tHRIve - WEB SERIES

Horticultural Research Institute helps you tHRIve with a new web-based series featuring key research findings. The tHRIve series covers research that is directly funded by HRI as well as research that is federally funded.

In announcing the new tHRIVe web series, HRI President Gary Knosher said, “HRI was created to improve the horticultural community through research that addresses critical issues and new innovations. HRI trustees recognize that research is critical to help our industry succeed and grow, and sharing new findings is part of that equation. I’m excited to be part of this focus of using videos not only to share new research but also to engage our community in another way.”

HRI supports research and outreach efforts that prepare the horticultural industry for challenges and opportunities for business success. Connecting the industry to the research is a key component in that endeavor. New tHRIve sessions will be posted throughout the year, with all content available online for free at any time. The tHRIve sessions will offer everything from bite-sized research clips to researcher interviews to short webinars to live Q&A with researchers.

The Horticultural Research Institute’s mission is to direct, fund, promote, and communicate horticultural research. The creation and launch of the tHRIve web series is another example of how HRI works to connect the industry to research-backed innovation.

Upcoming tHRIve Web Series

Unveiling Vascular Streak Dieback: Insights, Surveys, and Solutions

Apr 11, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern

This webinar dives into the emerging nursery problem of Vascular Streak Dieback (VSD). In this session, experts will provide a comprehensive overview, sharing insights gleaned from surveys, research updates, and practical management strategies. From understanding the timeline of recognition to discussing the fungus associated with VSD, its range of hosts, and symptoms, our speakers will cover it all. Delve into the latest research findings on identifying causal agents, fungicide efficacy trials, and cultivar screening. Whether you're a nursery owner, researcher, or simply interested in plant health, this webinar offers valuable knowledge and a platform for addressing your queries. Join us as we tackle VSD head-on and explore effective management approaches to safeguard woody ornamentals.

Register

10-10:15am: Mike Muster

VSD: Introduction to an emerging nursery problem

Discover the timeline of VSD in North America, the fungus associated with VSD, the range of plant hosts on which it has been found, internal and external symptoms, and look-alike diseases.

10:15-10:30am: Devin Bily

VSD of Woody Ornamentals in Virginia

The presentation will discuss the results of the two-year survey conducted by VDACS, and symptoms associated with plants that tested positive for C. theobromae.

10:30-10:45am: Katy Kilbourne

Multi-State VSD survey

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture has partnered with several states for a cooperative VSD nursery and environs survey. Identification of this pest within the plant trade assists with keeping populations geographically confined and determining population density and host range.

10:45-11am: Break

11-11:40am: Fulya Baysal-Gurel

VSD Research Update

VSD is an emerging is an emerging threat to the woody ornamental industry. This session addresses the research updates regarding identification of the causal agent/s of the VSD, fungicide efficacy trials and redbud cultivar screening. Finally, best management practices for VSD will be discussed.

