Floricultur*

Proper species identification is the keystone of successful integrated pest management (IPM). However, efforts to identify thrips species in Canadian greenhouses have not been formally made since the 1980s. In response to recent increases in crop damage, we sampled thrips communities from eight commercial floriculture greenhouses in the Niagara region (Ontario, Canada) from May until August 2016. Selected sites were revisited in 2017, 2018, and 2019 to determine changes in species composition over time. Western flower thrips ( Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)), along with onion thrips ( Thrips tabaci Lindeman), constituted the majority of species found...

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary, a polyphagous necrotrophic fungal pathogen, has brought about significant losses in agriculture and floriculture. Until now, the most common method for controlling S. sclerotiorum has been the application of fungicides. Xenocoumacin 1 (Xcn1) is a potential biopesticide having versatile antimicrobial activities, generated by Xenorhabdus nematophila . This study was intended to isolate Xcn1 from X. nematophila YL001 and clarify its efficacies for S. sclerotiorum control...

The cut chrysanthemum holds one of the most substantial segments of the global floriculture market, particularly in Korea. We conducted a detailed assessment of the genetic structures across the cut chrysanthemum breeding lines in Korea. Using standard and spray chrysanthemum breeding lines from leading Korean research institutes, we first compared the variability of 12 horticultural traits, revealing a wide range of variation for most traits. We found that the overall flower diameter (OFD) and ray floret length (RFL) showed a solid positive relationship, regardless of the type...

BACKGROUND: The microbiome plays a fundamental role in plant health and performance. Soil serves as a reservoir of microbial diversity where plants attract microorganisms via root exudates. The soil has an important impact on the composition of the rhizosphere microbiome, but greenhouse ornamental plants are commonly grown in soilless substrates. While soil microbiomes have been extensively studied in traditional agriculture to improve plant performance, health, and sustainability, information about the microbiomes of soilless substrates is still limited...

Rosa rugosa , a renowned ornamental plant, is cultivated for its essential oil containing valuable monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and other compounds widely used in the floriculture industry. Farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS) is a key enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of sesquiterpenes and triterpenes for abiotic or biotic stress. In this study, we successfully cloned and characterized a full-length FPPS- encoding cDNA identified as RrFPPS1 using RT-PCR from R. rugosa . Phylogenetic analysis showed that RrFPPS1 belonged to the angiosperm-FPPS clade...

Succulents, valued for their drought tolerance and ornamental appeal, are important in the floriculture market. However, only a handful of succulent species can be genetically transformed, making it difficult to improve these plants through genetic engineering. In this study, we adapted the recently developed cut-dip-budding (CDB) gene delivery system to transform three previously recalcitrant succulent varieties - the dicotyledonous Kalanchoe blossfeldiana and Crassula arborescens and the monocotyledonous Sansevieria trifasciata...

Aedes japonicus is an invasive Asian mosquito species, and to date it is widespread in many European countries. In Italy, it was first recorded in 2015 at the Austrian border and it then spread throughout the Northeast of the country. In 2019, it was also identified in Piedmont region, near the Swiss border. In the framework of the Italian program for prevention, surveillance, and response to Arboviruses, from June to November 2021, biweekly entomological surveillance was performed in the Liguria region (Northwest Italy)...

Marigolds (Tagetes erecta L.) were evaluated for phytoremediation potential of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) as a function of amendment application to soil. Vermicompost (V), biodigestate (Bi), and combined V + Bi (VBi) were used as soil amendments in Zn and Cd co-contaminated soils. Application of soil amendments can alter physicochemical properties of soils, particularly pH, EC, CEC and nutrient concentrations. The VBi treatment resulted in highest growth rate in biomass (52 g per plant) for the Twenty yellow variety of marigold...

Ornamental orchid breeding programs have been conducted to develop commercially valuable cultivars with improved characteristics of commercial interest, such as size, flower color, pattern, shape, and resistance to pathogens. Conventional breeding, including sexual hybridization followed by selection of desirable characteristics in plants, has so far been the main method for ornamental breeding, but other techniques, including mutation induction by polyploidization and gamma irradiation, and biotechnological techniques, such as genetic transformation, have also been studied and used in ornamental breeding programs...

