| APPROACH:
Objective 1. Potted orchid plants will be grown in various greenhouse compartments with temperature setpoints of 11 to 29 C. Most temperature treatments will be a constant temperature, while some treatments will have a warmer day than night temperature (e.g., 20 C day/ 14 C night). Light will be modulated to ensure that light does not confound temperature responses. We will use established plant culture guidelines for potted orchids (Lopez and Runkle, 2006). Additional experiments will be performed to determine if different plant growth regulators influence branching of vegetative shoots, stimulate flower induction, and inflorescence height. Additional studies with media components and fertility concentrations will be performed when merited. Objective 2. To test the effect of photoperiod on flowering of herbaceous perennials and annuals, plants will be grown at 20 C and placed under photoperiods that range from 9 hours to 24 hours but with a similar DLI. An additional
treatment will be a 16-hour photoperiod without blackcloth so that plants receive a long day with additional photosynthetic light. To test the effect of DLI on seedling development and quality, and propagation time of nonrooted cuttings, plants will be provided with different DLIs that range from 2 to 15 mol/m-2d-1. The photoperiod will be a constant 16 hours and temperature will be maintained at 20 or 23 C, depending on the species. Objective 3. We will obtain numerous popular bedding plant species for investigation based on sales volume and the lack of published information on controlled temperature responses. We have chosen to focus on seed-propagated crops; John Erwin at the Univ. of Minnesota will perform similar temperature experiments on several vegetatively propagated annuals. We will obtain young bedding plant seedlings growing in 288-cell plug trays and raise them in refrigerated growth chambers at 20 C with an average DLI of 8 mol/m-2d-1 and a 16-hour photoperiod. Seedlings
will be transplanted into 10-cm containers and grown in greenhouses at four different temperatures and two DLIs. "Cold-tolerant" crops will be grown at constant temperature setpoints of 14, 17, 20, and 23 C under a 16-hour photoperiod; "cold-sensitive" crops will be grown at constant setpoints of 17, 20, 23, and 26 C. At each temperature, plants will be grown under two different DLIs. We will model the effect of temperature on crop development for each species. The developmental models will be integrated into a computer software program, Virtual Grower (developed by the USDA-ARS in Toledo, OH). The outcomes of the model will predict crop timing and energy consumption based on user-defined inputs such as growing temperature, greenhouse location and structure, time of year, fuel type, fuel cost, etc. The plant and energy models will be validated by growing crops in greenhouse compartments with different temperature setpoints and at various times of the year.
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CRIS NUMBER: 0192266
SUBFILE: CRIS
PROJECT NUMBER: MICL02021
SPONSOR AGENCY: NIFA
PROJECT TYPE: HATCH
PROJECT STATUS: REVISED
MULTI-STATE PROJECT NUMBER: (N/A)
START DATE: May 1, 2007
TERMINATION DATE: Apr 30, 2012
GRANT PROGRAM: (N/A)
GRANT PROGRAM AREA: (N/A)
CLASSIFICATION
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| 204 | 2120 | 1020 | 2.2 | 10% |
| 204 | 2122 | 1020 | 2.2 | 10% |
| 204 | 2123 | 1020 | 2.2 | 10% |
| 204 | 2123 | 1050 | 2.2 | 10% |
| 205 | 2120 | 1020 | 2.2 | 10% |
| 205 | 2122 | 1020 | 2.2 | 10% |
| 205 | 2123 | 1020 | 2.2 | 10% |
| 205 | 2123 | 1050 | 2.2 | 10% |
| 404 | 2120 | 1050 | 2.1 | 10% |
| 404 | 2123 | 1050 | 2.1 | 10% |
|
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CLASSIFICATION HEADINGS
KA205 - Plant Management Systems
KA404 - Instrumentation and Control Systems
KA204 - Plant Product Quality and Utility (Preharvest)
S2120 - Herbaceous perennials and decorative greens
S2123 - Bedding/garden plants
S2122 - Potted plants
F1020 - Physiology
F1050 - Developmental biology
G2.2 - Increase Efficiency of Production and Marketing Systems
G2.1 - Expand Domestic Market Opportunities
RESEARCH EFFORT CATEGORIES
| BASIC |
15% |
| APPLIED |
60% |
| DEVELOPMENTAL |
25% |
KEYWORDS: greenhouse; energy; floriculture; plants; flowers; production; efficiency; orchids; perennials; annuals; light; temperature
PROGRESS: Jan 1, 2009 TO Dec 31, 2009
OUTPUTS: Phalaenopsis orchids require a day temperature of 26 C (79 F) or less to initiate inflorescences, whereas the night temperature has little or no effect on inflorescence initiation. We determined the duration of high temperature required each day to prevent inflorescence initiation of four Phalaenopsis and Doritaenopsis clones. Mature potted plants were grown in separate greenhouse sections with five daily durations at 29 C (86 F): 0, 4, 8, 12, or 24 hours. The high temperature was centered in the 16-hour photoperiod (0600 HR to 2200 HR) and the remainder of the day was at 20 C (68 F). Flowering data were recorded, and plants that did not initiate an inflorescence within 20 weeks were considered non-flowering. The experiment was performed twice for most orchid varieties. In a separate project, we have performed a series of experiments in the past few years with about 30 seed-propagated annual bedding plants to determine effects of temperature and daily light integral (DLI) on crop timing and plant quality. Seedlings grown in 288-cell plug trays were transplanted into 4-inch pots and grown in greenhouses with constant temperature set points of 14, 17, 20, 23, and 26 C (57, 63, 68, 73, and 79 F). At each temperature, plants were grown under a 16-hour photoperiod with two different DLIs provided by a combination of shade curtains and different light intensities from high-pressure sodium lamps. Experiments were performed twice to obtain average a broad range of DLI. When each plant flowered, the following data were recorded: date, plant height, number of leaves, and number of flowers and flower buds. Crop timing data were used to develop mathematical models to predict flowering time and plant quality under different temperature and DLI conditions. We then used the computer program Virtual Grower, developed by the USDA-ARS, to estimate heating costs for a typical greenhouse to produce flowering crops on different finish dates and at different locations in the United States. Information from these and other floriculture research projects have been provided to growers throughout Michigan and the US at grower meetings and in trade magazine articles. For example, I coordinated the Floriculture Research Alliance (http://www.floriculturealliance.org) annual grower meeting that was held in East Lansing in September. The meeting consisted of one day of research presentations delivered by university faculty at Clemson, Florida, Minnesota, and North Carolina State, a tour of ongoing floriculture research projects, and a day-long tour to leading producers of ornamental crops in western Michigan. In total, over 40 growers and industry leaders participated in the meeting, representing several of the largest floriculture producers in the nation. