Turfgrass systems such as roadsides, home lawns, and golf course roughs can vary in surface coverage. Nutrient and pesticide applications applied to these systems may pose an increased risk to adjacent water supplies from surface runoff. Therefore the objectives of this research were: 1) determine the effect surface coverage has on nutrient, pesticide, and sediment runoff and, 2) evaluate the impact of pesticide solubility on runoff losses at varying turfgrass coverages. Surface runoff research commenced in 2010 and 2011 with experimental units consisting of six turfgrass coverages (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%) and untreated bare soil. Coverages each received a granular fertilizer, atrazine, azoxystrobin, monosodium methyl arsenate (MSMA), pendimethalin, simazine, and S-metolachlor treatment. Simulated rainfall was applied at 7.38 cm hr -1 with runoff collected and analyzed for dissolved nitrogen (DN), total nitrogen (TN), dissolved phosphorus (DP), total phosphorus (TP), total solids (TS) and each pesticide applied. Runoff volumes and TS loading decreased as turfgrass coverage increased from 0 to 100% turfgrass coverage. Total solids decreased from 1078 and 873 kg ha-1 from 0% coverage to 35 and 14 kg ha-1 at 100% turfgrass coverage in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Turfgrass coverage did not affect TN and TP with 5.76 kg N ha-1 and 5.60 kg P ha-1 lost at 100% turfgrass coverage. As turfgrass coverage increased DN and DP losses accounted for greater portions of total losses with decreasing sediment bound nutrients losses. Greater than 56% of DN and DP occurred during the first 15 min after the onset of runoff (AOR). Higher water soluble pesticides were more susceptible to loss during surface runoff. MSMA losses of 25.7% at 100% turfgrass coverage were 7 times greater than the highest pendimethalin losses observed. Similar to soluble nutrients, > 56% of dissolved pesticides were lost in the first 15 min AOR. Total atrazine losses of 12.5 and18.3% compared to total simazine losses of 10.1and 5.7% for 0 and 100% coverage respectively, indicate the importance of maintaining greater turfgrass coverage for reducing sediment bound pollutants. However, turfgrass coverage may not be as effective for reducing dissolved pollutant transport.

Research indicates that the average age of the American farmer is 57 years old. There is a need for new programs to be developed to encourage youth to pursue careers in agriculture. This study developed and implemented a horticultural curriculum at a summer camp targeting participants aged 9-12. A treatment group consisted of campers that signed up for the Victory Garden camp track and a control group consisted of randomly selected campers from a different camp track. A pre-test and post-test were given to both student groups. The test consisted of 16 general horticultural knowledge multiple choice questions and four questions pertaining to the campers environmental stewardship. During the second year of the study, pre-tests and post-tests had minor adjustments but also included a short answer question targeting in-depth knowledge of flower pollination. Lesson topics included propagation, Victory Gardens, soil, recycling, plant parts, pollination, photosynthesis, and insects. Lessons were developed with several teaching methods using the three basic learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Statistical analysis of variance using PROC GLIMMIX at the 0.05 level found that participants in the treatment group had a significant improvement of general horticulture knowledge from pre-test to post-test responses. Post-test scores of treatment participants were significantly higher than control participants in both years of the study. Treatment students were significantly more confident that they could explain to others how to grow a plant, and that they could grow more than one type of plant. Analysis of the second year of data found that treatment students were significantly more likely to feel confident that they could plant a seed that would grow into a plant. Although demographic data was taken for each participant including gender, age, and ethnicity, no significant differences were found for any of these groups. Analysis of the short answer portion of the exam found that students from the treatment group were more likely to respond with multiple correct answers.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2009. / Principal faculty advisor: Robert E. Lyons, Dept. of Plant & Soil Sciences. Includes bibliographical references.

