Tennessee Greentimes - Spring 2014

VOL. 15/NO. 1

Spring 2014

UT Gardens’ 2013

Best & Beautiful Annuals, Perennials and Edible Plants

Laser-Tag Pest Control!

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Plus, Highlights from the TN Green Industry Expo, January 17–18, 2014 --------

Join TNLA & MTNA For Their First Joint Trade Show

Tennessee Green Industry Expo October 2–3, 2014 Music City Center Nashville, TN

Table of Contents

Green Gatherings Highlights from the TN Green Industry Expo, January 17–18, 2014

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VOL. 15/NO. 1

Spring 2014

In the Landscape UT Gardens’ 2013 Best & Beautiful Annuals, Perennials and Edibles

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DEPARTMENTS From the President, Matt Dawson.....................................................................................6 TNLA New Members..........................................................................................................7 News from TNLA..............................................................................................................11 Index of Advertisers..........................................................................................................21 Calendar of Events............................................................................................................22

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tennessee greentimes Spring 2014

In the Nursery Laser-Tag Pest Control!

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The Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association serves its members in the industry through education, promotion and representation. The statements and opinions expressed herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the association, its staff, or its board of directors, Tennessee GreenTimes, or its editors. Likewise, the appearance of advertisers, or their identification as Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association members, does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services featured in this, past or subsequent issues of this quarterly publication. Copyright ©2014 by the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association. Tennessee GreenTimes is published quarterly. Subscriptions are complimentary to members of the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association Third-class postage is paid at Nashville, TN. Printed in the U.S.A. Reprints and Submissions: Tennessee Green Times allows reprinting of material. Permission requests should be directed to the Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association.

We are not responsible for unsolicited freelance manuscripts and photographs.

Contact the managing editor for contribution information. Advertising: For display and classified advertising rates and insertions, please contact Leading Edge Communications, LLC, 206 Bridge Street, Franklin, TN 37064, (615) 790-3718, Fax (615) 794-4524.

From the President Matt Dawson

Excitement for

the Year Ahead!

F TNLA Would like to

Thank

the following companies for being

Membership Sponsors Gold Membership Sponsors Barky Beaver Mulch & Soil Mix, Inc. Greenrise Technologies, Inc. Randall Walker Farms Samara Farms Swafford Nursery, Inc.

Silver Membership Sponsors Allen Landscape Management, LLC Common Grounds Syngenta Flowers, Home & Garden Tennessee 811 Warren County Nursery

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tennessee greentimes Spring 2014

inally, spring is here! I am excited to say there is a buzz in the air when talking to the nurserymen and landscapers of our organization. Many have backlogged work and not enough time to dig all the orders. It appears to be a stellar season.

As your new president, I hope to see our organization have the same excitement or buzz about the changes and goals we have for this year. One of the big changes to our organization is the addition of chapters. Chapters allow a smaller group of people to gather for local meetings that focus on the issues and problems that address just that area. They allow people to meet their colleagues and vendors who should be a part of their network. They bring about more of a family feel to the organization. Our chapter in Knoxville is growing rapidly, and we are currently working with members to start chapters in Chattanooga and Memphis. The chapter in Nashville is being created by a merger with PLANT, the Professional Landscape Association of Nashville Tennessee. This merger will bring about 50 new member companies to our team! We plan to have a great welcoming event at our next trade show in Nashville.

For the past few years in Tennessee, we all have seen great strife in the nursery industry. We all know that many friends have fallen, and those that remain are ones with conviction. Our industry in the state of Tennessee has always found a way to solve our conflicts and rise above the problems that have been set before us.

Along those lines, it brings me great pride to say that we are joining hands once again to make our industry better. The recent tradeshow alliance of MTNA and TNLA is a great advancement for all of Tennessee. Promoting our products as a unified group to the nation will bring about healthy competition. It will allow us to show what great value we bring to the trade as a nursery state. We have a great opportunity to change the way we are perceived and to provide a product that is superior to that of other states. As the times have changed so are we changing, both as nursery owners and two great organizations. I hope everyone can attend the show as a buying landscape member or a selling nursery or vendor. As my grandfather always said, “Keep your nose to the grind, and go get ‘em!”

Matt Dawson 2014 TNLA President

New TNLA Members

Welcome,

TNLA New Members!

