Horticultural markets promote alien species invasions : an Estonian case study of herbaceous perennials

Gardening is a popular pastime, but commercial horticulture is responsible for the introduction of alien species and contributes to invasions in a variety of ways. Although an extensive international literature is available on plant invasions, it is still important at the national level to examine the influence of local factors. Accordingly, 17 nurseries in Estonia that cultivated and sold perennial alien species were selected, and a list of species and prices was compiled. The relationships between species status, and factors such as their abundance in the wild were examined statistically. A qualitative list of the nationally problematic species among herbaceous perennials was also completed. A total of 880 taxa were recorded, of which 10.3% were native and 89.7% alien. In all, 87.3% of the alien species were still confined to cultivated areas. The ecological and socio-economic characteristics of the taxa were described, and lists of the families of casual, naturalised and invasive aliens were provided. Both native and increasing wild alien species have a very similar profile on the market. Alien species that are less expensive, widely available and have more cultivars per species on the market are also more likely to escape. The invasive status and abundance of escaped aliens in an area increases with residence time. In general, socio-economic factors create new and reflect previous propagule pressures from commercial horticulture, which continuously increase the likelihood of alien species surviving and invading new areas. Our findings suggest that these national socioeconomic market-related factors explain much of the invasiveness of various perennial ornamental species, and therefore regional and national authorities urgently need to regulate and control the ornamental plant trade to diminish the risk of new invasions

Effects of growth conditions on postharvest Botrytis infection in Gerbera - a nursery comparison

Botrytis cinerea is one of the main postharvest problems in gerbera cut flowers. There are clear differences among growers in the percentage of flowers showing symptoms of Botrytis infection after harvest. Because the factors causing these differences are uncertain, cultivation parameters of twelve different growers were followed and a nursery comparison was carried out. Gerbera flowers ‘Dino’ were sampled twelve times; six times in autumn 2006 and six times in spring of 2007. At the nurseries climate (air temperature, relative humidity, light intensity and CO2 concentration) was logged, and plant density, plant age and other characteristics were monitored. Before each harvest Botrytis spores were trapped in the greenhouses and counted. After sampling, flowers were treated according to a standard transport simulation. Thereafter Botrytis infection was monitored, and statistical analyses were performed on the effect of the pre-harvest conditions on Botrytis infection in the postharvest stage. Clear influence of the spore level in the greenhouse was observed. When a sufficient number of spores were present in the greenhouse environment, the humidity level and the intensity and duration of irradiation had the strongest influence on infection. In general, factors those lead to a dry microclimate such as the use of ventilators, the use of supplemental lighting and a low plant density were related with a lower number of lesions on gerbera petals in the postharvest phase

Current use of peat, plastic and fertiliser inputs in organic horticultural and arable crops across Europe

The use of contentious inputs linked to plant protection, and the use of peat, plastic and fertilisers used in growing have been mapped in selected organically produced crops in 10 countries across Europe. This report refers the output of this mapping. It shows that organic production has not come very far to phase out peat or plastic. The consumption of these materials seems to be quite comparable to non-organic production systems.The main utilisation of peat is for production of young plants (transplants). Most organic growers purchase plants e.g. for citrus, olives and grafted tomatoes and the growing media has usually a high content of peat. Vegetable transplants are also commonly produced by special growers. Peat is also used for casing layers for organic mushrooms, and as a potting media for aromatic plants. For plastic, the use is extensive for mulching and to protect crops against frost, less often for insect protection. The use of plastic materials to attach young plants to sticks etc., and to protect grafting wounds in young trees, was also observed. While not big in volume, this use may contribute to micro-plastic waste. Plastic is also very common for solarisation and for tunnels and greenhouses, especially in southern countries. In northern countries,greenhouses are usually made of other materials than plastic. Further research within the Organic PLUS project will reveal farmers and growers who have worked with promising alternatives and develop these further. For applied fertilisers, which in our context need to be approved for use in certified organic production, the application of commercial products seems to be higher in some countries, e.g. Greece, whereas other countries seem to use much less. This may be explained by economic conditions of the growers, cultural differences, by the extent of organic production and development of a market for such products, by the availability of national fertiliser Companies and by other factors. Information about raw materials used to produce these fertilisers is commonly not readily available but may sometimes be found under information about the company’s history. These website sections also reveal that fusions of fertiliser Companies occur rapidly. Many fertiliser products seem to be derived from residuals from sugar or starch production. Horn grid, meat and bone meal, blood meal and feather meals are well known organic fertilisers but were not so much observed in this study. Instead, we observed that animal hides are an important raw material for organic N fertilisers. Seaweed products are quite common, whereas fish-based products were only mentioned from UK. Non-organic manure (from conventional farms) is used in all countries, commonly as pelletised dry poultry manure

Tables describing the use of various inputs during organic growing of important horticultural and arable crops across Europe

This Annex presents the results of the survey carried out in the frame of Tasks 3.1. and Task 5.1 in the Organic PLUS project. A common table/questionnaire for both tasks was used in order to map the use of contentious inputs linked to plant protection (mainly Cu, S and mineral oils), and the use of peat, plastic and fertilisers used in growing, in 10 countries participating in Organic-PLUS (Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey and UK). The survey was carried out mainly by interviewing one to three experienced advisors per crop, asking them to fill in a table describing a typical organic production of the relevant crop, emphasising the use of various inputs. An accompanying letter was used along with the questionnaire to explain the aim of this work. For Poland, the information was based on inputs recorded by a simple web survey from several producers. For UK, information was not compiled in crop tables. Instead, the largest organic growers’ association, Soil Association (SA) interviewed several growers, and analysed the permissions to use restricted inputs that were given in one year. The information provided by SA is also included in this report. The collected raw material is presented in in the following sections. Note that the names of the experts, consultants and growers interviewed are not presented to allow anonymity for the data given

The Economic Impact of the Green Industry in the United States

This study estimates the economic impacts of the U.S. environmental horticulture industry (also known as the Green Industry) to be $147.8 billion in output, 1,964,339 jobs,$95.1 billion in value added, $64.3 billion in labor income, and$6.9 billion in indirect business taxes, with these values expressed in 2004 dollars.Environmental Economics and Policy,

No Profit without People: Personnel Policy in Glasshouse Horticulture

Crop Production/Industries, Labor and Human Capital,

Comparison of some chemical and non-chemical treatments to disinfect a recirculating nutrient solution

Closed hydroponic growing systems have a better water use efficiency (WUE) and a lower use of fertilizers, but a larger risk of spreading soil-borne pathogens all over the crop compared to open systems. In climates or regions where availability of water is limited closed systems should be preferred above open systems but the risk of spreading soil-borne pathogens should be minimized. Disinfection of the nutrient solution is a valuable method, but it often demands high investments. A desk study was made to compare the performance of some chemical and non-chemical treatments. For larger companies (>2 ha) heat treatment and UV radiation are still the best options. For smaller companies

A Transportation Alliance of Environmental Horticulture Producers in Georgia: Issues and Feasibility

Transportation and shipping costs of ornamental horticulture are 10% of total cost of production in Georgia. With many small to medium sized producers using their own independent transportation system, methods to optimize vehicle operations are desired. Will a transportation alliance reduce shipping costs, increase distribution efficiencies, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions among ornamental plants producers in Georgia? The study shows alliances are not only feasible, they have average total cost savings of 9%, average total miles driven savings of 8%, average number of trucks savings of 8%, average driving hours savings of 15%, and average carbon dioxide emissions savings of 8%.transportation, logistics, efficiencies, savings, environmental horticulture, Agribusiness,