INDUSTRY NEWS HRI Funds Four UF Research Projects The Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) recently announced 13 projects were funded based on a rigorous review system including both industry relevance and scientific merit. “HRI is pleased to support a number of excellent projects working to improve horticultural knowledge and practices. Supporting projects where outcomes can impact the bottom line for the industry is a top priority for our donors, our volunteer leadership, and our organization,” said Jennifer Gray, HRI Administrator. Dr. Jill Calabro, Science & Research Programs Director with HRI, agrees. “We received 53 total proposals this year that were thoughtful and representative of the entire green industry. The decision-making process was not easy. The projects ultimately selected address critical issues with sound science.” HRI will provide a total of $289,500 in 2017 to support research that benefits the green industry. The Florida-based 2017 recipients are: Assessing Human Health Benefits of Gardening Principal Investigator: Dr. C. Guy, University of Florida Objective: This project will demonstrate quantifiable, therapeutic benefits to human health through gardening and horticulture therapy. Determining the impact of soilless substrate age, composition, fertilizer placement, and irrigation regime on weed management in container nursery plant production Principal Investigator: Dr. C. Marble, University of Florida Objective: This project will provide the basis of an all-inclusive, systemsbased approach to weed control in soilless substrates to help growers reduce weed control costs.
UF/IFAS Center for Landscape Conservation & Ecology’s Urban Landscape Summit, March 16 & 17 The 2017 UF/IFAS Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology Urban Landscape Summit will feature presentations of applied research or extension projects pertaining to urban landscape issues in Florida. The summit will include accepted presentations from state specialists and county faculty and a graduate student poster competition. • Build relationships among state specialists, county faculty, graduate students, and industry • Hear national or regional issue updates from the keynote speaker • Learn about the latest research in urban landscape issues • Model future projects after presented extension projects Location: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Straughn Extension Professional Development Center, Gainesville. Register to attend and see the event’s agenda at http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/clce/ events/urban-landscape-summit.html. For more details, call 352-273-4511.
Evaluation of new herbicides and formulations to develop more effective and economical herbicide rotations for nursery production Principal Investigator: Dr. C. Marble, University of Florida Objective: This project will present herbicide control information in two commonly requested formats, direct efficacy comparisons of the newest products and formulations and a rotation schedule. Development of protocols for micropropagation of woody trees using last-generation bioreactors Principal Investigator: Dr. W. Vendrame, University of Florida Objective: This project will optimize protocols for the micropropagation of woody ornamentals, such as olive trees, hybrid palms, dwarf coconut trees, and various ornamental flowering landscape trees, using bioreactor technology. For details, go to www.hriresearch.org or call 614.884.1155.
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The Urban Landscape Summit promises to address regional and national water issues pertinent to Florida and Florida’s water users. Dr. Jack Payne, senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and leader of IFAS, will open the 2017 summit.