Assessing the Use of Farm-Made Foliar Biostimulants and Microbial Inoculants for Cut Flower Production

View the project report

Commodities

Practices

• Crop Production: biological inoculants, foliar feeding
• Pest Management: botanical pesticides
• Production Systems: holistic management

Fungal diseases like powdery mildew, and pest pressure from aphids, mites, and cucumber beetles can significantly impact crop quality, aesthetics, and vase life of cut flowers. Conventional methods for addressing pest and disease pressure in flower crops may not be feasible for many of today’s growers due to cost, buildup of resistance, or an environmentally driven reluctance to use synthetic fungicides and insecticides. This project assesses four biological foliar sprays for their role in pest and disease management on zinnia, dahlia, and spirea. The spray treatments, including lactic acid bacteria (LAB), water-soluble calcium (WCA), vermicompost extract (VCE), and kelp solution, are biostimulants or microbial inoculants that can be made on-farm using readily available or low-cost ingredients. If they can be shown to reduce disease and pest pressure, these treatments may serve as useful alternatives or supplements to the use of conventional pesticides in cut flower production. We intend to conduct three small on-farm trials, replicated in two locations in Pennsylvania, to assess these products. Zinnia will be treated with two rates of LAB and tested against a water-only control, and monitored for powdery mildew. Dahlia and spirea will be treated with WCA, VCE, kelp, or a water-only control and scouted for spider mites, cucumber beetles, and aphids. All crops will be evaluated for stem quality and vase life. Results will be distributed to growers through a farm field day, webinar, research report, and podcast episode.

The goal of this investigation is to shed light on the potential of natural, farm-made spray products to improve pest and disease management for cut flower farmers at a low cost. We intend to assess four biological foliar sprays (lactic acid bacteria, LAB; vermicompost extract, VCE; kelp solution; and water-soluble calcium, WCA) for their role in pest and disease management in cut flower production. Our project aims to: 1) determine if foliar-applied LAB is an effective protective treatment for preventing powdery mildew on zinnia, and at what rate it is most effective; 2) observe whether foliar-applied VCE, kelp solution, and WCA reduce feeding by cucumber beetles, spider mites, and aphids on dahlia and spirea; 3) use plant tissue analysis to determine if spray treatments affect plant nutrient status at key crop life stages, 4) determine whether these four spray treatments affect stem quality and vase life of harvested crops, and 5) disseminate the research results to growers who could benefit from this work. Our hope is to learn more about the potential of these natural products to serve as a tool to help growers reduce or eliminate their use of pesticides while maintaining high crop quality and meeting production goals. We also hope that our findings will serve as a springboard for further research into the use of natural farming inputs in various production settings, such as urban farms, larger commercial flower farms, and produce operations.