Check back soon for more upcoming webinars

tHRIve Web Series Recordings

a logo for the horticultural research institute and thrive web series .
By HRI 02 Feb, 2024
The Boxwood Blight Insight Group (BBIG) invites horticulturists, researchers, and plant enthusiasts to join an insightful webinar titled, "In the Lab and the Landscape at the National Arboretum: Boxwood Genomics and AI Solutions for Blight Detection and Protection." This webinar will offer an exploration of the latest boxwood research from the National Arboretum, with a focus on the intersection of boxwood breeding, genomics, and machine learning.
By Dr. Christopher Ranger 10 Oct, 2023
Dr. Christopher Ranger - Research Entomologist·USDA Agricultural Research Service
By James LaMondia 28 Aug, 2023
The Boxwood Blight Insight Group is pleased to host the next webinar in their on-going efforts to assist the industry manage boxwood health in the nursery and in landscapes.
By HRI Research 26 Jun, 2023
Presented by Steve Foltz, Director of Horticulture, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden  What happens when you mix a desire to support pollinator health with a passion for growing beautiful, high-performing plants? What if you then added in a commitment to sharing information with and assisting a community of gardeners? For more than two decades, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has trialed plants with the goal of determining what plants work best in the Mid-West region. Over the last three years, they’ve paid particular attention to which plants bring in and support the most pollinators. Their renowned plant trials and expertise, combined with their impressive position within the surrounding gardening community, has created a unique program where gardeners and pollinators work hand-in-hand helping the horticultural industry thrive. Join us for an exciting look into this unique program, the best pollinator plants, and the people behind it all with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s own director of horticulture, Steve Foltz. Inspiring every visitor, every day with plants!
HRI tHRIVe Web Series
By HRI Research 11 May, 2023
Thrips parvispinus may lack a universally accepted common name (some refer to it as Pepper Thrips, others as tropical tobacco thrips), but by whatever name you might call it, it is one destructive little pest. Native to the Asian tropics, T. parvispinus has been reported in or intercepted from five continents in the last 30 years and has a wide range of host plants including vegetable, fruit, and ornamental plants.
By HRI Research 11 Apr, 2023
Boxwood producers and boxwood plantings are facing a new threat—the invasion of the box tree moth (BTM-Cydalima perspectalis), an invasive insect from East Asia. With total annual value of U.S. sales at an estimated $141 Million, boxwood is an important revenue source for plant producers. Boxwood plantings are among the oldest plantings in the United States, with living plants dating back to the 1700s. The triple threat of box tree moth on revenue for boxwood producers, on the viability of historic boxwood plantings, and on the health of boxwood plantings throughout North America makes this pest high-consequence.  In this webinar, Dr. Jeanine West will provide background on the box tree moth best management practices developed in Canada, where the pest was first detected in 2018. Dr. Alejandro Del-Pozo will share updates from Western New York, where the pest was first detected in 2021, including phenology, biology, and ecology. Phenology of the Box Tree Moth in Western New York This presentation, led by Dr. Alejandro Del-Pozo, will discuss the data collected on this invasive pest in Niagara County, New York from June to October in 2022. A Virginia Tech research team documented the fluctuation of densities for this insect utilizing adult trapping and visual examinations. Additional field observations on the biology and ecology of this insect in its new US invasive range will be shared during this presentation. Managing BTM in the Nursery Immediately following the first report of BTM in Toronto, Canada, the nursery growers’ association formed a best management practices document. Over the last few years, these “BMP’s” have evolved along with the science, and nurseries across Canada are using this information to guide BTM management and/or prevention at their farms. Dr. Jeanine West will share experiences and challenges of boxwood producers in the regulated area
By HRI Research 21 Dec, 2022
Presented by Iryna Matsiakh - Doctor of Biological Science - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Iryna Matsiakh will be rounding out our seminar series with a talk on the unique boxwood forests (Buxus colchica) in the Caucasus: their habitat, ecology and biodiversity. Dr. Matsiakh is Dr. in Forestry at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre and in the Forestry Department of the Ukrainian National Forestry University. Boxwood trees growing in the Caucasus Mountains are threatened by habitat loss and defoliation by an introduced disease, boxwood blight, and an introduced insect, the box tree moth Cydalima perspectalis. Dr. Matsiakh’s story will include invasive species introductions, actions taken by forestry authorities against box tree moth, research studies and the current situation in boxwood forests.
By HRI Research 07 Nov, 2022
This presentation takes a closer look at flower morphology and diversity as it relates to pollination. Various systems used by flowers to facilitate pollination are described. Special attention is given to adaptations in flower morphology designed to attract and interact with general or specific pollinators. Flowers signal pollinators with nectar guides, trick insects into visiting flowers by mimicking other organisms, lure pollinators into traps and even have moving floral parts. If you look closely, you can see the magic in flowers. 
By HRI Research 06 Oct, 2022
Nostoc, is a cyanobacterium that produces thick, olive-green to brown, gelatinous masses on nursery roadways, walkways and production areas. While it does not impact crops directly, patches of this slimy invader are slipping hazards for you and your workers. Most pesticides used in nurseries are ineffective. But, what was once a perplexing and frustrating problem can now be controlled with relative ease. In this presentation Dr. Neal will review five years of research on strategies to control nostoc in container nurseries.
By HRI Research 27 Sep, 2022
An Ounce of Prevention is worth a pound of cure, the adage says. In plant production, knowing what can go wrong, when and where, empowers a production team to hit quality targets and timelines and avoid costly surprises. As innovative growers consider the Systems Approach to Nursery Certification (SANC), the facility risk assessment is the foundation.  Building that foundation just got easier, with a new online risk assessment tool the Horticultural Research Institute developed in partnership with the National Plant Board and USDA. Learn more about this new tool, is now available to any U.S. grower seeking to improve their practices, and is the first step toward SANC certification.
By HRI Research 15 Sep, 2022
Presented by Len Coop - Associate Professor @Oregon Integrated Pest Management Center, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon (USA) Boxwood blight is a fungal disease that can decimate boxwood plantings in most all settings and environments. The degree of injury can vary widely, depending on cultivar susceptibility, local disease severity, and weather, from nearly symptom-free to total destruction and death of boxwood plants. Dr. Len Coop will present how weather and climate affect both where the disease is of most concern, and when conditions may be most favorable for disease build-up. A demonstration of online tools will be given so that boxwood managers can apply these principles towards reducing and controlling this disease. Now boxwood blight model predictions can be delivered according to a subscriber's settings in their email in-box, making management decisions easier and less time consuming.
By HRI Research 17 Aug, 2022
Presented by Dr. Tom Hsiang University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada Volutella blight is commonly found on boxwood plants worldwide. Although some consider it mainly a saprophyte surviving on dead tissues, it is capable of initiating disease on live wounded tissues. Here we present some background on the disease, some basic biology on how it causes infections, and end with its disease cycle and recommendations for management in nurseries.
By HRI Research 15 May, 2022
Presented by Dr. Bridget Behe - Professor of Horticultural Marketing at Michigan State University HRI has funded several studies of how consumers view retail displays in order to find the plant they want to purchase. Findings give growers, retailers, and wholesalers insight as to how consumers “read” or “view” these displays in the plant selection process. The information shared will help your company construct more effective displays and webpages. Bridget will share the research findings and also some practical uses of these new studies.
By HRI Research 17 Mar, 2022
In this seminar, Matthew will trace the progress of box blight and its management in the UK since it was first found in the mid-1990s. Early advice to gardeners was to remove all Buxus from gardens where the disease had been recorded. Since then, considerable progress has been made in keeping gardens free from box blight, but also to avoid the eradication of the host from gardens where it does appear. While it is still a difficult disease, there are increasing options for its management. The situation in the UK will be compared with that in New Zealand, where box blight has also been present since the 1990s.
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IPM Strategies for Invasive Insects from FNRI

