Public
Service Extension
Regulatory Services
Animal Health
College of AFLS
Horticulture & Turfgrass News
5-3-96 CU research helps industry and environment
11-3-97 CU demonstrates commercial horticulture research
10-16-98 CU develops revolutionary system for horticulture
10-18-99 Horticulture breakthrough launched in Upstate S.C.
DATE: 5-3-96
CONTACT: Ted Whitwell, 864/656-4971 twhtwll@clemson.edu
WRITER: Debbie Dalhouse, 864/656-0937 ddalhou@clemson.edu
TURFGRASS
AND ORNAMENTAL RESEARCH
CLEMSON
-- Clemson University researchers are working with turfgrass and ornamental
producers to help these industries grow in South Carolina, at the same
time as they protect the state's environment.
The
ornamental horticulture industry is currently valued at $128 million in
South Carolina, with dramatic growth projected in the future as investment
in landscaping for homes, businesses, golf courses and tourism increases.
Scientists
on the Clemson campus and at the university's Pee Dee Research and Education
Center in Florence are involved with the multi-disciplinary research.
They are gathering information from the producers of turfgrass and ornamental
shrubbery, as well as from golf courses and athletic fields to understand
the needs and limitations of both groups.
Managing
damage from disease, weeds and insects in an environmentally friendly
manner is the primary focus of the research. Although only in its second
year, the Clemson research has already provided several recommendations.
Among
the suggestions are selecting environmentally friendly pesticides and
timing the application of pesticides to be more effective so fewer applications
are needed. Other recommendations include developing waterways around
nursery
Golf
course superintendents around the state are playing an active role in
developing the recommendations for turfgrass management; while commercial
nurseries are equally involved in developing recommendations for ornamental
horticulture.
"This
effort represents a long-term commitment by Clemson University to strengthen
research in the environmental area," explained team leader Ted Whitwell,
a professor of horticulture at Clemson.
The
turfgrass and ornamental initiative at Clemson began with a 1994 decision
by the South Carolina Legislature to provide funding for facilities improvements
and research. Research grants and industry support assist in funding the
research efforts.
END
DATE:
11-3-97
CONTACT: Tom Fernandez, (864) 656-7433
WRITER:
Debbie Dalhouse, (864) 656-0937
CLEMSON
COMMERCIAL HORTICULTURE
CLEMSON
- Plant scientists from Clemson
University will be at Carolina Nurseries from 10 a.m. until noon Friday,
Nov. 7, to demonstrate their research on improving production for commercial
nurseries.
About
75 members of the South Carolina plant nursery and greenhouse growers
associations are planning to attend the demonstration to learn new techniques
that can be applied at their operations.
Commercial
nurseries represent a major industry in South Carolina, with annual sales
of $128 million and an annual growth rate of six percent.
Research
suggests that ornamental horticulture will become one of the Southeast's
fastest growing agricultural industries in the coming years. South Carolina
is positioned to take full advantage of this growth opportunity because
of partnerships between Clemson and industry leaders such as Carolina
Nurseries, one of the largest nurseries in the United States.
The
research at Carolina Nurseries is conducted in a specially designed area
that reflects actual nursery conditions and addresses production issues
faced by all commercial producers. Friday's presentations will be made
to small groups of nurserymen on a continuous basis from 10 a.m. to noon.
Some
of the topics of interest to the general public are recycling water used
in the nursery and using lower rates of fertilizers and herbicides. (FYI:
A one-paragraph summary of each research project will be available at
the demonstrations.)
Demonstration
topics and researchers include:
-
Cyclic irrigation and lower rates of fertilizers
-
Herbicide screening for perennials
-
Using plastics to control growth
-
Hosta tissue culture propagation
-
Increasing the number of breaks on hosta
-
Plant growth regulators for woody plants
-
Propagation of difficult-to-root material - Mark Arena, Extension agent, Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties
-
Pot-in-pot systems - Roy Young, agricultural engineering professor and
END
DATE:
10-16-98
CONTACT:
Jeff Adelberg, (864) 656-3011
WRITER:
Debbie Dalhouse, (864) 656-0937
CLEMSON
UNIVERSITY DEVELOPS
CLEMSON -
An entire greenhouse full of plants can be shipped around the world in
minimal packaging without spreading pests through a revolutionary technology
developed by Clemson University researchers. The unique process is an
application of micropropagation and was created by Clemson plant scientist
Jeffrey W. Adelberg and engineer Roy E. Young.
The
system, patented as AcclimatronT, is a sealed device containing finger-sized
transplants, called CU-StartsT, that are free of diseases, pests and pesticides
and are strong enough to be planted directly into the field or into containers
for growing to saleable size.
"Tissue
culture transplants have undeveloped root systems so they have to be placed
in a greenhouse to grow roots and harden before they can be moved outside,"
said Adelberg. "This is very labor intensive and costly. But CU-StartsT
have a strong root system even though the plants themselves are very small.
This means growers can achieve record propagation rates with minimal labor
and space requirements."
The
trays, transplants and computerized greenhouse system are being produced
and marketed by a new company, called Southern Sun.
"Clemson's
research has proven that we can grow plants better than the market has
today and at a lower cost," said Chas Fox, president of Southern Sun.
"This is leading edge technology that makes it possible to mass-produce
a wide range of plants, from ornamentals to endangered species."
