AlbaMyers, Wagner A. Vendrame*, and AniaPinares 

 Additional index words. Jatropha curcas, micropropagation, space biology

Jatropha is a species identified for biofuel production. Microgravity offers a unique environment for genetic variation studies and in vitro cell cultures are suitable for space-based experiments. The main objective of this study was to compare the in vitro growth of jatropha cell cultures between orbit and ground. The effects of genotype, culture medium, and explant type were evaluated. In vitro cultures were initiated from three jatropha accessions: Brazil, India, and Mexico. Cotyledon, leaf, and stem sections were utilized as explants. A basal Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium was used, modified with either 4.5 μM TDZ (MS1) or 0.75 μM IBA + 3.6 μM 6-BA (MS2). Cultures were maintained in petri dishes, in the dark, at 25 ± 2 °C, arranged in Group Activation Packs (petriGAPs) flight hardware. Control petriGAPs were maintained on the ground. Spaceflight experiments were conducted in the International Space Station for 111 d (STS-133) and in the mid-deck of the space shuttle Atlantis (STS-135) for 14 d. In vitro jatropha cultures showed normal growth in microgravity. The MS1 medium produced structures similar to globular stage somatic embryos, while the MS2 medium produced mostly callus. The genotype had an effect on somatic embryo formation and subsequent shoot regeneration, and cultures from Brazil had the best regeneration capability. Stem sections showed the best capability to form somatic embryos in vitro. Cultures exposed to microgravity showed efficient development of embryogenic cultures. Future efforts should focus on improved root formation and plantlet regeneration.

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John Rife* East End Market, 3201 Corrine Drive, Orlando, FL 32803

Additional index words. source identified, localized, food system

This paper provides a survey of organizations, businesses, and initiatives engaged in building capacity for Central Florida’s localized food system by developing regional food hubs. Regional food hubs aggregate food system services like procurement, processing, distribution, warehousing, marketing, and retailing of localized and source-identified food products. The results of the survey show that, while no single entity vertically integrates all of these services, the handful of existing initiatives in Central Florida are nonetheless building noticeable capacity for the region’s source-identified food products.

Henry Mayer1* and Jennifer Rodero, University of Florida, IFAS, Miami Dade County Extension, 18710 SW 288 Street, Homestead, FL 33030 2Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA), 200 S. Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 2929, Miami, FL 33131

Additional index words. planting, pruning plants

The city of Miami has one of the highest poverty rates and one of the lowest median incomes among large U.S. cities, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey ( http://www.census.gov/acs/www/). This survey places Miami’s poverty rate at 26.9%, well above the state average of 12.6%, Miami–Dade County’s 18%, and the national average of 13.3%. During 2012, at a request from the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA), the Commercial Urban Horticultural Agent put together 3-h training workshops to teach entry-level employees from the Downtown Enhancement Team (DET) some techniques to plant and maintain trees in downtown Miami. The Miami DDA, in partnership with Camillus House, assists formerly homeless persons to give back to the community and reenter the workforce through employment with the DET. The tree management training programs are an important resource for the DET program. According to the DET supervisors, as a consequence of the workshops the participants are more confident in performing landscape maintenance, planting trees, and planting shrubs. They also take initiative and assist/correct others who have not been trained and show them how to do the planting or pruning. The workshops have also increased the survival rate of the trees and shrubs being planted in the downtown area. Due to the success of the program, these workshops will continue in 2013.

Davie M. Kadyampakeni1*, Kelly T. Morgan, and Arnold W. Schumann

Additional index words. Citrus sinensis, fertigation, open hydroponics

A novel practice called advanced citrus production systems (ACPS) using high tree density, dwarfing rootstocks, and a modified intensively managed open hydroponics system (OHS) were developed to accelerate tree growth and bring young trees into production so growers can break even economically as soon as possible after establishing a grove. Several experiments were conducted to compare the performance of the intensively managed drip and microsprinkler irrigation and fertigation systems with conventional grower practices on the Florida Flatwoods and central Ridge soils. The field studies revealed non-significantly different water uptake of ACPS/OHS compared with current grower practices. However, nutrient accumulation, particularly N, was greater for ACPS/OHS than the grower practices. Overall, the results underscore the importance of using innovative and carefully managed intensive fertigation practices for increasing nutrient and water uptake efficiency while conserving environmental quality and sustaining high citrus yields on Florida’s sandy soils.