Whitefly has emerged as a major insect pest. Whitefly Biotype Q is particularly ominous, as conventional insecticide control options are limited. When Biotype Q was first identified as problematic, it was flagged as a regulatory concern threatening cotton and vegetable production. A collaboration of industry, regulatory agencies, and researchers was able to show that Biotype Q could be contained without restricting the movement of ornamental plants. The studies conducted by Dr. Cindy McKenzie and Dr. Lance Osborne as part of FNRI were critical to in that first effort and continue to improve management strategies.

But whitefly is not the only pest tackled by Dr.’s McKenzie and Osborne. One to two new insect species are identified in Florida every month, and some of these have the potential to become serious pests. These researchers also develop and optimize management guidelines for new invasives as they emerge.

By HRI Research 15 Nov, 2020
The Horticultural Research Institute is pleased to share a roundtable discussion and Q&A with the researchers representing USDA's Floriculture & Nursery Research Initiative (FNRI)'s Whitefly & Thrip Group. Bring your coffee and questions!
By HRI Research 26 Jun, 2020
Dr. Osborne recognizes that conventional insecticides are the best control option in some circumstances, but that reduced dependence on them is desirable. Much of his lab’s research centers around biological controls, such as screening for pesticide interactions, efficacy, and quality control. Listen to an in-depth discussion of the benefits of modified banker plant systems and view some amazing video clips of biological agents in action! Spoiler alert: the Mealy Bug Destroyer is real, and it is fierce.
By HRI Research 26 Jun, 2020
Dr. McKenzie was part of the whitefly action from the very beginning and continues to monitor populations nationwide. She shares some of that history and why it’s still relevant today. Her lab’s rapid detection and implementation of improved control strategies targeting Biotype Q has so far prevented establishment of this pest beyond the greenhouse. She shares some of the data from nearly 70 trials testing 44 control products over several years; come find out what works and what doesn’t.

Resilient Plant Research from FNRI

This set of videos focuses on research supported through the Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative (FNRI) program administered by USDA ARS, the research agency for USDA. FNRI is a noncompetitive, national grants program that greatly benefits environmental horticulture. FNRI plays a critical role in generating scientific research on high priority issues that affect all segments of the floriculture and nursery industry, including postharvest technology, water quality, and pest management.

