ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS 



Enriched Fertilizers Can 

 Tliwart Powdery Mildew 



(from Greenhouse Manager, 

 April, 1992) 



Fertilizer enriched with potassium 

 silicate can help certain powdery- 

 mildew susceptible vegetables 

 from getting the disease, an 

 Ohio State University researcher 

 reports. 



"We can use plant nutrition as 

 a method of causing biological re- 

 sistance," says Bill Bauerle, associ- 

 ate professor at the Ohio Agricul- 

 tural Research and Development 

 Center at Wooster. 



"The savings is phenomenal," 

 he said of the silicate he is con- 

 tinually injecting at 25-100 ppm. 

 "You don't have to spray or 

 anything." 



Bauerle tested the fertilizer on 

 cucumbers, but theorizes that po- 

 tassium silicate can also work for 

 such disease-prone plants as bego- 

 nias and roses. 



Plastic from a Plant 



(from NY Times, April 28, 1992) 



Scientists say they have grown a 

 high-quality plastic from a geneti- 

 cally-modified plant, a step that 

 may lead to crops of biodegrad- 

 able plastic from potatoes or sugar 

 beets. 



Researchers at Michigan State 

 University and James Madison 

 University in Harrisburg, Va, said 

 they had altered the genes of a 

 small weed of the mustard family. 



known as Arabidopsis, in the 

 laboratory to produce the plastic 

 PHB, polypropylene. Dr. Christo- 

 pher Somerville, a botany profes- 

 sor at Michigan State, writing in 

 the current issue of Science maga- 

 zine, said they were able to syn- 

 thesize a type of polyester in the 

 plant. The plant has the chemi- 

 cal throughout the leaves and 

 stem. 



A spokesman for the Univer- 

 sity of Michigan said the next 

 step would be to alter the same 

 genes in another plant like the 

 potato. "They know exactly 

 where to put the gene," he said. 



"The research opens the way 

 for a possible new and profitable 

 cash crop for farmers," Somerville 

 said. 



The Energy Department hailed 

 the research because the final 

 plant would produce — without pe- 

 troleum — a plastic that would de- 

 grade naturally in landfills. 



1993 All'America 

 Selections Announced 



(from Greenhouse Product New.v 

 March/ April, 1992) 



Two flowers and two vegetable.- 

 have been honored as All- 

 America Selections (AAS) 

 winners for 1993. 



NIEREMBERGIA. "Mount Blanc' 

 is noted to be the first white 

 nierembergia. It was rated hiphiv 

 for its performance under heat, 

 drought, and severe weather ccr- 



ditions. It spreads about 12 

 inches and reaches the height of 

 about 5; it flowers freely — and 

 free from pests — all season with 

 little care. 



Nierembergia is not commonly 

 used, so AAS intends to promote 

 the benefits of this annual to 

 growers. 



'Mont Blanc' has received the 

 Gold Medal Award from 

 Fleuroselect, the European testing 

 organization. The variety was en- 

 tered and produced by Takii and 

 Co., Ltd., Kyoto, Japan. 



VERBENA. The second AAS 

 flower winner is a heat and 

 drought tolerant verbena called 

 'Imagination.' It has blue-violet 

 or dark lilac umbles, lacy foliage, 

 and a spreading habit that can 

 reach 1-2 feet. 



Bred by Ernst Benary, Munden, 

 Germany, 'Imagination' is also a 

 Fleuroselect winner. It may be 

 grown using normal verbena 

 culture. 



PUMPKIN. Johnny's Selected 

 Seeds, Albion, ME, received its 

 first-ever AAS award for the 

 'Baby Bear Pumpkin.' Fruits 

 weigh 1 1/2-2 lbs, are 4-6" high, 

 3-4" high, are considered good for 

 children's jack-o'-lanterns. 



The variety is less tolerant of 

 cold or damp soils, so growing 

 transplants is encouraged. 

 Smooth, moderately ribbed, bright 

 orange, flavorful fruits mature in 

 95-110 days. 



TOMATO. 'Husky Gold' is an 

 Fl hybrid that earned high marks 

 for its sweet flavor and compact 

 habit. The 7-8 ounce fruits ma- 

 ture about 70 days from trans- 

 planting, have thick walls and a 

 meaty gold interior. 



Bred by Petoseed Co., Saticoy, 

 CA, this hybrid is suitable for 

 both seed and bedding plant 

 markets. 



All-America Selections, Downers 

 Grove, Illinois, will be promoting 

 these four winners in consumer 

 garden publications and point-of 

 purchase materials during the 

 coming months. 



June/July 1992 9 



