AFE Research Helps Address Common Gerbera Concern

Scape bending of ‘Testarrosa’ was eliminated when stems were supported during hydration (left).For satisfied floral customers, cut flowers need to have high quality and a long vase life, but bending of the scape (stalk) is a major postharvest issue that can leave flowers unmarketable and customers unsatisfied. AFE funded researchers from the University of Florida screened 14 gerbera varieties for scape bending, flower quality and vase life.Reducing Scape Bending in the Gerbera Daisy, Research Report #454 includes the following best practices to eliminate scape bending:Choose varieties that are less susceptible to scape bending or that easily recover. (Most susceptible varieties included Guarda, Fiction, Pink Elegance, Primrose, Sonata, Teresa and Testarrosa)Avoid storing cut gerbera and never store in boxes.Unpack immediately, cut…

2014 AFE Scholarship Applications Now Being Accepted

Ryanna ZoellnerUniversity of Georgia2013 James Bridenbaugh Memorial Scholarship RecipientNow is the chance for horticulture and floriculture students to apply for more than 20 different scholarships through AFE. The deadline is May 1 to submit applications for sophomore through senior students, as well as for graduate students.AFE encourages students to apply for scholarships early as the need for financial assistance in floriculture and environmental horticulture programs is great. For 2014, AFE will award just less than $40,000 in scholarships.“AFE’s robust scholarships provide financial assistance to both undergraduate and graduate students to help in their journey of becoming the next great leaders in floriculture and horticulture,” AFE Executive Director Debi Aker said. “An investment in their education is an investment in the…

AFE Appoints Grower and Editor as New Trustees

Juan Carlos Gonzalez UribeAFE has appointed two new trustees: G.R.Chía SAS partner and Executive Vice President Juan Carlos Gonzalez Uribe and Laura Drotleff, editor of Greenhouse Grower magazine. Both will serve a three-year term on the AFE Board, with the option for a second term.Juan Carlos brings 31 years of experience in growing and cut flower research to AFE as partner and Executive Vice President of G.R.Chía SAS, an organization of 36 farms that grows and exports more than 30 different cut flower species in Colombia and sells more than 90 million stems annually in the U.S.The company employs more than 130 full-time agronomists, biologists and other professionals, along with a permanent team of 40 interns from Colombian universities.He will…

Research Pre-Proposals Due to AFE by June 1

Past AFE-funded research helps your flowers stay healthier longer!If you have a floriculture research project that needs to be funded, AFE wants to help in securing funding for your project. AFE is now calling for research pre-proposal applications for 2015-2016 funding, due no later than June 1, 2015.AFE’s Production and Post-Harvest Research Committee has identified three high priority research areas for the current pre-proposal cycle that are relevant to all segments of the floral industry:Control of Botrytis, not only during production but also during post-productionControl of leaf miners in all susceptible fresh cut flowers and potted plantsSpecific post-production practices that include transportation requirementsResearch projects can last from one to three years and any reasonable but justifiable budget will be considered. For…

Markham-Colegrave Winner Shares International Horticultural Internship Experiences

Gasteyer at Gärtnerei Umbach, the wholesale nursery where she interned.Brooke Gasteyer, a University of Wisconsin-River Falls senior, long dreamed of traveling to Europe for a horticulture internship. Her dream became a reality when she was awarded the 2013 Markham-Colegrave International Scholarship, funded by AFE and the David Colegrave Foundation.“Working in another country opened my mind and gave me more perspective while broadening my horticultural experiences,” Gasteyer said. “Spending five months in Europe certainly had an impact on me and will continue to in the future.”Gasteyer at the Keukenhof flower show.German wholesale nursery and internship host Gärtnerei Umbach put her straight to work with primulas and violas, which the nursery abundantly produces in many varieties. Later, she began planting new plants…

Apply by March 1 for AFE’s Paid Floriculture Internships!

Internship applications for AFE’s Vic and Margaret Ball Intern Scholarship Program and the Mosmiller Intern Scholarship Program are due March 1.Completing one of AFE’s two floriculture and horticulture internship programs allows students to:Train at the industry’s top facilitiesDevelop critical skills, potentially improving employment opportunitiesGet diverse, hands-on paid experienceApply classroom knowledge to real and practical situationsStudents can jumpstart their careers with a life-changing experience in commercial floriculture production away from home with The Vic and Margaret Ball Intern Scholarship Program, made possible through a generous gift from Vic & Margaret Ball. This program offers paid internships for three, four or six months and provides scholarships of up to $6,000 upon completion.The Mosmiller Intern Scholarship Program honors the late Colonel and Mrs.…

Visiting Industry Leader & Internship Host Bell Nursery

AFE Executive Director Debi Aker meets with Bell Nursery employees at their corporate headquarters in Elkridge, Md. From left to right, Bell employees are Tom Wheeler, Kevin Titherington, Cole Mangum, CEO Gary Mangum, Joe Perret and Paul Chisholm.In the late 1920s, Rose and Grafton Mangum built a greenhouse at their Maryland home, an endeavor that grew into the booming enterprise that is now Bell Nursery. AFE recently visited Bell, the largest wholesale nursery grower in the mid-Atlantic based on production space, and got a taste for the company’s commitment to high-quality plants.AFE supporters since 2000, Bell Nursery exclusively supplies more than 100 million retail ready plants annually to The Home Depot. Bell’s plants are found in 200 Home Depot stores…

New Research Helps Meet Consumer Floral Desires

Report 453: Identifying Consumer Preferences for Essential Elements of a Flower ProductAFE and researchers from the University of Florida (UF) present compelling evidence about just how enticing and alluring flower fragrance is to consumers, among other scintillating findings, in three new consumer preference studies:Identifying Consumer Preferences for Essential Elements of a Flower Product, Report #453Consumer Analysis of Mixed Containers for Indoor Use, Report #455Identifying Consumer Preferences for Cut Rose Fragrances, Report #456In report #453, researchers aim for a better understanding of what flower buyers really want – color, shape, size, fragrance, etc.— to better meet consumer demands and increase sales, and the results show consumers overwhelmingly desire fragrance.“This study allows the industry to gain a better understanding of what consumers value…

Alluring and Murdering Thrips With New Research

A) Marigold guardian plant system in a test greenhouse. B) Thrips lure on sticky card (red arrow).AFE is still up to murder, sex and greed, this time with a new research report. In the report, scientists from the Entomology Research Laboratory at the University of Vermont (UVM) describe how they allured and then murdered western flower thrips through an inexpensive non-chemical pesticide system that is easy to use.Thrips are deadly for ornamentals, causing substantial economic loss by damaging flowers and leaves or transmitting plant viruses, and most chemical insecticides have proven to be ineffective at controlling thrips. Report #216: Formulations of Insect-Killing Fungi in Combination with Plant-Mediated Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Systems for Thrips describes an innovative strategy that uses…

Paul Ecke Jr. Scholarship Offers $10,000

Paul Ecke Jr.AFE is accepting applications now through Feb. 1, 2014 for the Paul Ecke Jr. M.S./Ph.D. Scholarship Program for graduate students who have the skills and passion to become the next noted floriculture researcher or educator. Applications are available online.The scholarship honors the late Paul Ecke Jr. of Encinitas, Calif., who made significant contributions to the floriculture industry and believed strongly in research and education. Ecke was concerned about the future of floriculture and recognized that innovative researchers and educators are necessary for the continued success of the industry.“The Paul Ecke Jr. Scholarship has assisted me in the effort to continue my education at Purdue University, where I am one step closer to becoming a future floriculture extension specialist…

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