ACTIVE MEMBER

ASSOCIATE MEMBER

Mountain View Nursery & Landscaping, LLC Harvey Burniston 1167 Dry Hill Road Butler, TN 37640

Kifco, Inc. Steve Mullican 4507 E. Greenhill Road Rock Island, TN 38581

The Tennessee Greentimes is the official publication of The Tennessee Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc. 115 Lyon Street McMinnville, Tennessee 37110 (931) 473-3951 Fax (931) 473-5883 www.tnla.com Email: mail@tnla.com Published by Leading Edge Communications, LLC 206 Bridge Street Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718 Fax (615) 794-4524 Email: info@leadingedge communications.com Editors Dr. Bill Klingeman Dr. Amy Fulcher Associate Editors Dr. Donna Fare Dr. Nick Gawel Dr. Frank Hale Mr. Gray Haun Dr. John Sorochan TNLA Officers President Matt Dawson Samara Farms 1st Vice President Jeff Harrell Tennessee Valley Nursery 2nd Vice President Kim Holden Holden Nursery 3rd Vice President Josh Woodlee David’s Nursery Secretary-Treasurer James Hines Hale & Hines Nursery, Inc. Associate Director Tony Graham Tractor Supply Co. Ex-Officio Bill Seaton TruGreen LandCare Executive Director Louree Walker Administrative Assistant Pam Stern

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Green Gatherings — Recent Event

Highlights from TNLA’s 2014

Tennessee Green Industry Expo Congratulations to TNLA’s 2014 Award Winners!

(Shown below with 2014 TNLA 2nd Vice President Kim Holden)

Wholesale Nurseryman of the Year

Young Nursery Professional of the Year

Jerry Blankenship

Nick Walker

Blankenship Farms and Nursery McMinnville, TN

Randall Walker Farms Morrison, TN

Charles Watson

Landscape Contractor of the Year

Retailer of the Year

Committee Chair of the Year

Nashville Landscape Systems, Inc.

Bates Nursery & Garden Center

Nashville, TN (Gale Higgs, left, accepting the award)

Nashville, TN (David Bates, accepting the award)

Hall of Fame 2014 Inductee

Hall of Fame 2014 Inductee

Ruth Baumgardner

Hollis Malone

Mouse Creek Nursery Riceville, TN

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Retired Manager of Horticulture (Gaylord/Opryland Resort Gardens) Nashville, TN

William James “Bill” Reilly Jr. Salesperson of the Year NYP Corporation McMinnville, TN

Dr. Bill Klingeman The University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN

Memorial Scholarship Winner

Matthew Carpenter University of Tennessee – Martin Plant & Soil Sciences

Music City Center, Nashville • January 17–18, 2014

Congratulations to the TNGIE Best of Show Booth Winners

Thanks to Our Generous TNGIE Sponsors!

PLATINUM

1st Place Green Goods

1st Place Hard Goods

Imperial Nurseries (Monrovia)

Barky Beaver Mulch & Soil

Dayton, OR

Moss, TN

Cumberland Tractor & Equipment Nashville, TN Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture Nashville, TN

GOLD BASF Roswell, GA Forest Nursery Co., Inc. McMinnville, TN Randall Walker Farms Morrison, TN Samara Farms Nashville, TN 2nd Place Green Goods

2nd Place Hard Goods

Forrest Keeling

Cumberland Tractor and Equipment

Elsberry, MO

Nashville, TN

Swafford Nursery McDonald, TN Trivett’s Nursery McMinnville, TN

Thanks to the TNGIE Sponsors for their contribution to the TNLA Awards Breakfast and also for donating three $250 Visa Gift Cards at the TNGIE. Winners of the gift cards were: Mike Douglas Gallatin, TN 3rd Place Green Goods

3rd Place Hard Goods

Greenleaf Nursery Co.

Tennessee Valley Tractor and Equipment

Park Hill, OK

McMinnville, TN

Ben Hente St. Louis, MO Hank Patton McMinnville, TN

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9

Meet Your

New TNLA Leaders!

At

TNLA’s Business Meeting, held on January 18 during the 2014 Tennessee Green Industry Expo in Nashville, Tennessee, the following new TNLA officers and directors for 2014 were elected and installed. C

News from TNLA

President

Matt Dawson Samara Farms 3952 Stewarts Lane Nashville, TN 37218 (615) 248-7757 matt@naturalcreationsllc.com 1st Vice President

Jeff Harrell Tennessee Valley Nursery 145 Tennessee Valley Dr. Winchester, TN 37398 (931) 967-4541 jharrell77@bellsouth.net 2nd Vice President

Kim Holden Holden Nursery 3615 Strong Road Mascot, TN 37806 (865) 933-7165 holden58@aol.com 2014 TNLA Board of Directors Seated (left to right): Jeff Harrell, 1st Vice President; Matt Dawson, President; Bill Seaton, Ex-Officio. Standing (left to right): Tony Graham, Associate; Kim Holden, 2nd Vice President; Josh Woodlee, 3rd Vice President.