The
research that developed this technology was made possible by the South
Carolina Agriculture and Forestry Research System based at Clemson.
"This
research will improve the quality of life for both consumers and producers
as growers are able to provide more varieties and larger quantities of
top-quality plants," said James R. Fischer, director of the Agriculture
and Forestry Research System.
The
new process begins with an automated system of producing micro-cuttings,
or buds, during tissue culture propagation. These tiny cuttings are placed
into the AcclimatronT trays. Each compartment of the trays includes a
paper growing medium that supports the root system and is free of disease
or pest risks.
The
AcclimatronT trays are placed in a hydroponic growing system in which
plant nutrients are delivered through circulating water. The trays eliminate
the possibility of contamination by diseases, producing high quality,
healthy plants that command premium prices. The system also allows water
and nutrients to be recycled and eliminates the need for pesticides, making
the process environmentally sensitive and cost effective.
A
computer controls the temperature of the circulating water, allowing the
cuttings to be grown in full sun instead of the traditional shaded greenhouse.
This provides the acclimatizing, or hardening, that the transplants need
to survive when placed outside for growing to saleable size.
The
process is still undergoing refinements before reaching full commercial-ization,
but it is already being enthusiastically received by growers who are buying
the transplants as "raw material" to grow into saleable plants or acquiring
a license agreement for the entire system to produce transplants for sale
to other growers.
END
DATE: 10-18-99
CONTACT:
Chas Fox, Southern Sun (864)
374-7206
WRITER: Tucker Eskew, Eskew Communications (803) 376-4999
BIOTECH BREAKTHROUGH LAUNCHED IN UPSTATE S.C.
NORRIS, SC - Thanks to a research partnership between Clemson University and a new technology development company started in the Upstate, South Carolina is now home to a revolutionary system for rapidly growing plants for ornamental, pharmaceutical, and vegetable use, university and company officials announced today.
Southern Sun Propagation Systems, Inc. draws on the technical achievements of Clemson researchers and the entrepreneurial talents of leading Upstate agri-business leaders.
"Southern Sun is about cutting-edge technology that revolutionizes the way plants are grown - the plants that end up on your dining table, in your backyard, and even in your medicine cabinet," said company CEO Chas Fox. "We make plants grow faster, at lower cost, and we're better for the environment.
"We re-use everything - water, plastics and nutrients," Fox said. "In addition, while we are a 'biotech' company, we're not performing genetic engineering. Our innovations apply engineering skills to the growth of valuable plant species."
State officials lauded the news. "Southern Sun's announcement today shows that our state's emphasis on leading edge technologies through our university systems has come to fruition," said South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges. " The biotechnology processes that Southern Sun ahs developed will result in new horticulture techniques and new ways to produce healthier, bigger plants in less time."
Comparing their innovations to those that popularized the personal computer, Southern Sun officials call their technology "the operating system of the next century" for plant production. The system, patented by Clemson University scientist Dr. Jeff Adelberg, accelerates the growing process by producing finger-sized tissue culture transplants that are free of diseases, pests and pesticides. The transplants, called CU-StartsT, are small enough to be shipped internationally and strong enough to be planted directly into the field. This is possible because Southern Sun's AcclimatronT houses the transplants in a natural light hydroponic growing system that delivers plant nutrients through circulating water.
The Acclimatron's computer-controlled process maintains the temperature of the circulating water, allowing the plantlets to be grown in full sun instead of the traditional shaded greenhouse. The system also allows water and nutrients to be recycled and eliminates the need for pesticides, making the process environmentally sensitive and cost-effective.
Southern Sun's breakthrough technology is a commercial application of research performed and supported by Clemson Public Service in Agriculture, which brings together faculty and staff from the University's departments of horticulture and agricultural and biological engineering.
"It is great to see research started in the public sector creating private industry in South Carolina," said Clemson's Adelberg, who has worked for ten years to develop these technologies at the university. "Current trends in agriculture have sent so much production out of the country. Our mission is to create good jobs here by growing plants faster and cleaner. We are careful custodians of the environment and our technologies help the farmer be more productive," Adelberg added.
"Part of Clemson University's public service mission is to stimulate economic development in South Carolina," said Dr. John W. Kelly, vice president of Public Service and Agriculture at the university. "Southern Sun is an excellent example of how Clemson public service research helps create good jobs in agriculture."
"Innovative technology is the foundation for future economic growth," said S.C. Commerce Secretary Charles S. Way, Jr., "Southern Sun's highly efficient process for plant propagation will serve as a springboard for creating new job opportunities in biotechnology."
The company's lab in Norris, near Clemson, houses the bioreactor facility and currently employs 19 people. The AcclimatronÔ in Hodges, near Greenwood, is an automated greenhouse that finishes thousands of plants weekly and currently employs 4 workers. With plans for the next year that include expansion into 12,000 more square feet of lab space and 20 new jobs, the company's future includes a number of new products.
Southern
Sun's patented technologies include packaging systems that satisfy quarantine
and quality assurance for shipping plant materials across state and national
borders. The Southern Sun research pipeline includes ornamental, vegetable,
timber and pharmaceutical crops. The company's first product is the popular
ornamental crop Hosta.
END
Questions or comments: Webmaster ©2004 Clemson University Public Service
Clemson University Experiment Station, 104 Barre Hall, Clemson, SC 29634-0151
Clemson University Experiment Station is an affirmative action and equal opportunity educational institution.