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Note: This article is part of the Growing Knowledge series in Digger magazine. This series is provided by Oregon State University in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture and in partnership with the Oregon Association of Nurseries.

Researchers roundup

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Get to know the horticultural researchers at OSU and USDA Many programs focus on nursery, greenhouse, landscape and related crops at Oregon State University (OSU) and the Horticulture Crops Research Laboratory at the Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS), the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture. Here are some of the […]

What’s growing on?

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OSU plant breeding program shows progress on promising new cultivars The plant breeding program at Oregon State University is continually working to bring new plants to market that will make growers more profitable and perform well for consumers. On behalf of the program, I wanted to update the industry on these efforts. New plants build […]

Measuring low-water stress

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Expansive study evaluates climate-ready landscape plants for the western U.S. By Loren Oki and Jared Sisneroz We have all experienced extreme weather conditions, from heavy rain and snow to prolonged droughts, which have become more frequent in recent years. In response to the droughts that have threatened our water supplies, regulatory restrictions have been put […]

Learning, connecting, engaging

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Oregon’s Integrated Pest Management Center serves as an innovative pest management hub for growers Article and photos By Silvia I. Rondon Since the early 1960s, the Oregon Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Center has accumulated a rich history of leading and coordinating multistate research and outreach programs to help a broad audience in the agricultural and […]

Going with the flow

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Research on plant hydraulics helps explain the effect of drought stress on shade trees By Sadie Keller, Rebecca Sheridan, Scout Dahms-May, Carolyn Scagel and Lloyd Nackley In Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the heart of the nursery industry, rainfall is scarce during the summer and humidity is low. The plant stress resulting from the low soil moisture, […]

A farmland boom

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Despite soaring interest rates, farmland values in Oregon show no signs of slumping After a record sales year for nursery growers in 2021, the economic outlook for the industry remains mostly positive (McClellan, 2022). One of the main economic issues facing producers is the increasing cost of labor, as general price inflation and a tight […]

Dogging your voles

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Researchers explore whether hounds can assist in timely vole management By Dana Sanchez and Nick Andrews In the big picture, burrowing animals contribute significantly to natural ecosystems and the soils on which our own economies and lives depend. Burrowers contribute to soil aeration, provide nutrients and soil organic matter, participate in redistributing nutrients to the […]

How to catch a thrips

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Rigorous scouting can help manage tip-feeding thrips before they cause irreparable damage By Lloyd Nackley and Melissa Scherr Thrips belong to the insect order Thysanoptera, of which there are several species that are damaging to nursery and ornamental crops. Whether there is only one or many, we call them thrips regardless, just like with other […]

A carbon balancing act

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What effects do mowing, fertilization and irrigation have on carbon sink and sequestration in turfgrass ecosystems? Public concerns about climate change and a growing number of government and business commitments to emissions reductions have increased focus on carbon sequestration in vegetated landscapes as a nature-based climate solution. More specifically, landscapes dominated by plants could be […]