Suchergebnisse

In containerized nursery-crop production, conventional phosphorus (P) fertilization amounts are reported to be in excess of plant needs which has resulted in poor P use efficiency (PUE) and subsequent P leaching from containers. Phosphorus leaching can be reduced and PUE improved without affecting plant growth by reducing P fertilization. The objective of this study was to identify the lowest controlled-release fertilizer (CRF)-P content and subsequent pour-through-extracted substrate pore-water P (PWP) concentration that produces maximal shoot growth of two common container-grown nursery crop species, Hydrangea macrophylla 'PIIHM-II' (hydrangea) and Ilex crenata 'Helleri' (holly), in a pine bark substrate. Hydrangea and holly liners were potted into 3.8-L containers containing a pine bark substrate and grown simultaneously in two different Virginia ecoregions, Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain (MACP) and Ridge and Valley (RV). Plants were fertilized with one of five CRF formulations, each containing equal nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) and 0.4%, 0.9%, 1.3%, 1.7% or 2.6% (control) P to supply containers with 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 or 0.6 g P, respectively. In both ecoregions, hydrangea shoot dry weight (SDW) and growth index [i.e., (widest width + perpendicular width + height) divided by 3, GI] values were maximal in plants fertilized with 0.3 to 0.4 g P or the control. The lowest CRF-P rate needed for maximal SDW and GI of holly was 0.2 g P at the RV site and 0.4 g P at the MACP site. Mean PWP concentrations that corresponded with highest SDW were as low as 0.8 and 1.2 mg L-1 for hydrangea and holly, respectively. Results from this research suggest hydrangea requires approximately half the P rate supplied by recommended rates of conventional CRFs. Since the growth response of holly to CRF-P rate at the MACP site was inconsistent with results observed at the RV site and findings in scientific literature, further research is needed to determine the minimum required CRF-P rate for this taxon. ; Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station; Clean Water3 of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture [SCRI 2014-51181-22372]; Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association; Horticultural Research Institute, Virginia Agricultural Council; Hatch Program ; The authors thank Julie Brindley, Velva Groover, and Anna Birnbaum for technical assistance, as well as Saunders Brothers Nursery and Bailey Nursery for donating plants for this research. Funding was provided by the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, the Hatch Program and Clean Water3(SCRI 2014-51181-22372) of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Horticultural Research Institute, Virginia Agricultural Council, and the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

A cold hardiness evaluation of 57 cultivars and species of grevillea (Grevillea) was conducted from 2011 to 2014 in Aurora, OR, to assess landscape suitability in the Pacific Northwest United States. Plants were established using irrigation in 2011, but they received no supplemental water, mineral nutrients, or pruning from 2012 to 2014. Plants were evaluated for injury in Mar. 2012 and Jan. 2014 after winter cold events with minimum temperatures of -4 and -13 degrees C, respectively. Damage, at least on some level, occurred on most selections following their first winter after planting in 2011. During Winter 2013, further damage to, or death of, 33 grevillea cultivars or species occurred. The grevillea that exhibited the least cold damage and the most promise for landscape use and further evaluation in the Pacific Northwest United States were 'Poorinda Elegance' hybrid grevillea, southern grevillea (G. australis), cultivars of juniper-leaf grevillea (G. juniperina) including Lava Cascade and Molonglo, and oval-leaf grevillea (G. miqueliana), all of which exhibited minor foliage damage. ; Washington State Department of Agriculture Nursery License Surcharge program (Olympia, WA) ; We appreciate and acknowledge financial support from the Washington State Department of Agriculture Nursery License Surcharge program (Olympia, WA), as well as the donation of cutting material from the University of California, Santa Cruz, Arboretum, and the assistance of the staff at the Arboretum. Thanks are also due to Oregon State University Marion County Master Gardeners for assistance with plot establishment and data collection. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

Pine bark is the primary constituent of nursery container media (i.e., soilless substrate) in the eastern United States. Pine bark physical and hydraulic properties vary depending on the supplier due to source (e.g., lumber mill type) or methods of additional processing or aging. Pine bark can be processed via hammer milling or grinding before or after being aged from = 6 month (aged). Additionally, bark is commonly amended with sand to alter physical properties and increase bulk density (D-b). Information is limited on physical or hydraulic differences of bark between varying sources or the effect of sand amendments. Pine bark physical and hydraulic properties from six commercial sources were compared as a function of age and amendment with sand. Aging bark, alone, had little effect on total porosity (TP), which remained at approximate to 80.5% (by volume). However, aging pine bark from = 6 months shifted particle size from the coarse (>2 mm) to fine fraction (<0.5 mm), which increased container capacity (CC) 21.4% and decreased air space (AS) by 17.2% (by volume) regardless of source. The addition of sand to the substrate had a similar effect on particle size distribution to that of aging, increasing CC and D-b while decreasing AS. Total porosity decreased with the addition of sand. The magnitude of change in TP, AS, CC, and D-b from a nonamended pine bark substrate was greater with fine vs. coarse sand and varied by bark source. When comparing hydrological properties across three pine bark sources, readily available water content was unaffected; however, moisture characteristic curves (MCC) differed due to particle size distribution affecting the residual water content and subsequent shift from gravitational to either capillary or hygroscopic water. Similarly, hydraulic conductivity (i.e., ability to transfer water within the container) decreased with increasing particle size. ; Virginia Agricultural Experiment Stations, Agricultural Research Service; Hatch Programs of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture ; Funding for this work was provided, in part, by the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Stations, Agricultural Research Service, and the Hatch Programs of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee

Dolomite and a micronutrient fertilizer are routinely incorporated into a pine bark-based soilless substrate when producing containerized nursery crops, yet the effect of these amendments on phosphorus (P) is not well understood. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of dolomite and micronutrient fertilizer amendments on P partitioning among four P fractions (i.e., orthophosphate-P EOM non-orthophosphate dissolved P [NODP], total dissolved P [TDP], and particulate P (PPJ) and to model potential P species in leachate of pine bark substrate. Amendment treatments incorporated into bark at experiment initiation included (1) a control (no fertilizer, dolomite, or micronutrient fertilizer), (2) controlled-release fertilizer (CRF), (3) CRF and dolomite, (4) CRF and micronutrient fertilizer, or (5) CRF, dolomite, and micronutrient fertilizer. Phosphorus fractions in leachate of irrigated pine bark columns were determined at eight sampling times over 48 days. Amending pine bark with dolomite and micronutrient fertilizer reduced leachate OP concentrations by 70% when averaged across sampling dates primarily due to retention of OP in the substrate by dolomite. The NODP fraction was unaffected by amendments, and the response of TDP was similar to that of OP. Particulate P was present throughout the study and was strongly correlated particulate Fe and DOC concentrations. Visual MINTEQ indicated MnHPO4 and Ca-5(PO4)(3)(OH) were consistently saturated with respect to their solid phase in treatments containing CRF. Results of this study suggest amending pine bark with dolomite and micronutrients is a best management practice for reducing P leaching from containerized nurseries. ; Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture [SCRI 2014-51181-22372]; Hatch Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture [SCRI 2014-51181-22372]; US Dep. of Agriculture; Horticultural Research Institute; Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association ; The authors thank Julie Brindley, Velva Groover, Anna Birnbaum, and Doug Sturtz for technical assistance, as well as Pacific Organics for donating pine bark for this research. Funding was provided by the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station and the Hatch Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (including SCRI 2014-51181-22372), the US Dep. of Agriculture, the Horticultural Research Institute, and the Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association. ; Public domain authored by a U.S. government employee