Ornamental plants rich in pollen and nectar are often marketed as "pollinator-friendly" by flower retailers. However, even though the plants are attractive from a foraging perspective, i.e pollen and nectar rich, bees and other pollinating insects could be at risk from exposure of pesticide residues on the plants or from pesticide used during production. Pesticides used in ornamental plant production could lead to environmental emissions both during cultivation, at retailer displays and when planted in gardens by the consumers...

OBJECTIVE: Occupational exposure to pesticides is a known risk for disrupting cellular immune response in flower workers due to their use of multiple chemical products, poor work conditions, and inadequate protection. Recently, the analysis of pesticide use patterns has emerged as an alternative to studying exposure to mixtures of these products. This study aimed to evaluate the association between exposure to different patterns of pesticide use and the cytokine profile of flower workers in the State of Mexico and Morelos, Mexico...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Among adolescents in an area known for its rose and other flower crops, exposures to 2,4-D and glyphosate (but not DEET) were associated with lower scores on neurobehavioral assessments. Notably, these kids did not work in floriculture.

The drastic boom in floriculture and social events in religious and recreational places has inevitably led to generation of tremendous floral waste across the globe. Marigold (Tagetes erecta) is one of the most common loose flowers offered for the same. Generally discarded, these Tagetes floral wastes could be valorized for biogenic syntheses. In this study, we have utilized the floral extract towards green synthesis of nano ZnO, the formation of which was affirmed from different analytical techniques. Bionanocomposite Schiff-base hydrogel composed of chitosan and dialdehyde pectin was fabricated by the facile strategy of in situ polymer cross-linking, and the ZnO nanoparticles were embedded in the hydrogel matrix...

Female hemp plants are desired in floral hemp operations due to their higher cannabinoid contents. To produce feminized seeds, a critical step of inducing fertile male flowers on female plants is performed. In feminized seed production, freshly mixed STS (silver thiosulfate + sodium thiosulfate) is applied to female plants as an ethylene inhibitor to induce male flowers. However, the short-shelf stability of the STS buffer can cause difficulty in the application and inconsistent results. Alternative methods with improved accessibility and stable buffers will be beneficial for the hemp industry and hemp breeders...

Ornamental perennial plants play a strategic role in reducing green areas' management costs, keeping the ground, sparing water, and avoiding weeds. The aim of this research is to evaluate the growing performances of seven combinations of six different ornamental perennial herbaceous species and their role in weed containment under low-maintenance conditions. The experiment was performed for three years (2019-2021) in an open field. The selected species were Hemerocallis "Stella de Oro" (A), Phedimus spurius (M...

Curcuma alismatifolia (Zingiberaceae) is an ornamental species with high economic value due to its recent rise in popularity among floriculturists. Cultivars within this species have mixed genetic backgrounds from multiple hybridization events and can be difficult to distinguish via morphological and histological methods alone. Given the need to improve identification resources, we carried out the first systematic study using plastomic data wherein genomic evolution and phylogenetic relationships from 56 accessions of C...

The fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea is a notorious problem on many floriculture greenhouse hosts including petunia, geranium, and poinsettia; these key crops contribute to the $6.43 billion ornamental U.S. industry. While growers use cultural strategies to reduce relative humidity and free moisture to limit Botrytis blight, fungicides remain a primary component of control programs. Isolates (n = 386) of B. cinerea sampled from symptomatic petunia, geranium, and poinsettia in Michigan greenhouses from 2018-2021 were screened for resistance to eight fungicides belonging to 7 FRAC groups...

Limonium sinuatum (Plumbaginaceae) is the most commonly cultivated recognizable cut flower crop in the genus Limonium. It is known by several common names including statice and sea lavender, due to its lilac-colored flowers and the fact that it naturally inhabits mainly coastal areas (Mellesse et al, 2013). Limonium sinuatum is native to the Mediterranean, although as a popular garden plant, has been naturalized in other parts of the world including coastal areas of California (USDA NRCS 2020). Cultivated L...

Honey is the most recognized natural food by-product of flower nectar and the upper aero-digestive tract of the honeybees. Significance of honey for its medicinal importance are well-documented in the world's oldest medical literatures. However, the current urbanization, environmental contaminations and changes in agricultural, as well as apiculture practices has led to various types of contaminations in honey. Among all, pesticide contamination has become one of the major issues worldwide. This review focuses on the recent updates concerning pesticides occurrence in honey, as well as how the repeated use and long-term exposure to honey contaminated with pesticide residues could affect the human physiological functions, possibly leading to the development of various cancers...