetypes were identified: rehabilitative/therapeutic, punitive/labor, vocational, cost savings, and sustainability. Collaboration was crucial in framing the conversation, determining the skillsets of those involved, and the best way to leverage resources. Challenges to diffusing therapeutic inmate horticulture programs stem from social and political inflexibility.</p><p> <b>Conclusions and Recommendations.</b> The social construction of an issue or population impacts the political response, framing of issues, and type of media attention received. The amount of public demand to address the policy issue and federal government involvement influence the adoption and diffusion of innovations. The community benefits from horticulture programs, because former inmates are less likely to commit crimes or victimize people if they have been exposed to rehabilitative programs that prepare them for job opportunities upon release. Well-rounded programs give participants an understanding of food justice, horticulture, leadership, restoration, and healing and access to wraparound services.</p>