WCC58: Production, Transition Handling, and Reestablishment of Perennial Nursery Stock
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Inactive/Terminating
WCC58: Production, Transition Handling, and Reestablishment of Perennial Nursery Stock
Duration: 10/01/1999 to 09/30/2004
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Statement of Issues and Justification
issue
"Plant production, transition handling, and reestablishment of nursery stock continues to be challenging in light of new plant introductions and growing techniques. It is essential to understand past and current problems in order to design an integrated research approach to address issues facing perennial plant producers.
Commercial production is concentrated in regions with climate favoring rapid and cost effective plant growth. Visiting these major production regions affords the opportunity for WCC-058 participants to interact with growers and handlers in identifying production handling and reestablishment issues. Research addressing proper acclimation and handling of perennial plants before shipment to climatically diverse regions is critical to their quality, survival, and ability to re-establish."
Objectives
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To provide a forum where integrated research and education approaches are designed regarding problems facing plant nurseries involved in plant production, transition handling and reestablishment of perennial nursery stock.
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To share new research information about transition handling and reestablishment of perennial nursery stock and identify high priority areas and foster interdisciplinary research and education projects among WCC-058 scientists.
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Prepare reviews or summaries of topics relevant to the plant production, transition handling, and reestablishment of nursery stock with the general research community and other interested persons by publishing information in journals and on the website of the WCC-058.
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Procedures and Activities
Expected Outcomes and Impacts
- Enhance research efforts: Comprehension of major concerns facing nursery growers who produce perennial nursery stock by WCC-058 scientists allow for emphasis on high-priority research needs. Cooperative projects continue to evolve through interaction of participants across major production areas in the Western States as well as outside the Western region.
- Multidisciplinary involvement: Multidisciplinary and interregional participants in the WCC-058 have included scientists from 18 states. This diverse background and experience in all aspects of production, transition handling and reestablishment of perennial nursery stock results in dynamic discussion and enlightened research planning and interdisciplinary projects. The participants have expertise in areas such as plant growth and development, post-harvest physiology, and plant stress physiology. The meetings have also included disciplines of biosystems engineering, plant pathology, entomology, and economics. Efforts are made to include scientists and graduate students in the committee meetings to extend the scope of information exchange and potential for cooperative research. Thus, the coordinating committee has provided an effective vehicle for communication and sharing between scientists, educators, and industry professionals which otherwise would not exist.
- Improved nursery stock production: Recognition of emerging problems involving the perennial nursery stock industry and the exchange of research information amongst scientists will result in practices reducing post-production losses, improving efficiency and producing high quality plant material while sustaining environmental quality. Consumers are the ultimate benefactors of the interdisciplinary and interregional approach through greater selection of new material and improved performance, survival, and quality of landscape plants.
- Standardization: Research-based development of standards for production-transition-establishment of perennial nursery stock has resulted from interregional cooperative research. These standards continue to provide a data base for improved technology transfer and problem solving. Interregional cooperation ensures that information is readily transformed into practice as it develops.
- Improved education: Opportunities for students and university personnel interested in nursery production to interact with WCC-058 members at the annual meetings expand educational opportunities. Tours of nursery facilities, plant collections, or landscapes enhance all participants understanding of challenges in producing or using perennial nursery stock in different climate zones. Visuals taken at these tours are valuable teaching aids for all participants in the classroom and for training of professional growers. Comparison of teaching methods amongst participants is another valuable educational component of this group.
Projected Participation
View Appendix E: ParticipationEducational Plan
ed_plan
WCC-058 is a vehicle for intraregional and interregional, multidisciplinary research approaches to identify and integrate environmentally sound production, transition, and establishment strategies for perennial landscape plans. WCC-058 is the only coordinating committee focusing on these critical issues. There are individual and joint research efforts by WCC-058 participants dealing with the problems of the nursery and landscape industry. New applied information is disseminated in classrooms and through professional and popular/trade magazine publications. All members of the WCC-058 are involved in presentations at workshops and field days through their respective university outreach programs.
Organization/Governance
governance
WCC-058 officers are the secretary, vice-chair, and chair. A new secretary is elected every year and elevated to the position of chair in their third year. The secretary is responsible for recording minutes of the annual meeting and coordinating names, addresses, telephone numbers, etc. The vice-chair assists the chair in arranging the business meeting and serves in the absence of the chair. The chair of the WCC-058 conducts the business meeting, generates informational materials, participates in renewal of the petition and assists in coordinating meeting sites with a local arrangement committee.
Literature Cited