Ryan Niepagen
Containerized herbs are a sector of greenhouse crop production that is increasing in popularity. One of the challenges growers face with these crops is the lack of chemical growth control available to aid in meeting retailer specifications put forth for plant size and visual appearance. Prohexadione-calcium, a gibberellin inhibitor, may be a strong candidate for labeling for use on herbs due to a quickly metabolized active ingredient and inconsequential impact on flowering in culinary herbs.
For this trial, substrate drench and foliar spray applications of various concentrations of Prohexadione-Ca were made to nine species of containerized herbs. Various metrics of growth and development including height, width, and dry weight were collected and analyzed to quantify the effects of the applications.
Prohexadione-Ca proved to be successful in controlling the size of the tested species. Less vigorous species were more responsive to treatment than less vigorous species, and it was observed that drench applications provided stronger and more uniform control than spray applications. Before widespread industry adoption, further research will likely be needed on any possible effects caused by human consumption of treated plants.
Duration: 04/29/2019
Principal Investigator(s): Christopher Currey