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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #169776
Title: CONSUMER SURVEY OF CHRYSANTHEMUM CULTIVARS

Author
item POSADAS, BEN - MSU
item COKER, CHRISTINE - MSU
item Fain, Glenn
item KNIGHT, PATRICIA - MSU
item COKER, RANDALL - MSU

Submitted to: Southern Nursery Association Research Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/1/2004
Publication Date: 8/20/2004
Citation: Posadas, B., Coker, C., Fain, G.B., Knight, P., Coker, R. 2004. Consumer survey of chrysanthemum cultivars. Southern Nursery Association Research Conference. 49:502-507

Interpretive Summary: With a growing domestic market of garden chrysanthemums, growers have to make investment and production decisions based on the 'potential buying decisions' of consumers for these new cultivars. The goal of this study was to evaluate consumer preferences for garden chrysanthemum cultivars. The cultivar which consumers rated highest was 'Amor Yellow White' in 10x9 inch pot. Other cultivars recieving high ratings were 'Adonis Purple' in 10x9 pot, 'Freya Salmon' in 10x9 pot, and 'Night Hawk Lemon' in 10x9 pot. Results gathered from this survey along with other similar surveys provide useful information to marketers in the green industry.

Technical Abstract: The goal of this study was to evaluate consumer preferences for garden chrysanthemum cultivars. Its specific objectives were as follows: to determine the levels of liking and willingness to pay for selected chrysanthemum cultivars, and to measure relative influence of consumer socioeconomic characteristics. The survey was conducted on October 17 and 18, 2003 during the Fall Flower and Garden Fest at the Truck Crops Experiment Station in Crystal Springs, MS. There were nine cultivars of garden chrysanthemums presented to the consumer survey participants in different pot sizes. The '8x5' pot size is an 8-inch wide by 5-inch tall mum pan, the '9x6' is a 9-inch wide by 6-inch tall mum pan, and the '10x9' is a 10-inch wide by 9-inch tall foliage pot. The willingness to pay (WTP) and levels of liking (LOL, 1-7 scale, 1 indicating strongly dislike and 7 indicating strongly like) for the 21 garden chrysanthemums between those respondents who bought and did not buy chrysanthemums in 2002 were compared. Most of the participants to the consumer survey were females (82.6%), Causasians or Whites (84.9%), and with household income between $25,000 and $75,000 (56.2%). The average participant was about 58.7 years old, had 2.3 persons in his/her household and completed 14.2 years of formal education. Participants were asked to respond to the question 'How much do you like this variety'. The only cultivar which received a rating above 6.00 was 'Amor Yellow White' in 10x9 inch pot. The respondents who did not buy any chrysanthemum in 2002 (LOL=6.23) liked it more than those respondents who bought chrysanthemums in 2002 (LOL=5.91). The four cultivars which were rated between 5.75 and 6.00 included 'Adonis Purple' in 10x9 pot, 'Freya Salmon' in 10x9 pot, and 'Night Hawk Lemon' in 10x9 pot. The average willingness to pay for the individual potted chrysanthemum cultivars revealed by the respondents was not significantly different between those who bought and did not buy chrysanthemums in 2002. The cultivar which was valued most by the respondents (WTP=$13.02/plant) was 'Amor Yellow White' presented in 10x9 pot. The other chrysanthemum cultivars which were valued at above $10 per potted plant included 'Freya Salmon', 'Adonis Purple', 'Road Runner Bronze', and 'Night Hawk Lemon' which were all in 10x9 pots.