No description available.

No description available.

The nursery/greenhouse industry is innovative. There have been several reports in the popular literature of non-traditional adjuvants used in plant propagation; however, these claims have never been evaluated in a scientific setting. Five studies, conducted at the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville in 2019 and 2021 determined the impact that adding honey to water-soluble auxin solutions and surfactants to foliar applied auxin solutions on physiological responses associated with adventitious root formation. Treatments in studies presented in chapters two and three included three honey sources (multiflora, local, and Manuka). Honey-infused water-soluble auxin solutions affected plant species but not in the measured physiological responses. Studies presented in chapters four and five examined the impact of water-soluble auxin solutions containing non-ionic surfactants on physiological responses compared to the industry standard basal quick-dip. Like our results for honey, adding surfactants to foliar-applied auxin solutions was species-specific. However, for difficult-to-root species, a foliar auxin application led to similar rooting compared to the current industry standard. For this reason, we recommend a foliar application for rooting Magnolia grandiflora ‘Southern Charm’. Finally, the study presented in chapter six examined the auxin application method, surfactant concentration, and seasonal impacts in rooting challenging to propagate species. The season that cuttings were taken had a significant impact on several of our tested responses. In addition, the auxin application method was also significant. To this end, we can recommend treating fall cuttings with a foliar auxin application for the best results.

No description available.

Packaging Materials account for 31% of the world’s municipal solid waste. Agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) are pushing for the increased use of recycled thermoplastic materials. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a commonly recycled thermoplastic which is used to package ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables. Most recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) packaging materials contain heavy metal catalysts, the most common being antimony. The recent increased use of recycled plastic materials has been suspected as the source of increased human heavy metal exposure. In this study, cadmium, chromium, nickel, lead and antimony were quantified in post-consumer RPET rigid containers and films using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Two hundred samples were tested of which 29 were found to be contaminated with heavy metals in the parts-per-million (ppm) range. Chromium was found in all the contaminated sample replicates at an average level of 8.18 ppm. Cadmium was found in all the contaminated samples as well. Lead was found in 90.4% of the contaminated samples and concentrations ranged from a low of 0.02 ppm to a high of 0.36 ppm. Nickel was found in 96.4% of the contaminated samples while antimony was found in 97.6% of the samples. Due to limited sample material, 22 of the 29 contaminated RPET rigid containers and films were tested for heavy metal migration into a 5% citric acid:water solution (w/v) or deionized water. Samples were subjected to prolonged storage at 7.2 or 22.2°C for 1, 7 or 14 days, or were exposed for 5 minutes to microwaves from a 1700-watt microwave oven set to 70% power before analysis. Leachate values were at ppb levels but were often below the ICP-AES Limits of Detection which were at also the ppb level, whether calculated for deionized water or 5% citric acid in water. No measureable levels of heavy metal were detected for any sample exposed to water, regardless of treatment. For samples exposed to 5% citrate and stored or microwaved, only chromium and nickel leached at measurable levels, and the number of RPET’s releasing measurable chromium and nickel increased with microwaving compared to the same plastics stored at 22.2 or 7.2°C. Since leaching was calculated as µg/L of heavy metal lost from the entire inner surface (1021 cm2) of a retail salad bag, actual exposure to heavy metal would be much less than measured in this study as retail fruit and vegetable packages and microwaveable pouches usually contain very little liquid in order to increase food safety. The results therefore suggest the potential for little migration of heavy metal from recycled PET to whole or fresh-cut fruits and vegetables when held at ambient or refrigerated temperatures, or when microwaved.

ABSTRACT EFFECTS OF RECYCLED WATER ON LANDSCAPE PLANTS Casey Ray Miranda Recycled water is water that has been previously used, has suffered a loss of quality, and has been properly treated for redistribution (Wu et al. 2001). The use of recycled water as an alternative to fresh water in the landscape can have positive and negative effects. Experimentation on 40 different plant species during a 32 week period (2 phases of 16 weeks), was conducted to analyze the effects of recycled water irrigation on the appearance of landscape plants. Each species of plant was planted into 10 individual number 2 pots and irrigated with recycled water daily. Media and water were tested for nutrients and other constituents. In phase I there were four different species of grasses and grass-like plants, five different perennials, five species of shrubs, and four annuals tested; while phase II tested four species of herbaceous perennials, eight different species of shrubs, six species of groundcovers, and four species of annuals. All tests were conducted at the Paso Robles Waste Water Treatment Plant. Of the grasses and grass like species Yucca spp. and Buchloe spp. performed best. Osteospermum fruticosum, Lavandula angustifolia, Rosmarinus officinalis, Phormium tenax, and Pennisetum setaceum had the best appearance of the herbaceous perennials tested. For the shrubs, Coprosma repens, Cistus purpureus, Dodonea viscosa, Eleagnus pungens, Baccharis pilularis, Ceanothus thysiflorus, Thuja orientalis, and Nerium oleander had the best appearance when irrigated with recycled water. The best annuals were Senecio cineraria, Antirrhinum majus, Primula spp., Viola spp., and Calendula officinalis. Of the groundcovers Heuchera spp., Lonicera japonica, Vinca major, Hedera helix, and Ceanothus griseus had the best results. From the experiment a list of tolerant and non-tolerant plants was compiled (Appendices 1 and 2). While many plants were capable of developing and growing normally, other plants were sensitive to recycled water irrigation. In order to prevent salt damage to plants and expand the use of recycled water, salt tolerance of landscape plant material must be identified (Niu et.al, 2006).

