MSU sponsors teen horticultural camp

Mississippi State University is "beating the bushes" for high school students with horticultural interests for a June 3-6 camp on campus.

Designed for students age 15 to 17, the 43rd annual Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Summer Camp will offer a variety of educational and fun activities.

Richard Harkess, professor of floriculture and ornamental horticulture, said the three-day schedule will include field trips to a local orchard, a vegetable farm and MSU greenhouses. Session topics will cover plant propagation, interior plants, sports turf, landscape design, plant identification and floral design.

Cost for the camp is $175, and some scholarships are available. The fee covers three nights in a campus residence hall, a campus meal card, additional activities, educational materials and the awards luncheon at the camp's conclusion.

The camp is sponsored by MSU, the Garden Clubs of Mississippi and the Mississippi Nursery and Landscape Association.

Applications are due by May 21. To request an application, contact Kathy Johnson at (662) 325-2311 or kjohnson@pss.msstate.edu.

Spain: Strawberry revenues grew by 20.7% mandarin by 12.6%

Strong berry and citrus economic performance consolidates the strength of Huelva`s horticulture sector, according to Cajamar. Oranges are set back because of low consumption.

The last fruit and vegetable campaign, 2010/2011, in the province of Huelva had very good economic results, according to the analysis of the Cajamar Foundation. Yesterday, this foundation made public that production grew by 7.9%. The financial report has the support of the Agribusiness Technology Center, Adesva. Among the conclusions found in the study strawberries stood out, followed by raspberries, which took off well last season. The mandarin stood out as the star product of the province. These three fruits have become "the strength" of the sector in markets. Strawberries, raspberries and mandarins have two main features for consumers, quality and health guarantees. Both features were more than justified after the E.coli crisis, which caused a sharp downturn in sales, but was finally overcome with flying colors.

The strawberry crop keeps first place in the horticulture landscape, with an increase in price, which has led to an increase in revenues up to 20.7%. These two positive figures come from the hand of several factors that have led to a good production both in quantity and quality (with an increased tonnage of 8.5%), despite that the number of hectares under cultivation were significantly reduced. The growth results are justified by the good weather both at the start of the season and during the period of greatest production, which favored a staggered harvest that lasted well into spring.

Read full article: FreshPlaza.com

India - Haryana government motivate farmers to grow horticulture crops

AHMEDABAD: Area under horticulture crops in Haryana has reached about 6.40% of the total cropped area of the state as a result of the drive of the state government to motivate the farmers to grow horticulture crops in place of traditional ones.

A spokesman of the horticulture department said that the efforts of the state government to encourage the farmers for diversification of crops had shown encouraging results. During the year 2010-11, the area under vegetable cultivation was 3,46,400 hectares. Apart from this, farmers were also taking keen interest in replacing their traditional crops by other commercial horticulture crops like flowers and spices.

He said that during the current financial year up to October 2011, fruit production of over 14.92 lakh tonnes was achieved by bringing 1,525 hectares of additional area under fruit cultivation and total area had increased to 47,775 hectares under fruit cultivation. Over 16.96 lakh tonnes of vegetables were produced by bringing over 1.93 lakh hectares of area under vegetable cultivation.

He said that 58,230 tonnes of spices had been produced through cultivation over an area of 9,580 hectares. Medicinal plants and flowers were grown over an area of 890 hectares and 3,360 hectares, respectively during the same period, he added.

Source: The Economic Times

Philippines: Tripling yields, placing mangoes on world market year-round

For his many contributions that have had unprecedented impact on agriculture, Dr. Ramon C. Barba, now 72, was awarded the 2011 Umali Award by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) last Wednesday in Los Baños. The plant scientist from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) is the first Filipino to receive the award and the third recipient in Southeast Asia. The $10,000-award, given to outstanding Southeast Asian scientists, is named after the late National Scientist Dioscoro L. Umali, a founding Director of SEARCA and former Assistant Director General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Foremost among Barba’s researches was a breakthrough discovery in 1974 of mango flower induction by potassium nitrate, making it possible for fruits to be available all year round.

