Project Overview
Annual Reports
Commodities
- Additional Plants: ornamentals
Practices
- Education and Training: decision support system
- Pest Management: biological control, cultural control, integrated pest management
- Production Systems: holistic management
Abstract:
This project brought Horticulturists and Pest Management Specialists together in a concerted effort to better identify and increase interest in better-adapted, low input plants for the southeastern U.S. Hundreds of ornamental plants and turf grass selections were evaluated for the ability to resist or tolerate common and newly invasive pests. Better-adapted species and cultivars were identified and mechanisms conferring resistance were in some cases able to be further elucidated, informing plant-breeding efforts. Industry surveys in three states revealed that lawn care and landscape maintenance professionals largely believe that insect- and disease- resistant plants will benefit their businesses and should result in increased client satisfaction. Recommendations developed as a result of research conducted in this project have been formatted to populate a web-based plant selection tool “Gardensource”
Project objectives:
The goal of our project was to increase production and ultimate use of low-input, especially pest -resistant plants in the southeastern U.S. The objectives of this project were to: 1)identify optimal plant material (from both low input and aesthetic viewpoints), 2) facilitate pest-resistant plant production and availability, 3) enhance the likelihood that resistant plants will be specified in landscape design, and 4) provide a tool that will make locating desired sustainable plants easier.
The research component of this project 1) identified and developed pest-resistant or other stress tolerant plant material suitable for the southeast and 2) investigated, through survey, interview and facilitated conferences, the most appropriate methods to achieve components 2, 3 and 4 of the plan above.