(Not in photo: James Hines, Secretary/Treasurer.)

3rd Vice President

Josh Woodlee David’s Nursery 338 Hills Creek Road McMinnville, TN 37110 (931) 607-3996 davidsnursery@gmail.com Secretary-Treasurer

James Hines Hale & Hines Nursery, Inc. 569 Hale Lane McMinnville, TN 37110 (931) 934-2288 haleandhines@blomand.net Associate Director

Tony Graham Tractor Supply Co. 200 Powell Place Brentwood, TN 37027 (615) 440-4474 tgraham@tractorsupply.com Ex-Officio

Bill Seaton TruGreen LandCare 3333 Regal Drive Alcoa, TN 37701 (865) 970-3835 williamseaton@landcare.com

tennessee greentimes Spring 2014

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In The Landscape

UT Gardens 2013

& Best Beautiful Annuals, Perennials and Edible Plants

By Susan Hamilton, Ed.D., Director of the UT Gardens; Beth Willis, Trials Coordinator; James Newburn, Assistant Director; Holly Jones, Kitchen Garden Manager; Jason Reeves, Curator of the Jackson UT Gardens; Carol Reese, Ornamental Horticulture Specialist; and Andy Pulte, Plant Sciences Faculty Instructor, The University of Tennessee

Note: A ‘K’ for Knoxville or ‘J’ for Jackson at the end of each plant description indicates that it is growing only at that test garden. No symbol indicates it is growing at both gardens.

Top Annuals of 2013 Best in Show — Dahlia ‘XXL Hidalgo’ Large, peachy-pink blooms popped above lush, dark-green foliage. This and other varieties in the XXL series provided a long season of interest, blooming well into the fall. (Dummen)

Best New Variety — Petunia ‘Tidal Wave Silver’ One of the few seed-grown petunias that withstood our excessive rainfall last year. Vigorous, mounding plants were covered in blooms of white with pale-lavender blushes. (BallSeed)

Best Repeat Variety — Evolvulus Blue My Mind™ The vibrant, true-blue blooms on this variety were a standout against the silvery foliage all summer long. A trailing growth habit makes it well suited for borders or containers.

(Proven Winners)

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Top Twenty (alphabetical) Agastache ‘Astello Indigo’ This variety doesn’t offer the showiest bloom, but its consistent, full-foliage growth is well suited for a mass or mid-border planting. (Fleuroselect) K

Angelonia AngelMist™ Spreading Dark Purple This vegetative variety bloomed profusely all season. Numerous darkpurple blooms were a knockout on compact, spreading plants. (BallFlora Plant)

Artemisia ‘Parfum d’Ethiopia’ Fringed, silver foliage makes this a wonderful contrast to flowering plants.

Looked fantastic all summer despite excessive rainfall. Suitable for containers or bed planting. (Dummen)

Begonia Surefire™ series (Red and Rose) Numerous blooms of red or rose against lush, glossy foliage on mounding plants. (Proven Winners)

‘Fire Balls’: Bright, frilly orange blooms glowed against glossy, green foliage. Cascading habit is well suited to containers. (BallFlora Plant)

Bidens ‘Bidy Gonzalez BIG’ Cheery, yellow blooms are abundant on this mounding annual that reaches 1' tall. The delicate foliage texture provides additional interest. (HGTV HOME Plant Collection) K

Calibrachoa Superbells® Pomegranate Punch

Cleome Senorita Rosalita® and Senorita Blanca™ This plant’s cultivars normally don’t perform well past mid-summer, but last year they were attractive into the fall.

Large blooms on tall plants make this well suited to plantings in the back of the bed. (Proven Winners)

An interesting bloom color combination (hot coral-pink and burgundy) drives the interest in this vigorous annual with a groundcover habit. Well suited to containers. (Proven Winners)

Fragaria ‘Toscana’

Mini Famous™ Double White:

Ipomoea ‘Bright Ideas’ series

Intriguing, small but double blooms liberally covered this cascading variety.

Grown in containers. (Selecta)

Capsicum ‘NuMex Twilight’ Small pointed fruits of cream, orange and purple cover the medium-sized mounding plants at the same time.

