Horticultural Research Institute is helping the green industry 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 at www.HRIresearch.org. 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.
Here are the next three web videos from tHRIve:
Seeing Red?
Problems with and management options for redheaded flea beetles in nurseries
March 10, 11:00 a.m. Eastern
This presentation will briefly cover insect phenology for the mid-Atlantic and how it has provided some guidance with management in the southeast. There will also be discussion regarding larva and adult activity in relation to growing degree days and plant phenological indicators. Host plants fed on by the beetle will be discussed, and recent observations in the selection from different species and cultivars of Hydrangea. You will hear about feeding preference trials conducted in the field and laboratory between different species of plants other than hydrangea. In this session we will discuss timing of different management options for the flea beetle larvae and adult stages. Insecticide efficacy trial evaluations will be shared and discussed. Additionally, we will discuss the successes, limitations, challenges and potential for biological control and entomopathogens in pest control.
International Boxwood Blight Series: Germany
A 15-Year Love-Hate Relationship
March 18, 1:00 p.m. Eastern
German researchers have been working on boxwood blight since it first appeared in Germany in the summer of 2004. Initial cultivar trials indicated that there were large differences in susceptibility. This resulted in a series of horticultural trials, on the one hand on the susceptibility of Buxus species and cultivars, and on the other hand on alternative woody plants as substitutes for boxwood. In parallel, many trials on the suitability of fungicides have been running since 2005, both in vitro and in the field. In addition, the trials have repeatedly tested preparations that were considered as alternatives for chemical plant protection. Furthermore, we monitored the occurrence of the two blight pathogens, Calonectria pseudonaviculata and C. henricotiae, and examined other host plants - Pachysandra and Sarcococca in trials. This talk will summarize the 15-years of research results and share the successes and difficulties of blight control in gardens and parks in Germany.
Plant Benefits or Features:
Which Cue is More Effective?
April 15, 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Better understanding consumer behavior, preferences, and trends is a key HRI research priority. In 2020, Dr. Bridget Behe built upon her previous research that showed younger customers were more likely to purchase a branded plant – even when identical to a non-branded plant – and that consumers in general want more information on signs because they cannot ascertain plant attributes by looking at it. In this session, Dr. Behe will review new research findings from her study looking at which benefits resonate best with which type of consumers.
To learn more and register for any or all of those web series, click here.
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