Frank D. Scott*, Rebecca S. Ryan, and Haley M. Veilleux, Long & Scott Farms, P.O. Box 1228, Zellwood, FL 32798

Additional index words. community supported agriculture, corn maze

Long & Scott Farms, a 1200-acre vegetable farm in central Florida, celebrated its 50th anniversary in Feb. 2012. Its longevity is due in part to the innovative choices made over the last 10 years to diversify operations from a strictly wholesale producer of Zellwood sweet corn, cabbage, and pickling cucumbers to also include a local foods and agri-tourism oriented marketing strategy. The most successful of these alternative farm concepts is Scott’s Maze Adventures, an annual fall corn maze that has an attendance of nearly 30,000 annually in recent years. A seasonal retail farm market and café have also been established, which is a hub for the consumer supported Produce Club, providing 55 members weekly baskets of freshly harvested local produce. Other additions to the farm operations have been a catch-and-release fishing pond, and holiday and special events that include hayride tours of the farm. The farm also has a web-based presence, www.longandscottfarms.com, and social media Facebook and Twitter, as well as an online monthly newsletter that allows them to market to new audiences.

The Florida State Horticultural Society announces its brand new website, completely reimagined from the ground up to provide better services and support for our members and the horticultural community. Our new website, located at fshs.org, includes a new member management platform about which we’re especially excited. Current members should have already received an e-mail with instructions concerning their new username and password.

We’ve provided a brand new look, and made it easier to find our products and services. The new website brings:

• Web technology that is up-to-date with current Internet standards
• Faster, better member communication
• Job and resume posting services
• Integration with social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter
• Easy-to-navigate resources, such as our annual proceedings dating back to 1888
• Improved search capabilities
• On-the-fly compatibility with mobile devices
• Website subscriptions

Our new site is the result of our FSHS staff and board working closely with the designers every step of the way to ensure that the needs of the organization and its members are met.

The Florida State Horticultural Society is one of the oldest horticultural societies in the United States, established in 1888, consisting of horticultural and agricultural industry professionals, Master Gardeners, researchers and Extension faculty, students, and gardening enthusiasts. The society:

• Keeps you abreast of important advances in Florida horticulture
• Provides resources to connect employers and talented job seekers
• Provides a wide variety of information presented at the annual meeting
• Publishes the annual Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society
• Publishes regular FSHS newsletters with feature articles, botany facts, places of interest, events, and more

Feel free to contact us with your comments and questions, including your ideas about how the site is working for you. We hope you enjoy our new site, and we all hope it’ll be a great way for us to keep in better touch with each other!

Enjoy!

FSHS Staff and Board

Peter Antione, Ria Timarco, Jonathan Crane*, and Wanda Montás University of Florida, IFAS, Tropical Research and Education Center, 18905 SW 280 Street, Homestead, FL 33031

Additional index words. pollination, protogynous

The synchronous dichogamous flowering behavior of avocado trees promotes outcrossing and improves yields of many commercial avocado cultivars. To optimize cross-pollination, complementary cultivars (designated as Type A or B) must be planted in close proximity to each other. For a number of Florida avocado cultivars, the period of flowering is not known, making recommendations for planting arrangements for Type A and Type B cultivars difficult. From December through April of 2011 and 2012, trees of 14 avocado cultivars in several Homestead groves were monitored during their flowering period. ‘Arue’, ‘Donnie’, ‘Nesbitt’, ‘Peterson’, ‘Russell’, and ‘Simmonds’ began to flower during January, whereas ‘Bernecker’, ‘Beta’, ‘Brogdon’, ‘Lisa’, ‘Loretta’, ‘Miguel’, ‘Reed’, and ‘Tonnage’ did not begin flowering until February; most cultivars were done flowering during early April. An example of overlapping flowering periods of complementary flowering types includes ‘Tonnage’ (B-type) and ‘Donnie’ (A-type) and ‘Bernecker’ (A-type) and ‘Miguel’ (B-type).

December 2013 Newsletter Vol. 23-2

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“FSHS is one of the oldest horticultural society in the United States – it has been in existence since 1888. Please visit our website and take some time to browse our 100 + years of Proceedings and read our quarterly newsletter.

The Florida State Horticultural Society releases a quarterly newsletter. In the newsletter you may find questions from readers, articles reflecting events of interest to memebers, a reminder calendar and much more. Whether you work in the Citrus, Handling and Processing, Garden and Landscape, Krome, or Vegetable industry, you’ll be sure to find something of interest in our newsletter.

To view the latest FSHS. newsletter, refer to the section below. To view past FSHS, newsletters click on the archives link. Subscribe to begin receiving the FSHS Newsletter.

To view your article, click on the link above and locate it in the index. Then, roll over it with your mouse and click on it. The next screen will be that article. To view our Proccedings online, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Check this support solution if you have trouble viewing the Proceedings.