Project Number: 5306-21220-005-01
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 22, 2008
End Date: Aug 31, 2013

Objective:
Objectives are as follows: 1)Evaluate the impact of microbial inoculants on the incidence and severity of soilborne disease and on the overall health and vigor of bedding plants; 2)Evaluate the effect of adding pheromones to sticky traps on ability to monitor/detect thrips populations and for the potential to reduce thrips populations and the resultant damage on a variety of ornamental crops; 3)Evaluate the addition of silicon to ornamental crops to reduce damage by insects and mites and to produce healthier and more vigorous plants; and 4)Transfer effective new technologies to appropriate customer/stakeholder groups.

Approach:
1) Through a series of research/demonstrations, will evaluate the relative performance of a variety of microbial inoculants compared to normal grower practices; 2)in cooperation with growers in California, will evaluate the use of pheromone/sticky traps on control of thrips in a commercial greenhouse; 3)in cooperation with growers, will run side by side comparisons of plants grown with and without the addition of silicon to determine if adding silicon to ornamental plants will increase their ability to resist attack insects and diseases and produce healthier and more vigorous plants; and 4)will develop a Bedding Plant/Plant Propagators Alliance. Via meetings of this Alliance, will complete a Crop Profile for bedding plant producers and plant propagators.