Protect Spring Crops from Ethylene

Protect Spring Crops from Ethylene Ethylene damages and kills plants and flowers. Ethylene is a naturally occurring wound hormone that causes leaf yellowing, leaf drop, bud drop, and reduced flower life. Ethylene gas is given off by dying, decaying, and dead fruits and vegetables. Also, plants and flowers produce ethylene internally as they age and when plants have undergone mechanical damage, such as vibration during shipping, drought, and heat stress. Damage to plants and flowers may be caused by ethylene in the atmosphere and from ethylene produced within the plant.  In severe situations, plants may not be marketable unless plants are treated with anti-ethylene products. You can protect your plants and flowers from ethylene. Today, several products are available from…

Keep Calm and Grow On: Research to Prevent Plant Stress and Stressors Before they Happen

Stress-free plants = less stress for growers and retailers. Two AFE-funded research projects from scientists at the University of Georgia are currently underway that investigate new ways to detect and reduce plant stress from abiotic pressures and diseases before they happen. These two projects, providing valuable insights to growers, are funded through AFE research funding. This funding is only possible with generous contributions from our supporters. If you would like to help us as we continue to tackle tough industry challenges facing floral and nursery growers, consider making a contribution as the end of the year approaches at endowment.org/donate. Let’s strengthen the future of the industry together. Here’s what the researchers have to say after this past year of funding:…

Answering Some of Your Questions on Insecticide Rotation

Article Author: Juang Horng “JC” Chong, Clemson University Department of Plant and Environmental SciencesAs a researcher and educator, I receive questions that touch on the minutia of how to build a successful insecticide rotation program as I preach and write about the importance of developing a rotation program. In this article, I’d like to take the opportunity to explore some of these direct questions.I’m going to proceed with the assumption that everyone who reads this article has some basic knowledge of how to rotate pesticides. If you’ve never heard of the terms “pesticide rotation” or “pesticide stewardship,” or if you are a novice to the practice of rotating pesticides, I invite you to read one of my older AFE’s Growing…

Discount Available: 2022 Greenhouse Training Online

AFE is a proud sponsor of the following 4-week award-winning certificate courses from UF/IFAS Extension.Train yourself or your current employees with the University of Florida IFAS Extension’s online program. All Greenhouse Training Online courses are taught in both English and Spanish. Click here to view the program flyer in both languages.The first course of the year, Greenhouse 101, starts on May 30, 2022.Each course is completely online and includes pre-recorded videos, an interactive discussion board with Ph.D. professors, supporting educational material, and quizzes. The course material is available any time of the day, and two new modules are activated each week during the course for the four weeks of each course, for a total of 8 learning modules. Experienced university…

Help is On the Way! Making an Impossible Supply Chain Possible

Have you heard of the NEW state-of-the-art Airglades International Airport – paired with a full-service logistics center where perishables are THE PRIORITY? Isn’t it time? Airglades International Airport is a new perishable logistics center and airport being developed in South/Central Florida-100 miles north of Miami. The initial investors are well-known leaders in the agriculture business: Florida Cargo Fresh, Inc., Hilliard Brothers of Florida, Ltd., and the United States Sugar Corporation-a collective group of perishable producers who understand the needs of perishables: efficiency, immediacy, affordability, temperature control, and fresh product to the consumer. AIRGLADES’ UNIQUE ADVANTAGES The immense advantages of Airglades will benefit all facets of the floriculture industry and provide strategic positioning to solve many of the supply chain issues that…

Pioneering a New Era of Nutritional Monitoring with Fert, Dirt, and Squirt

Figure 1. The collaborative group of greenhouse and floriculture specialists and educators, e-GRO, launched a Nutritional Monitoring of Floriculture Crops website. Pictured is the website homepage. Photo by Dr. W. Garrett Owen.Nutritional disorders are among the many challenges greenhouse growers encounter during crop production. These disorders often develop when substrate pH or soluble salts [referred to as electrical conductivity (EC)] drifts above or below optimal ranges for plant uptake. To assist greenhouse growers in addressing nutritional disorders, the collaborative group of greenhouse and floriculture specialists and educators, e-GRO, has launched a Nutritional Monitoring of Floriculture Crops website, Fert, Dirt & Squirt (Fig. 1), led by Dr. W. Garrett Owen and Dr. Brian Whipker. The Nutritional Monitoring of Floriculture Crops, sponsored…

Newly Released: Research Webinars for Thrips and Botrytis

Thrips & Botrytis Webinar Series Recordings Now Available We have released webinar recordings from a 6-week webinar series highlighting new research findings from our specially-funded Thrips and Botrytis Research Fund. Initially presented exclusively to our Thrips and Botrytis Fund supporters, these recorded webinars are now being released to the industry in both English and Spanish. Take advantage of these FREE resources to help with your pest and disease management!Throughout these webinars, you will learn the best practices for managing and controlling thrips and botrytis, understand why decisions are made, and how to make the best management decisions for your greenhouse. Our featured topics also include addressing fungicide resistance and the opportunity for use of biological controls. These presentations are brought to you directly from our…

New Monthly ‘Grow Pro’ Webinars

Providing the Floral Industry with Direct Access to Findings and Expert ResearchersInnovation, vision, and education drive the future of the floral industry. Starting this May, we are hosting new monthly webinars on production topics that directly impact growers.AFE-funded research has provided our industry with solutions to tough challenges for 60 years now. To further communicate new results from university studies and other advancements on a broader scale, these monthly webinars are being offered free of charge, thanks to industry sponsorships.Our nationally recognized researchers, hosts, and speakers will offer ‘how-to’ advice based on AFE-funded and other research projects to help the industry navigate through these ever-changing growing challenges. The webinar topics are current and offer long-term opportunities for growers to focus on increased profit, greater…

Collaborative Sponsorships Fund New Houseplant Consumer Study!

Five major industry contributors, including the Floral Marketing Fund, Altman Plants, Costa Farms, Green Circle Growers, Hortica, and Metrolina Greenhouses have come together in collaboration to fund an exciting new research project. The study, “Houseplants Consumer Preference and Purchasing Behaviors,” is led by researchers, Hayk Khachatryan and Melinda Knuth at the University of Florida and Charlie Hall at Texas A&M University.Houseplant purchases have been on the rise for the past decade, a trend that further escalated sales throughout 2020 due in part to COVID-19. Industry experts hypothesize that because people are home more, they are engaging in more plant-related activities, but current predictions still lack empirical evidence on the driving factors of consumer usage, and many questions remain unanswered. The study intends to provide an in-depth…

How Biostimulants Can Increase Plant Health and Quality

Read the Full Article Here By Nathan Nordstedt and Michelle JonesThis article was originally published in Greenhouse Grower. 

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