The use of potassium nitrate is low-cost and benefits both farmers and consumers: flower production is profuse and fruit production can be programmed according to market demands. "Although Dr. Barba holds a patent for this technology, he has foregone royalties due him so that mango farmers can use it without additional cost," the award observed. "Dr. Barba is known to perceive simple solutions to complex problems and produce results with minimum resources," the citation noted. "His research on induced mango flowering was a private initiative that cost less than P500 to complete." His achievements include banana micropropagation and sugarcane and calamansi tissue culture; all have impact on the agribusiness potentials of these crops in the world market.

Read full article at source: FreshPlaza.com

University of Minnesota Grapes Help Wine Industry Grow

In the past 30 years, the University of Minnesota has developed climate-enduring wine grapes that are now made into the four most widely produced wines in Minnesota.

A full crop of "cold hardy grapes" can withstand temperatures of up to 33 below zero.

Now, a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow researchers from the University and scientists from 11 other institutions to research more climate-resistant wine grapes, the acidity and taste within wine grapes and how best to market the wine to consumers.

Professor James Luby of the Department of Horticultural Sciences said the wine industry has been progressively growing in Minnesota for the last 15 years.

Read full article:  The Washington Examiner

Horticulture Professor Bio: Dr. Jim Luby

Dr. Jim Luby
Fruit Breeding
Professor
Department of Horticultural Science

Education:
Ph.D. University of Minnesota, 1982, Plant Breeding and Genetics
B.S. Purdue University, 1978, Agronomy-Crop Science
Research Interests

Dr. Luby teaches courses in viticulture, fruit production and plant breeding. The primary goal of his research is to develop, evaluate, and introduce fruit cultivars with horticultural, disease and pest resistance, and fruit quality characters desired by growers and consumers in Minnesota and surrounding areas.  The breeding programs concentrate on apple, grape, blueberry, and strawberry. An accompanying objective is to evaluate and/or develop novel alternative fruit and crops (e.g. blackcurrant and primocane-fruiting blackberry) with potential in Minnesota for commercial production or edible landscapes. In addition to developing new plant material, cultivated and wild germplasm is evaluated for variability for traits that potentially enhance the value of fruit crops for consumers and producers.  Research aims to determine the inheritance of these traits and, where appropriate, map important loci using molecular markers for use in marker assisted breeding. Recent or current examples include phenolic content and antioxidant activity in blueberry wild and cultivated blueberry, traits related to fruit texture in progenies of Honeycrisp apple, scab resistance in wild apple (Malus sieversii), photoperiod-induced acclimation in grape derived from wild Vitis riparia, and white pine blister rust resistance in blackcurrant.

Florida Local Horticulture Professional Earns Certification

Mark Templeton of Crawford Landscaping in Naples, Fla., is a member of a group of professionals who are Certified Horticulture Professionals.

This designation was earned by Templeton after passing an exam that measures horticulture knowledge and professional skills through a 4 part exam covering plant identification, disease and insect control, landscape design/management and proper irrigation.

Established by the Florida Nursery, Growers, & Landscape Association Certified Horticulture Professional program has been administered since the mid-80s. The program was designed to increase professionalism among Florida's growers, landscape professionals and retail employees. This is the industry's only standard for measuring horticultural knowledge and has been recognized by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and all five water management districts. The program builds upon Florida Green Industries Best Management Practices and Florida friendly principles.

NL: Cygnus Greenhouse Control

For more than 30 years Hotraco has been manufacturing and supplying control systems, which provide both reliability and excellent value to their products. The experience gained in combination with the latest technology, provides a guarantee for state-of-the-art Hotraco products.

The CYGNUS-CO2 is a computer which is suitable for greenhouses to control on/off heating and guard temperature, relative air humidity and CO2 level. The computer can be set with day / night time option incase need different settings are required.

If needed, extra CO2 can be produced by the heating unit when CO2 level becomes too low during the day. When CO2 level and / or temperature becomes too high, the windows can be opened or ventilation can be switched on.