(Johnny’s Selected Seeds)

‘Black Olive’: The shiny, oblong peppers that mature from purple-black to red stand out beautifully against the dark foliage, all on a plant that can reach 2' in height. (AAS Winner) ‘Prairie Fire’: Dense compact plants profusely laden with cream, yellow and orange fruits. (Johnny’s Selected Seeds) Catharanthus ‘Titan Burgundy Improved’ and ‘Titan Rose Halo’ Large, bright blooms cover tightly mounded plants with glossy, darkgreen foliage. (Ball Seed)

Chamaesyce ‘Stardust Super Flash’ (Dummen) and ‘Stardust White Flash’ Baby’s breath-type blooms dust compact, mounded plants. Although individual blooms are not showy, these plants provide a wonderful contrast to flowering plants. (HGTV HOME Plant Collection) K

This ornamental strawberry has showy blooms against large, dark-green foliage. Cascading habit makes it well suited for containers. (Fleuroselect) (Black and Rusty Red) You won’t go wrong using either of these varieties.

Both exhibit vigorous growth, with foliage colors that resist fading. Mounding-spreading habits can grow between 1-½' to 2' tall. (HGTV HOME Plant Collection) K

Lobularia Blushing Princess™ and Snow Princess® Ground-hugging annuals at only 8" tall, these vigorous growers are literally covered with masses of tiny lavender or white blooms so that it looks like a carpet. Frosty Knight™: Offered an interesting, variegated foliage of creamy yellow and green, although it did not bloom as heavily as other cultivars.

(Proven Winners)

Mecardonia ‘Magic Carpet Yellow’ This is another carpet-like groundcover that grows to 6" tall. Lush plants are dotted with bright and cheery golden blooms. (HGTV HOME Plant Collection) K

Pelargonium Timeless® Orange An intense bloom color contrasts with dark stems on this geranium, which managed to beat our summer heat and humidity with season-long blooms and growth to just over 1' tall.

(Proven Winners)

tennessee greentimes Spring 2014

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In The Landscape

Pennisetum Graceful Grasses® Series — Fireworks® This extremely showy, smaller grass boasts bright variegation of cream, pink, burgundy and green, with the typical foxtail plumes of other pennisetums.

Vertigo®: The broad, burgundy blades of this tall grass (to 5' tall) provide a wonderful foliage contrast to neighboring flowers and also a nice sense of motion whenever there is a light breeze. (Proven Winners)

Petunia Supertunia® series (Orchid Charm, Flamingo, Pink Charm, Vista Silverberry) Many of our trialed petunias suffered from the season’s excessive rainfall, but the varieties in this series were uniformly lush and floriforous.

(Proven Winners)

Torenia Catalina® series (Midnight Blue and Pink) These vegetative cultivars were covered in bright blooms throughout the summer. Low-growing plants formed a dense carpet. (Proven Winners)

Verbena Superbena® Royale Iced Chambray Many of our trialed verbenas suffered from the season’s excessive rainfall, but this cultivar boasted numerous attractive blooms on consistent, spreading plants. (Proven Winners)

Zinnia ‘Zahara’ series (Double Fire, Cherry, Double Cherry) The vibrant blooms of each variety in the series commanded attention.

Numerous blooms on mounding plants that can grow to more than 1-½' tall.

(PanAmerican) ‘Profusion Double Hot Cherry’: As with the Zahara varieties, this cultivar offered numerous vibrant blooms on mounding plants.

(AAS Winners/Fleuroselect)

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Top Perennials for 2013 Dasylirion wheeleri Common Sotol, Desert Spoon An outstanding, drought-tolerant ornamental accent plant that cannot be overlooked. Quite tolerant to the extremes of weather, whether dry to moist or hot to cold. Not easy to find. Would likely have to be mail-ordered. Hardy zone 6b to 10. Grows up to 4' tall and just as wide.

Dendranthema ‘Fireworks Igloo’ What a standout for a mum in our trials.

A perfect mound of flowers. These tidy, deer-resistant and butterfly-attracting perennials will bloom in June and then again in September. The flowers last well into frost. Unlike other garden mums, these are hardy and will return year after year! Their domed habit creates a mound of 2' tall by 2-½' wide.

Mass them in mixed borders with ornamental grasses, asters and stonecrops. In containers, they look handsome when accessorized with a variety of gourds and small pumpkins.