Home gardeners in areas with alkaline water sources do not have means of acidifying water for vegetable production. A solution to achieving optimal yields with alkaline irrigation water is to use specialized media; however, current media available does not meet these needs. New media recipes with varied levels (0 to 8 lbs/yd3) and sources of Ca (dolomitic lime, calcium sulfate) and Mg (dolomitic lime, magnesium sulfate) were tested using alkaline irrigation on lettuce, cabbage, and cauliflower crops under high tunnel and on nursery yard sites. Media treatments with an 80:20 bark:peat and 7.1 kg/m3 slow release 15-9-11 base mix and the following fertilizer levels: 2.4 kg/yd3 calcium sulfate and 2.4 kg/yd3 magnesium sulfate (Ca/Mg); 2.4 kg/yd3 dolomitic lime (4L); 2.4 kg/yd3 dolomitic lime, 2.4 kg/yd3 calcium sulfate, and 2.4 kg/yd3 magnesium sulfate (4L+Ca/Mg); 4.7 kg/yd3 dolomitic lime (8L), outperformed a commercially available (IS) and control (C) (no Ca or Mg fertilizer) media in nearly all crops. All crops grown on the nursery yard and cabbage grown under the high tunnel had significantly greater yields when grown in medium 4L+Ca/Mg, compared to the IS and C media (p≤0.05). Media treatment 4L produced significantly greater yields and plant growth of all tested crops on the nursery yard compared to the IS and C media (p≤0.05). Media longevity was tested by planting cucumber, tomato, and bell pepper into the same pots, at the same sites, during the spring with no additional pre-plant amendments added to the media. All crops grown on the nursery yard, and cucumber and bell pepper grown under the high tunnel, had significantly greater yields when grown in media 4L+Ca/Mg and 8L, compared to the IS (p≤0.05). Tomatoes and bell peppers grown on the nursery yard and under the high tunnel had significantly greater growth and yield when grown in 4L+Ca/Mg and 8L, compared to the C medium (p≤0.05).

The Tomato - Lycopersicon esculentum -,a member of the Solanaceae family, is one of the most useful and interesting of all horticulture plants. It ranks next to the potato and the sweet potato in total value on this continent. It heads the list among the perishable vegetables as well as ranking first as a canning crop. If "variety is the spice of life” then we owe this crop a great deal for according to Carver (1918) there are 115 ways of preparing it for the table.

The potato chip industry is expanding rapidly and is providing an ever increasing outlet for good quality potatoes. It has reached a level of importance at the present time which makes any problems it may have, the problem of the potato industry in general. In Canada potatoes constitute an important part of the agricultural economy and the substantial quantities used for chipping are helping to maintain favourable market conditions. Approximately 300 thousand acres are used for producing a crop averaging slightly less than 60 million bushels.

Note: / This paper gives results of investigations made on celerey grown in sand cultures and exposed to different degrees of frost. After each treatment water loss was determined by the weighing method. The plants exposed to 30 degree F. were not appreciably affected. These having undergone a frost at 28 degrees F. were somewhat injured but recovered. A temperature of 26 degrees F. killed the outermost peticles but a partial recovery followed. At 24 degrees F. the whole plant was killed and did not recover. A severe frost followign a light frost caused apporximately the same effect as if it had occurred alone. The more severe the frost, the lower was the amount of water loss. In general, during the first day the water los was less than during the seocnd and thrid days and then again decreased.

Sorbitol, more correctly called D-glucitol (Hutchinson, 1958) and hereafter referred to in this thesis by the ordinarily used name of sorbitol, is the alcohol of D-glucose. Its chemical structure is identical to that of glucose except for an alcohol group which replaces the aldehyde group of glucose on carbon 1, identified in the structure of sorbitol as shown below. It occurs naturally in a straight chain form with the following structure. Sorbitol has been shown as a constituent of plants since 1872 (Boussingault, 1872, cited by Stuart, 1955) and has since been identified in many plants, in particular members of the family Rosaceae, including the apple, Malus pumila.

In the northern United States and in Canada, one of the problems limiting profitable production of greenhouse tomatoes during the winter is the marked failure of fruit set. The same problem is encountered in the important tomato-producing areas in the south during the summer. In extreme cases, crop failures have been reported (Went 1957). The poor setting in apparently healthy tomato plants has been shown to depend largely upon the climatic conditions at the time of pollination. Low light intensity, short photoperiod, and high night temperatures may all be limiting factors.

Colour is one of the most important single quality attributes of tomatoes for processing. The character of the red colour affects the appearance and public acceptance of the finished products. The colour of the raw product is related to that of the finished product and processing conditions cannot usually improve on it. The production cost of a high grade juice or paste does not differ significantly from that of a lower grade juice (Filice and Malcolm, 1958). Both the commercial grower and the processor need an insight into the mechanism of the colour formation, the former as an aid in selecting the best suitable varieties for his particular climatic region, and the latter to evaluate the influence of processing on the colour of his final product.