Also it is possible to control the humidification when a humidity sensor is connected to the CYGNUS-CO2. At a low relative air humidity, the humidifier can be switched on, or when it gets to high extra ventilation can be applied.

Furthermore, the CYGNUS is provided with an alarm contact which activates an alarm when temperature, CO2 or relative humidity exceeds set values. The control communicates with clear language independent symbols that immediately make sense to the user.

Sources:
FreshPlaza.com
Hotraco Horticulture

AU: Buz Green takes HAL Graham Gregory award

Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) announced the winners of the prestigious Graham Gregory and Young Leader awards recently, recognising outstanding contributions to the horticultural industry.

The Graham Gregory award was presented to Buz Green, Executive Chairman of Serve-Ag Pty Ltd, in an elegant awards ceremony held at the Sheraton on the Park in Sydney

Read full article: FreshPlaza.com

Jakarta - Govt due to introduce trade system

The government plans within weeks to introduce a new trade system for horticultural products, which will include an import arrangement, in a move to increase protective measures within the domestic market, an official says.

Deputy Trade Minister Bayu Krishnamurti said on Friday the new system would ensure the quality and security of imported products for local consumers as well as guarantee the sustainability of local agricultural businesses.

A trade system to protect local products is commonly applied to a country’s essential food commodities, which in Indonesia’s case are rice, salt and sugar.

“We are trying to safeguard the local market from risky products and, for that reason, we will conduct a risk assessment regarding such products with this new system,” Bayu said on Friday.

Read full article: The Jakarta Post

Bengal promoting horticulture, food processing in a big way

The Hindu Business Line reports - Targeting the “tremendous potential”, the West Bengal Government is actively promoting the horticulture sector through a central scheme that encourages food processing in the private, public and joint sectors to generate employment.

“Since the agri-horticulture sector in the State holds tremendous potential, there is immense potential for employment generation and growth of self-employment,” the Food Processing Industries and Horticulture Minister, Mr Abu Hena, told PTI.

The central scheme, the National Horticulture Mission (NHM), aims to promote the horticulture sector, covering fruits, vegetables, root and tuber crops, mushrooms, spices, flowers, aromatic plants, cashew and cocoa.

Read full article: The Hindu Business Line

HAL - Industry Annual Report

Industry annual reports on various horticultural crops are available from the Horticulture Australia (HAL) site via this link: HAL - Annual Reports.

Kenya monthly tea, horticulture earnings rise

The Business Daily posted a Reuters article that earnings from Kenya's tea exports rose to 7.69 billion Kenyan shillings in September from 6.41 billion a year earlier after price per unit rose, while horticulture earnings jumped by 141 percent to 9.53 billion shillings in October from the year ago period, the statistics office said on Wednesday.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics said in its monthly review for October that tea output was up by 6 percent to 30,493 tonnes in September from the same period a year ago, while the price per kg rose to $3.05 from $2.80 per kg in September 2010.

Tea and horticulture are the Kenyan economy's leading foreign exchange sources alongside tourism and remittances.

Source: The Business Daily

Botswana: Horticulture incubator in full production

The Botswana Gazette reports: "The construction of the Glen Valley Horticulture Incubator is finally complete and the first seedlings have been planted in net shades houses. The structures include greenhouses, tunnels and net shade houses. The incubator, which is a public property managed by the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA), is intended to promote and develop horticulture enterprises. LEA’s Chief executive Officer, Dr Tebogo Matome told Business Gazette that although the construction of the incubator is complete, the contractor is still on site taking care of minor touch-ups to the administration building."

The LEA’s Glen Valley project will serve farmers with seedlings and offer short and long term .

Read full article here: The Botswana Gazette

POSTHARVEST HANDLING OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Horticulture Technical Note: Post-harvest Handling  of Fruits and Vegetables

Abstract:  Appropriate production practices, careful harvesting, and proper packaging, storage, and transport all contribute to good produce quality.  This publication covers post-harvest practices suitable for small-scale operations, and points out the importance of production and harvesting techniques for improving quality and storability.  Various methods for cooling fresh produce are discussed, and resources are listed for further information, equipment, and supplies.