Echinacea ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ Beautiful mix of warm-color shades on sturdy plants. (AAS Winner/ Fleuroselect). ‘PowWow Wildberry’: Produces bright-magenta blooms on sturdy, consistent plants. (AAS Winner)

Echinacea ‘Southern Bell’ A double-flowered coneflower that has performed great in our trials for three years now. It has a lot of E. tennessensis in it, giving it a floriferous and a superlong blooming period. The color saturation on each bloom of Southern Belle is quite unbelievable. The blooms of Southern Belle resemble a fancy party skirt, and they last for weeks before fading to a softer pink. The blooming period of this plant may very well be the longest of any hybrid introduced yet. Grows 2' to 3' tall and just as wide.

Flowers may become top heavy and need a bit of support.

In The Landscape

Top Edibles for 2013 Gaillardia ‘Mesa Yellow’ Provided non-stop masses of large blooms in bright yellow on mounding plants that reached almost 1-½' tall.

(AAS Winner/Fleuroselect)

Gaura ‘Sparkle White’ Profuse wands of white blooms on compact plants. (AAS Winner/ Fleuroselect)

Geranium ‘Azure Rush’ A first-year perennial that really stepped up. Bright, violet-blue blooms graced ground-hugging plants. (Blooms of Bressingham)

Hibiscus ‘Brandy Punch’ and ‘Peppermint Schnapps’ Showstoppers in the garden, both varieties boast enormous blooms, deep pink in the case of ‘Brandy Punch’ and white with pink streaks for ‘Peppermint Schnapps’. Large leaves complete the tropical look. Both reached 3' to 4' in height in their second year of trialing.

(Blooms of Bressingham)

Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Little Henry’ This distinctive selection is a narrow, upright, compact grower with strong branching stems and attractive green foliage topped off with charming, brown-eyed daisies that have unusual narrow or quilled yellow petals, appearing midsummer. Similar to R. ‘Henry Eilers’, but one-third shorter and less likely to fall over. Long-blooming.

Flowers are attractive to butterflies and excellent for cutting. Grows in a variety of soil conditions, from moist to fairly dry. Cut back to the ground in early spring.

Basella rubra (Red Malabar spinach) Pretty, hot-pink stems and fresh, sturdy, green leaves look lush all summer long.

Leaves are mild tasting, slightly reminiscent of spinach but without the bite. Good fresh in salads, for snacking in the garden and for stir-fry (do not overcook).

Curcuma longa (Turmeric) Boasts attractive, tropical-looking foliage with edible white flowers. Good performance in the high temps of late summer. The root has strong medicinal value as an anti-inflammatory. Good for curries, teas and eating raw as medicine.

For winter storage, bring in a section of root, and store it in a cool, dry, dark place, then simply throw it in the soil in late spring.

Cucumber ‘Alibi’ Produced lots of tasty, small/medium cukes through a long season. Showed much greater resistance to powdery mildew than other varieties that were planted — all others died out, but this one did not.

Purple-podded pole beans The deep purple-podded beans had great ornamental appeal. Highly productive and tasty at all stages of development.

Second planting in mid-summer continued producing until late October.

Sweet bell pepper ‘Orange Blaze’ Heavy production of peppers that turned orange relatively early in the season, unlike the red bells. No disease problems. Although some fruits were damaged by stink bugs, the high quantity of fruits meant that there were enough for the stink bugs to eat some and still end up with a good amount of unblemished peppers. Good flavor and thick flesh. C

tennessee greentimes Spring 2014

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In the Nursery

Laser-Tag Pest Control!

By Amy Fulcher, Ph.D., and Diana Cochran, Ph.D., University of Tennessee; Robin Rosetta, Oregon State University; Randy Zondag, Ohio State University Extension; and Heping Zhu, Ph.D., USDA-ARS Application Technology Research Unit, Wooster, OH

P

ests can be a serious economic threat to nursery producers. Not only can pesticide applications increase production costs, but also pests that aren’t adequately controlled threaten ornamental-plant sales, since pest damage reduces plant quality and desirability by retail consumers. We don’t keep records on the economic costs of pests in Tennessee, but examples from our neighbors are startling — in Georgia, losses due to plant disease alone were estimated to be $43.4 million in 2007!

Status quo Air-assisted sprayers are typically used to apply pesticides to field-grown nursery crops. However, they have very low spray-application efficiency — less than 30% of pesticide applications are typically intercepted by the target tree canopy. That means 70% of pesticide expense for each application is wasted when spray lands on the ground or on non-target plants in the nursery or is lost as drift, where it can land on soil or in water, ultimately contaminating ponds and creeks and harming natural ecosystems.