Water-recycling technologies have been developed to reduce water consumption and surface runoff in horticultural operations. However, WRT may increase risk of disease from water-borne pathogens such as Pythium and Phytophthora. More information is needed about producers' management practices and attitudes regarding irrigation runoff containment and recycling. A mail survey was administered in February 2013 to horticultural nursery growers in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Collected were respondents' demographic characteristics plus irrigation and disease management practices. The survey incorporated a choice experiment quantifying willingness to adopt water recycling given hypothetical disease outbreak, water shortage probabilities, and percentage cost increases via a conditional logit model. Two hundred and sixty respondents provide valuable insight into horticultural production in the Mid-Atlantic region. We were unable to calculate the implicit price of water or disease for adoption because the sample of 91 respondents for the choice experiment yielded a flat distribution of operations ranging in $100 to $7 million in nursery cost. However, findings did support the hypothesis that producers will be more likely to adopt selected WRT when cost decreases, probability of disease decreases. Only 33% chose to adopt. Cost is the biggest factor as the majority of producers are not equipped to handle water recycling or capture and would go out of business due to the expense. Disease is also significant factor inhibiting growers from adopting. Until mandatory environmental regulations in place to force producers to contain runoff, or until incentivized cost sharing programs are implemented, wide spread adoption of water recycling technologies is unlikely to occur. / Master of Science

Sustainable practices were evaluated for the production of two warm season vegetable crops, tomato and chile peppers. The first study investigated the plant vegetative growth, fruit production timing, yield components and fruit quality of three hybrid and three heirloom tomato cultivars grown in a high tunnel using grafted and non-grafted plants. Grafting the selected tomato cultivars with the two rootstock types did not alter total marketable yield of any cultivar, but affected overall stem diameter, fruit color, and β-carotene concentrations of tested tomato cultivars. The second study evaluated the plant growth, yield, and fruit quality of nine heirloom chile pepper cultivars treated with three types of biostimulants during 2020 and 2021. Biostimulant application did not affect marketable yield in 2020 or 2021, but enhanced fruit quality including fruit length, diameter, and green coloration.

The Swedish authority for social protection and preparedness, MSB, believes that the self-sufficiency of the country must be strengthened in order to be prepared for a crisis. Presently, Sweden is only 50% self-sufficientwhich is very low compared to its neighboring countries; and it is worse the further north you go. One solution could be to increase the production of food, for example vegetables, but the number of greenhouse operations in Sweden are already dwindling due to the inhospitable climate, which makes it expensive to keep up all-year cultivations. Norrbotten, the northernmost part of Sweden, has the highest heat demand for greenhouses in the country. One option could be to set up operation in heavily insulated buildings and rely on artificial lighting, in so called plant factories. Though, these are expensive, electricity intensive and have generally lower yields. This report will cover the development, validation, and performance of a dynamic model of a new greenhouse concept, developed for subarctic climates. The greenhouse is meant to utilize the strengths of both glass houses and plant factories to optimize the profits for a year-round operation. This, to find an alternative solution to the self-sufficiency problem in the winter. In addition to this, the optimal glaze for the climate shell had to be determined and what type of lighting technology would be the most viable. The hybrid greenhouse is a gableroof greenhouse with insulated north, west and east walls designed for microgreen cultivation, Lactuca Sativa. The interesting part of the greenhouse is that it has a retractable insulation cover, of mineral wool, inside of the climate shell. This was meant to heavily insulate the greenhouse during the winter seasons, though it would not let any sunlight in. This meant that the hybrid greenhouse must rely on artificial lighting in the winter but will get a reduced heating demand. When the outdoor temperature rises and the sun becomes more visible,the cover can be retracted to utilize sunlight for heating and photosynthesis. The cost between heating and electricity usage and the profits from the amount of yield will therefore vary depending on how long the coveris opened or closed and an optimal cost solution should be found somewhere within that variation. The model was created using Simulink version 10.6, which could simulate the heat demand, the humidity level, CO2-concentration, and the yield of the greenhouse. The models heat demand and yield was validated againsta greenhouse in Nikkala, Sweden, owned by Norrskenstomater. The model produced a standard deviation of 24.6 MWh over three months but it overestimated the yearly yield of Norrskenstomater with about 40%. To make the sure the hybrid greenhouse performed effectively, the amount of leakage must be minimized, as this has a significant impact on the heat demand. The hybrid greenhouse needs lighting alternatives with substantial active cooling (90% of the lamps input power), such as light emitting diodes. High pressure sodium lamps produce too much heat and can not be used at all. For yearly simulations, the cover was set to close for certain amounts of months during the year. The highest yearly profit, highest net present value (4.8 MSEK) and lowest payback time (3.5 years) could be achieved if the cover were closed between October and March. The best glazing material in terms of economic performance was 4 mm glass followed by 16 mm plastic panels in acrylic. The hybrid greenhouse could even outperform a greenhouse that did not cultivate during the winter. The hybrid greenhouse seems to get rid of the negative impacts of winter cultivation and is therefore considereda viable alternative as a cultivation system for subarctic climates.

No description available.