The set focuses on the FNRI “Resilient Plant Group”, including Dr. John Erwin, University of Maryland, Dr. Jim Faust, Clemson University, Dr. Paul Fisher and Dr. Celina Gomez, University of Florida, Dr. Charlie Hall, Texas A&M, Dr. Roberto Lopez, Michigan State University, and Dr. Erik Runkle, Michigan State University. This group collaborates to benefit greenhouse production through practical, applied research in areas such as energy inputs, water use optimization, resource efficiencies, economic efficiencies, and lighting.

By HRI Research 27 May, 2020
The Horticultural Research Institute is pleased to share a roundtable discussion and Q&A with the researchers representing USDA's Floriculture & Nursery Research Initiative (FNRI)'s Resilient Plant Group. Bring your coffee and questions!
By HRI Research 27 May, 2020
Dr. John Erwin, University of Maryland, reports on research on plant roots, greenhouse edibles, and reducing labor costs and pesticide applications. It’s all about improving plant growth, resilience, and yield!
By HRI Research 27 May, 2020
Dr. Paul Fisher, University of Florida, discusses research projects spanning labor and automation of transplanting (sticking cuttings), indoor propagation of cuttings, and guaranteeing success for home gardeners. This work was also conducted in part by Dr. Celina Gomez, also at University of Florida.
By HRI Research 27 May, 2020
Dr.’s Roberto Lopez and Erik Runkle, Michigan State University, share research on rates of rooting hormones, impacts of substrate-applied micro-drenches of plant growth regulators, enhancing foliage color of ornamentals through lighting variables, and lighting applications in horticulture, including photoperiodic, supplemental, and sole-source (indoor) manipulations.
By HRI Research 27 May, 2020
Dr. Charlie Hall, Texas A&M, presents an economist’s view on how a carbon/water footprint drives the economics of production facilities, the rising costs of grower inputs, and key grower-level benchmarks that demarcate operational/financial performance over the past several years.
By HRI Research 27 May, 2020
Dr. Jim Faust, Clemson University, specializes on daily light integral maps and measurements to better predict plant growth and development, how to improve consumer performance of bedding plants, and heat delay of poinsettia.

Ralstonia Webinar: What You Need to Know

Ralstonia solancearum race 3 biovar 2 (R3B2), a federal quarantine pest, was recently confirmed in a single geranium variety in a greenhouse in Michigan, the first confirmed case in the US since 2004. Diseased geraniums planted in the landscape can potentially infect other plants, including tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant and must be destroyed.

Since the detection was confirmed, AmericanHort has collaborated with the importer of the geranium and with USDA APHIS toward the goal of a rapid, targeted, and effective response that minimizes unnecessary interruption. HRI is proud to join this effort and host a webinar on the basics of R3B2, such as how it spreads and prevention strategies, to help educate the green industry. APHIS will be on hand to discuss the recent action plan, and Ball Horticultural Co will share their story.

By HRI Research 27 May, 2020
Ralstonia solancearum race 3 biovar 2 (R3B2), a federal quarantine pest, was recently confirmed in a single geranium variety in a greenhouse in Michigan, the first confirmed case in the US since 2004. Diseased geraniums planted in the landscape can potentially infect other plants, including tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant and must be destroyed.  Since the detection was confirmed, AmericanHort has collaborated with the importer of the geranium and with USDA APHIS toward the goal of a rapid, targeted, and effective response that minimizes unnecessary interruption. HRI is proud to join this effort and host a webinar on the basics of R3B2, such as how it spreads and prevention strategies, to help educate the green industry. APHIS will be on hand to discuss the recent action plan, and Ball Horticultural Co will share their story.

HRI Funded Research

This set of videos highlights research directly funded by HRI through bite-sized clips of researchers discussing their key objectives and benefits to the industry.

By HRI Research 27 May, 2020
Dr. Krishna Nemali, Purdue University, will introduce his concept of developing a smartphone app to measure nitrogen status in crops in the second release.
By HRI Research 27 May, 2020
Dr. Jim Owen, USDA ARS and collaborators Dr. James Altland, USDA ARS and Dr. Jeb Fields, Louisiana State University detail their studies on the impacts of stratified media on crop stress and production in the first release. 
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