Laser-guided, intelligent sprayers on the horizon In collaboration with researchers at The University of Tennessee, The Ohio State University and Oregon State University, Dr. Heping Zhu and his team at the USDA-ARS Application Technology Research Unit in Wooster, Ohio, recently developed two novel “intelligent” sprayers to increase spray-application

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efficiency: a vertical boom-type hydraulic sprayer and an air-assisted sprayer.

Currently, we are testing pest-control efficiency, reliability and durability of these revolutionary sprayers in five commercial nurseries in Tennessee, Oregon and Ohio.

UT postdoctoral scientist Dr. Diana Cochran and UT assistant professor Dr. Amy Fulcher, along with Eric Walker, Ronnie Nunley and Kenny Pryor at Walker Nursery, McMinnville (TN), are evaluating how the intelligent sprayer performs in Tennessee compared to a conventional air-blast sprayer. In Oregon, these evaluations are conducted by Robin Rosetta and Derek Wells of Oregon State University; Dan Nelson, Jesse Nelson and Clint Bottenberg at Hans Nelson & Sons Nursery; and Sam Doane at J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. In Ohio, evaluations are conducted by Randy Zondag and Luis Cañas at The Ohio State University; Drs. Mike Reding, Chris Ranger, Charles Krause and Heping Zhu at USDA-ARS; Tom Demaline, Dale Hammersmith and Jim Merrick at Willoway Nurseries; and Bob Lyons and Rolly Hart at Sunleaf Nursery.

The intelligent sprayers have several high-tech features. The air-assisted sprayer uses a high-speed, laser-scanning sensor, and the vertical-boom sprayer uses an ultrasonic sensor (Figure 1). The sensors are the eyes of the sprayers; they detect the plant, its canopy structure and foliage density, as well as tractor speed (Figure 2), while controllers manipulate the nozzles independently to produce variable-rate spray outputs based on plant characteristics in real time. No plant, no

problem! The sprayer detects the absence of a plant within a row and turns off the nozzles until a plant is detected.

Air-assisted sprayer performance We don’t often adjust our spray application rate as the season progresses, yet our plants are growing and changing!

This is another way the intelligent sprayer can increase spray efficiency.

Pesticide use from (1) the variablerate intelligent sprayer, (2) the intelligent sprayer without its sensor/controller system enabled and (3) a conventional airassisted sprayer were compared at three growth stages (in April when trees just started breaking dormancy, in May when trees had developed half of the full canopy and in June when trees had developed a full canopy). Pesticide use was dramatically reduced with the variablerate intelligent sprayer (with sensor/ controller systems enabled) at all three times. The intelligent sprayer applied just 15 gallons per acre (GPA) in April, a 70% reduction; 17 GPA in May, a 66% reduction; and 24 GPA in June, a 52% reduction, to achieve a uniform 40% canopy coverage (Figure 3). The intelligent sprayer without the sensor/controller system enabled and the conventional airassisted sprayer over-saturated the foliage (45% to 90% coverage).

Intelligent hydraulic-boom sprayer performance The intelligent boom sprayer was compared to a conventional nursery boom

Figure 1. Ultrasonic sensor-controlled hydraulic boom sprayer to provide variable-rate functions based on tree size, shape and occurrence.

Figure 2. Laser-scanning, sensor-controlled, air-assisted sprayer to provide variable-rate functions based on tree sectional canopy volume, density and occurrence.

(a) Images of trees scanned by a laser-scanning sensor.

(b) Laser-scanning, sensor-controlled, air assisted sprayer.

(a) Schematic diagram of ultrasonic sensors to detect canopy and control spray nozzles.

Figure 3. Spray consumption and percent reduction from the air-assisted intelligent sprayer, compared with the conventional 470 L/ha (50 gpa) spray application rate in April, May and June.

(b) Ultrasonic sensor-controlled variable-rate sprayer in a laboratory field.

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In the Nursery

sprayer. Six different tree species were used (Red Sunset® red maple, European hornbeam, Sargent’s crabapple, purpleleaf sand cherry, Autumn Blaze® Freeman maple and Japanese maple) with heights that ranged from 0.8 to 8.2 feet, and calipers that ranged from 0.2 to 2.0 inches. The intelligent boom sprayer provided consistent spray deposition inside tree canopies at different travel speeds (Tables 1 and 2). Most importantly, it reduced spray volume by 86% compared to a constant 100 GPA and by 71% compared to tree-row, volumeestimated-rate applications!

Intelligent-sprayer pest control So, we know that the two intelligent sprayers reduce pesticide consumption and provide more even, consistent coverage, but is that fraction of the coverage enough to control pests?

