Silicon was a hot topic among growers in attendance at SAF's 24th annual conference on Pest and Disease Management in Ornamentals in Atlanta, held late in February.

There was a lot of interest "in the potential role of silicon in the management of bugs and insects," presenter James Locke, Ph.D. USDA/ARS Greenhouse Production Research Group, told E-Brief editors. According to Locke, at least five of the speakers, including himself in his presentation "Current, Short-term, Future, and Star Wars Research Projects for Ornamental Crops," identified the silicon topic as needing further research, because it has only recently been recognized as a beneficial element and its role in plant chemistry still needs to be examined.

Growers seeking the latest ways to fight pests and disease soaked in three days worth of information, Feb. 28 through March 1, in 16 seminars and workshops. SAF Director of Meetings and Conventions, Laura Weaver says this year's conference was rated by attendees as one of the best-ever, based on the quality of the speakers and the relevance of the topics presented.

The conference was organized by Colleen Warfield, Ph.D., University of California-Davis, and Ray Cloyd, Ph.D., Kansas State University, and it offered presentations by some of floriculture's most outstanding researchers, many of whom are funded in part by the Floriculture & Nursery Research Initiative and/or the American Floral Endowment. 

The increasing rate of invasive pests over the past few years was discussed in "Thrown Off Balance: What to Do When a New or Resistant Pest Shows Up." The presenters, Lance Osborne, Ph.D., University of Florida, with Joe Chamberlin, Ph.D., Valent Corporation, and Cindy McKenzie, Ph.D., USDA-ARS cited a study that documents one new arthropod species becoming established in the state of Florida each month.

Conference Co-Chairman Ray Cloyd presented three programs, one on dealing with pest control by using plant essential oils, another on employing pest control methods that don't simultaneously harm biological controls and a third on how to use tank mixtures properly when applying chemicals.

There were also presentations given on the identification of the often difficult-to-identify "Diseases You Hope Your Plants Won't Get." Loren Oki, Ph.D., University of California-Davis, described sand filtration methods to treat irrigation runoff during his seminar.

The conference included a tour of Rambo Nursery and Southland Greenhouse, both in Acworth, Georgia. A "mini-trade-show" featured manufacturers' new and recommended products. A copy of the conference proceedings, including the papers presented (both hard copy and on CD) is available for purchase through the SAF Market.

Keep checking the SAF Web site for the dates of next year's Pest Management Conference.

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

 

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