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS Matthew Blanchard, Ph.D. graduate student at Michigan State Univ. (MSU), performed experiments; Daedre Cregg, Ph.D. graduate student at MSU, performed experiments; Mike Olrich, Research Technician at MSU., assisted with creating and maintaining experimental conditions; Linsey Newton, M.S. graduate student at MSU, performed experiments; Wook Oh, post-doctoral research associate at MSU, performed experiments; Catherine Whitman, research technician at MSU, assisted with experimentation. PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS American Floral Endowment, Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation, Michigan Floriculture Growers Council, Metro Detroit Flower Growers Association, Project GREEEN (Michigan's plant agriculture initiative at Michigan State University), Pearlstein Family Foundation, the Western Michigan Greenhouse Association, and numerous private horticulture companies that provided funding and product donations. COLLABORATORS AND CONTACTS Art Cameron, Professor, MSU; Steve Harsh, Professor, MSU; Ryan Warner, Assistant Professor, MSU; A.J. Both, Associate Extension Specialist, Rutgers University; John Dole, Professor, North Carolina State University; John Erwin, Professor, University of Minnesota; Jim Faust, Associate Professor, Clemson University; Paul Fisher, Associate Professor, University of Florida; Jonathan Frantz, Research Horticulturist, USDA-ARS, Toledo, OH. PROJECT TRAINING Research-based information has been provided to growers at the Floriculture Research Alliance technical meeting (East Lansing, MI), MSU Floriculture Research Meeting (East Lansing, MI), Michigan Greenhouse Growers Expo (Grand Rapids, MI), 2009 Perennial Production Conference (Buffalo, NY), 2009 MSU Garden Plant Showcase (East Lansing, MI), OFA Short Course (Columbus, OH), Great Lakes Trade Exhibition (Grand Rapids, MI), and Michigan Farm Energy Audit Workshop (East Lansing, MI). TARGET AUDIENCES: Commercial growers of ornamental crops, with an emphasis on greenhouse production of floriculture crops. Although the target audience is growers in Michigan and the Midwest, a substantial amount of the information has been communicated to, and can be potentially implemented by, growers throughout the United States and beyond. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
IMPACT: 2009-01-01 TO 2009-12-31
Baldan's Kaleidoscope 'Golden Treasure' and 12 hours for Phalaenopsis 'Mosella'. These studies indicate that as few as 8 hours of high temperature each day can prevent flowering of some Phalaenopsis hybrids, whereas others require greater than 12 hours of high-temperature exposure. This information has been disseminated to scientific and grower communities through presentations and scientific results were published in HortScience. As a result of these findings, some commercial growers are testing high temperature delivery during the day to reduce heating costs at night. Depending on greenhouse characteristics and climate, growers could potentially reduce their energy costs for heating by 10% to 20% by implementing this strategy. Research performed with annual bedding plants has created new information on how temperature and light influence growth and development of crops with commercial importance to floriculture producers. We have also compiled research-based information on production strategies and technologies that can be used to produce crops with reduced energy costs, which is available online at www.hrt.msu.edu/Energy/Notebook.htm. This website has received national attention in the floriculture press and was awarded the "Outstanding Extension Publication Award: Best Website" by the American Society for Horticultural Science. The effect of temperature on plant development depends on the species, and in some cases, the variety. In addition, energy costs are dependent on the growing temperature, crop duration, greenhouse characteristics, and climate. For example, the approximate production time of ageratum is 61 days at an average growing temperature of 58 F (14 C). If the grower instead grew the crop at 68 F (20 C), the production time is reduced to 33 days. The estimated heating cost for a greenhouse grower in Grand Rapids, MI to produce flowering ageratum on April 1 at 58 F is $0.55 per square foot. However, if the grower instead transplanted the crop four weeks later, and grew the crop at 68 F, the estimated heating cost is reduced to $0.34 per square foot. Therefore, a grower of ageratum would reduce his or her heating input for that crop by 38% by growing at the warmer temperature! The shorter production time could also lower other input costs and would allow other crops to be grown in that space. Similarly, 13% to 17% less energy would be consumed by growing crops of dianthus, seed geranium, and African marigold at 73 F instead of 63 F, and 23% to 33% less energy would be consumed by growing cosmos, petunia, and zinnia at the warmer temperature. This information is being disseminated to growers through a 12-part series in Greenhouse Grower magazine, as well as at regional and national conferences.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION: 2009-01-01 TO 2009-12-31
Blanchard, M., and Runkle, E. 2009. Energy-efficient annuals, Part 3: Timing marigolds. Greenhouse Grower 27(5), 58-61.
PROJECT CONTACT INFORMATION
| NAME: |
Runkle, E. |
| PHONE: |
517-355-5191 |
| FAX: |
517-353-0890 |
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