In Tennessee, the variable-rate intelligent sprayer was compared with a conventional air-assisted sprayer to control powdery mildew of dogwood, one of our more damaging diseases every year.

This experiment really put the intelligent sprayer to the test! We had nine rows of dogwoods in a block. Dogwoods were scouted weekly between fungicide applications. We are still crunching the numbers, but the disease levels associated with the first fungicide application are in. For three of the four weeks following the initial fungicide application, there was no difference due to sprayer type.

We hypothesized that the most interior row might have higher infection rates, but that was not the case in this data set.

Stay tuned, as more results become available from our experiment!

In Oregon, Norway maple (Acer platanoides) liners were scouted to monitor powdery mildew and to compare control by a conventional boom sprayer and the variable-rate intelligent boom sprayer. Prior to fungicide applications, powdery mildew infection was not different on one date (June 16, 2011) and lower for the intelligent sprayer plot on the other (June 30, 2013; Table 3). This difference, 0.15, was not considered

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Table 1. Mean spray deposits inside canopies of six different species from the variable-rate hydraulic boom sprayer at travel speeds of 3.2, 4.8, 6.4 and 8.0 km/h.

Acer palmatum

3.2 0.78 (0.21)z

Spray deposit (µL/cm2) Travel speed (km/h) 4.8 6.4 1.08 (0.47) 1.23 (0.41)

Trees

8.0 0.97 (0.30)

Acer ‘Jeffersred’

0.67 (0.29)

0.68 (0.56)

1.13 (0.27)

0.91 (0.24)

Prunus × cistena

0.96 (0.34)

0.92 (0.34)

0.68 (0.21)

0.72 (0.30)

Malus sargentii

0.86 (0.35)

0.56 (0.26)

0.84 (0.30)

0.82 (0.33)

Carpinus betulus

0.77 (0.30)

0.38 (0.23)

0.53 (0.41)

0.49 (0.25)

1.21 (0.60) 0.88 (0.46) Acer ‘Franksred’ Mean 0.90 (0.41) 0.72 (0.43) z values in parenthesis present the standard deviation.

0.82 (0.31) 0.81 (0.38)

0.97 (0.41) 0.79 (0.35)

Table 2. Mean spray coverage inside canopies of six different species from the variable-rate hydraulic boom sprayer at travel speeds of 3.2, 4.8, 6.4 and 8.0 km/h.

Acer palmatum

3.2 13.0 (4.5)z

Spray coverage (%) Travel speed (km/h) 4.8 6.4 20.4 (10.8) 19.4 (8.6)

Acer ‘Jeffersred’

12.4 (6.1)

14.4 (26.6)

16.2 (7.3)

Prunus × cistena

12.3 (8.8)

13.3 (8.0)

10.4 (7.9)

8.3 (6.5)

Malus sargentii

15.8 (9.5)

10.9 (5.8)

11.9 (7.0)

14.7 (6.7)

Carpinus betulus

14.9 (8.9)

9.2 (8.7)

6.8 (5.5)

6.7 (5.1)

Acer ‘Franksred’ Mean

18.5 (8.3) 14.5 (5.1)

14.5 (7.4) 13.8 (5.5)

13.7 (8.5) 13.1 (6.0)

16.6 (8.0) 13.9 (6.4)

Trees

8.0 18.2 (9.6) 18.8 (6.8)

z values in parenthesis present the standard deviation.

Table 3. Comparison of powdery mildew infection on Norway maple trees sprayed with the variable-rate or conventional boom sprayer in a commercial nursery.

Average disease rating Variable-rate Conventional w 6/16 0.06 a 0.05 a 6/30 0.52 b 0.67 a 7/6z 0.79 a 0.84 a 7/14 0.99 a 1.00 a 7/26 1.01 a 1.08 a 8/1y 0.68 b 0.84 a 8/11 0.12 a 0.17 a x 8/18 0.56 a 0.47 a 8/25 0.83 a 0.61 b 9/30 1.10 b 1.70 a z, y, x Five, six, and six days following Chlorothalonil 720 SFT, Eagle 20 EW, and 3336F, respectively. w For each date, values within the same row followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the 0.05 level.

Date

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In the Nursery

biologically relevant or likely to bias the trial. After fungicide applications commenced, powdery mildew ratings were not different, or infection was lower, for plants sprayed with the intelligent sprayer on all dates except for one. Trials controlling aphids with the intelligent boomtype sprayer were also successful — aphid populations were either no different or better than when the conventional boom sprayer was used.

Try laser tag!

