| ANNUAL REPORT OF COOPERATIVE
REGIONAL PROJECTS
Supported by Allotments of the Regional Research
Fund,
Hatch Act, as Amended August 11, 1955
January 1 to December 31,
1994 PROJECT: S-103, TECHNICAL AND ECONOMICAL EFFICIENCIES
OF PRODUCING AND MARKETING LANDSCAPE PLANTS WORK
PLANNED FOR NEXT YEAR Objective 1: Evaluate alternative landscape
(environmental) plant production, establishment and maintenance systems.
Work will continue on updating valuable cost of production publications.
Work will continue cultural and economic publications including: an overwintering
publication; cost of establishing and operating a landscape maintenance firm;
cost of establishing and operating a production greenhouse; and principles, practices,
physical requirements and comparative cost of irrigating nursery crops. Research
in the CIPS project will include; an evaluation of the effects of differences
in root and shoot temperatures, companion plants, salinity and root media volume/root
development on plant growth, development and yield; and evaluation of technical
and economical feasibility of grafting onto salt-tolerant rootstocks; and a determination
of energy savings with rootzone heating. A review of current garden center
marketing literature is planned for 1995. Objective 2: Evaluate the
regional competitiveness within the landscape (environmental plant industry.
The national trade flow survey data will be analyzed and compiled for publication.
Individual state will also develop state or regional publications. Complete threshold
analysis for garden centers employing count data procedures and dependency among
different types of retail shops. Objective 3: Evaluate the demand for
landscape (environmental plants, materials and service) Researcher
will investigate potential use of the computable general equilibrium model for
analysis of impacts to the nursery industry. | 