Link to Technical Note: http://www.okfarmtoschool.com/pdf/postharvest.pdf

LED Grow Light Unveiled By Hort Americas

Hort Americas has introduced the Philips GreenPower LED Production Module. This light fixture has been used successfully by commercial growers and horticultural researchers worldwide.

The Philips Horticultural LED Grow Light is available in a UL-approved 110-volt version in the United States. The waterproof production modules come in two lengths (about 4 and about 5 feet). The modules are available in deep red/blue (general light goodvfor a variety of growing applications) and deep red/white (if work light is needed).

At between 35 and 43 watts, the modules can replace many T5 or T8 fluorescent grow light applications and reduce energy consumption. Production Modules are ideal for multi-layer production of leafy greens and herbs and for the production of young plants and potted plants.

Currently, the Production Modules are being tested on a variety of ornamental plants for day length extension and photoperiodic manipulation applications.

For more information on Hort Americas, visit HortAmericas.com.

New Zealand - Careers profiled at Otago Polytech Cromwell open day

An Open Day at the Otago Polytechnic Central Otago Campus (Cromwell) on 3 December will profile courses on offer and allow prospective students to explore areas of interest and the related links between qualifications and employment.

The kitchens and greenhouses at the Erris Street Cromwell venue will be open as will the horticulture and viticulture unit on Bannockburn Road.

The Central Otago campuses (Cromwell, Queenstown and Wanaka) offer several location specific courses such as stonemasonry, snowsports instruction, horticulture, viticulture and hospitality and cookery that take advantage of the rich natural resources of the area.

Central Otago Group Manager Jean Tilleyshort says the campus draws students and tutors from all over the world attracted by the enviable lifestyle, course excellence and flexible earn and learn dynamics.

Explore opportunities in horticulture and farming: Omar

Jammu, Nov 19 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today called for motivating the youth in the state to seek careers in horticulture and agricultural sectors.

"This would not only help them earn a handsome livelihood but also help in the economic growth of the state considerably," Omar said, while addressing a function after inaugurating Horti-Expo and Divisional Fruit show at Kala Kendra here today.

He also emphasised the need to make these sectors lucrative.

He said the sectors of tourism and handicraft have great potential to provide respectable and profitable self- employment.

He said a state like Jammu and Kashmir, which has a great future in horticulture, agriculture, tourism, handicraft and allied sectors, is confronted with unemployment crisis and called for retrospection, awareness and reformative approach.

"This is an area of concern needing focused attention," he said and asked all the stakeholders, including the government department, to make youth aware of the potential available in these sectors.

Source: news.in.msn.com

Horticulture high tunnels: Dakota College at Bottineau building structures to extend growing season - MinotDailyNews.com | News, sports, business, jobs - Minot Daily News

Construction of permanent high tunnels is under way at Dakota College at Bottineau.

Stacy Baldus, administrative assistant for the college's Entrepreneurial Center of Horticulture, said seven different high tunnels of different types and sizes will be constructed and will be used for students in horticulture programs at the college.

Baldus said the advantage of a high tunnel is that it's a less expensive option than a greenhouse, but still extends the growing season, which enables farmers to grow more crops and make more money on the market.

They are prefabricated metal structures, quite easy to assemble, with greenhouse high quality plastic placed over it. Depending on the size of the high tunnel, the cost can range from about $2,000 to $15,000. Vegetables are planted right in the ground.

Read the full article at: MinotDailyNews.com

Jackson Township, Ohio - Annual Horticulture Holiday Show

A decades old traditin , the annual Jackson High School Horticulture Holiday Show will take place on Monday, November 21. This year's show will offer holiday wreaths, plants and poinsettias for sale, made and grown by the students of the high school's Horticulture class. Prices for the poinsettias will be $6.50 and the wreaths are priced from $26 to $40.

The horticulture class is a career tech program at  Jackson High School. Students can work towards greenhouse technician, florist or landscape and nursery certifications. Plus, they receive 12 credit hours that transfer to higher education providers.