Both variable-rate intelligent sprayers controlled spray outputs by continually matching canopy characteristics, which reduced off-target losses, and have the potential to drastically decrease pesticide use and associated costs, increase environmental quality and enhance worker safety. Disease controls were largely similar with the intelligent hydraulic boom and air-assisted sprayer.

Think about it… cutting pesticide costs in half or more every year!

Although these are prototypes, we hope they will eventually lead to a commercial product that will help nursery growers save money and reduce pesticide use, while effectively controlling pests. The material cost to build a sprayer prototype for research use is about $21,000.

Commercial sprayer manufacturers can significantly reduce the cost. For more information on this research, please see: http://www.oardc.osu.edu/scri/, or contact Dr. Amy Fulcher at afulcher@utk.edu.

Acknowledgments This research was possible due to USDA Specialty Crops Research Initiative award “Intelligent Spray Systems for Floral and Ornamental Nursery Crops” and our collaborators: Walker Nursery, Morrison, TN; Willoway Nurseries, Inc., Avon, OH; Sunleaf Nursery, LLP, Madison, OH; Herman Losely & Son, Inc., Perry, OH; Klyn Nurseries, Inc., Perry, OH; Possum Run Greenhouse, Bellville, OH; Wearren & Son Nursery, Taylorsville, KY; Green Ridge Tree Farm, Elizabethtown, KY; J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., Boring, OR; Hans Nelson & Sons Nursery, Inc., Boring, OR; Bailey Nurseries, Yamhill, OR; and Jacto Inc., Tualatin, OR. C 20

tennessee greentimes Spring 2014

Index of Advertisers

Boshancee Nursery, Inc.............................................................................11

Hidden Valley Nursery................................................................................21

Smith Seed Services..................................................................................21

Braun Horticulture......................................................................................19

John Deere Landscapes..............................................................................7

Surface Nursery Inc...................................................................................19

Creative Agricultural Technologies..........................................................19 Dayton Bag & Burlap Co..............................................Inside Front Cover

John Holmlund Nursery.............................................................................21

Swafford Nursery....................................................................... Back Cover

Low Falls Wholsale Nursery.....................................................................20

Thomas Nursery..........................................................................................21

D & D Agri....................................................................................................11 Ewing Irrigation.............................................................................................5

Mid Tenn Turf, Inc.................................................................................6, 21

Tennessee 811............................................................................................20

Fairview Evergreen Nurseries...................................................................22

Motz & Son Nursery.....................................................................................7 OHP................................................................................................................21

Wellmaster Carts........................................................... Inside Back Cover

www.boshanceensy.com www.braungroup.com

www.daybag.com

www.ewing1.com

www.fairviewevergreen.com

Hortica.............................................................................................................3

www.hiddenvalleynursery.com

www.johndeerelandscapes.com www.jhnsy.com

www.lowfallsnursery.com www.midtennturf.com

www.smithseed.com

www.surfacenursery.com

www.swaffordnursery.com

www.thomasnurserytrees.com www.tnonecall.com www.wellmaster.ca

www.ohp.com

www.hortica-insurance.com

tennessee greentimes Spring 2014

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Calendar of Events

July 28 – August 1 June 3

Tennessee Green Industry Field Day Tennessee State University Nursery Research Center McMinnville, TN Contact: 931-473-3951 Fax: 931-473-5833 Email: mail@tnla.com www.tnla.com

June 24

Tennessee Green Industry Field Day University of TN Gardens Knoxville, TN Contact: 931-473-3951 Fax: 931-473-5833 Email: mail@tnla.com www.tnla.com

July 22–24

SNA 2014 Research Conference, Southern Plant Conference & Trade Show (Southern Nursery Assn.)

Georgia International Convention Center

July 27–29

PLANET Legislative Day on the Hill Washington, D.C. Contact: 800-395-2522 www.landcarenetwork.org

22

tennessee greentimes Spring 2014

Perennial Plant Symposium Hilton Netherland Plaza Cincinnati, OH Contact: 614-771-8431 Email: ppa@perennialplant.org www.perennialplant.org

July 30–31

Penn-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (PANTS) Pennsylvania Convention Center Philadelphia, PA Contact: 723-449-4004 www.pantshow.com

August 13–15

Summer Green Road Show (NC Nursery & Landscape Assn.)

Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, NC

October 2–3

Tennessee Green Industry Expo To be held in conjunction with the Middle Tennessee Nursery Association (MTNA) Music City Center Nashville, TN Contact: 931-473-3951 Fax: 931-473-5833 Email: mail@tnla.com www.tngie.com