White rust causes Connecticut quarantine
Officials with Conn. Ag. Experiment Station and USDA-APHIS placed stop-sale orders on 2 growers in Hartford and Fairfield counties after white rust was detected on garden mums. This is the 1st appearance in Connecticut of the disease, which is caused by the fungus Puccinia horiana P. Henn. The infected mums appear to be limited to Gretchen cultivars. USDA protocols force incineration of diseased plants and mandatory treatment/stop sale of nearby mums. Signs of infection were identified in 850 plants at the 2 affected nurseries. More than 1,800 infected or exposed host plants were destroyed at both facilities. Bob Heffernan, exec. dir. of Conn. Greenhouse Growers Assoc., reports more growers may be involved.
Young pansy plugs finish faster
A pansy plug age study presented at this year's Sakata Seed pack trials demonstrated the effect of transplanting pansy plugs at various stages of development. Sakata technical support rep. Bob Croft said studies have shown that earlier transplanting promotes faster development and reduces costs. 28 days appears to be the ideal age. Croft said earlier transplanting is more critical under high temperatures and longer photoperiods when plant growth is accelerated and under more stress. Univ. of Md. Co-op. Ext. reports Henry Thorpe of Catoctin Mountain Growers in Detour, Md., found that planting younger pansy plugs trims 2-3 weeks from the production schedule. Thorpe noted plugs transplanted later in the season have the advantage of lower growing temperatures.
Fischer USA, S&G Flowers realign
Fischer USA and S&G Flowers are now realigning to create 2 separate organizations after Syngenta acquired Fischer on June 25. Fischer USA in Boulder, Colo., will manage the genetics portfolio and be responsible for product development, brand management, supply chain reliability and marketing and sales for all vegetative and seed varieties produced by Fischer and Syngenta breeding. Fischer USA will also maintain its exclusive license with Goldsmith to market and sell vegetative annuals. S&G Flowers in Lisle, Ill., will be a full-service broker/distributor.
Cannas see more virus, disease issues
Virus problems on cannas have increased recently because growers are ignoring disease infections and shipping virus-infected rhizomes, said Bess Dicklow of Univ. of Mass. Plant Diagnostic Lab. She said cannas are relatively disease-free. Cannas are susceptible to canna yellow mottle virus, bean yellow mosaic virus and tomato aspermy virus. Infection symptoms range from mild to severe. A mild case may include streaks or spots. Severe infection can result in stunted growth and twisted and distorted foliage and flowers. Over time, infected cannas lose vigor, become unsightly and flower before plants are mature. These viruses, for which there is no treatment, are spread by aphids and other sap-sucking insects. Burn infected plants and start again with healthy rhizomes. Keep any introductions separate until their health can be established.
Conference to focus on ecological landscaping
To promote environmentally friendly approaches to designing, using and maintaining landscapes in urban areas, Ohio St. Univ.'s Urban Landscape Ecology Program is sponsoring the Ecological Landscaping Conference, Oct. 28-31 in Cleveland. Topics include biodiversity and public health, storm water management, wildlife, pollution control, therapeutic gardens, urban ag., native vs. nonnative plants, alternatives to lawns and environmental remediation.
Worth a visit
See a visual recap of ANLA's Landscape Distribution Tour in the Detroit region. Only on GreenBeam.com.
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