Dutchman's Breeches (not Britches) Wildflowers

Pretty Wildflowers on a Beautiful Spring Day

Barrel Cacti in Sonoran Desert in Arizona

Desert Valley from Scenic Overlook

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Dry Creek Bed on the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve in Arizona

USDA Seeks Variety to Help American Agriculture Flourish

From the USDA:

Posted by Ruihong Guo, Agricultural Marketing Service Science and Technology Program Deputy Administrator, on January 27, 2015 at 1:00 PM

Gardeners, farmers and dreamers are finding it’s a good time to think about the variety of seeds and plants for spring. AMS Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO) grants certificates of intellectual property protection to encourage the development of new varieties of plants. Photo courtesy of Stacey Shintani.

While most of the country is braving cold and blustery winter conditions, farmers and gardeners are busy looking ahead to the spring. They are contemplating the variety of seeds or the plants that they will use. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) increases the options for our farmers, gardeners, and plant breeders by making sure there is an abundance of varieties available.

We do this through our Plant Variety Protection Office (PVPO), which grants certificates of intellectual property protection to developers of new plant varieties. These certificates enable breeders to market their variety exclusively for 20 years. The protection is an incentive for the development of new and improved varieties.

To find ways to gain new ideas, evaluations and insights about our program, USDA works closely with our key stakeholders through an important advisory committee — the Plant Variety Protection Board.

USDA is currently seeking candidates for the Plant Variety Protection Board. Serving on the board is a great opportunity for a number of reasons. You can join a group of stakeholders from across the industry looking to pool their expertise and resources to develop new varieties. As a board member, you can also help continue agricultural production and increase food security.

We encourage people from all backgrounds to seek a position on the board. Current members are farmers, plant breeders, seed industry experts, university professors, and lawyers who have involvement with plant varieties. We believe that having a diverse advisory committee helps strengthen the future of American agriculture. Together, we can face an increasing world population, climate change, and plant pest/disease outbreaks.

Nomination packages must be received on or before Feb. 6, 2015. The board usually meets two times a year – a teleconference and a face to face meeting at the American Seed Trade Association’s December meeting in Chicago. Members serve for two years and can be reappointed for up to three consecutive terms. The current board’s term will expire in May 2015.

USDA is committed to plant variety protection. It is a great benefit to us all. If you have a passion for plant variety protection, we encourage you to seek a spot on the board.

There is an amazing variety of seeds and plants available to us today. That’s why plant variety protection is important to both U.S. and international agriculture. Photo courtesy of Ritesh Man.

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Providing the Gift of Water for Poinsettias and Other Ornamental Crops

From USDA:

Posted by Scott Elliott, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, on December 12, 2014 at 10:00 AM

How much do you know about this iconic plant that brightens lots of homes this time of year?

Happy Poinsettia Day!

Of the countless iconic holiday season images in American homes, perhaps the most popular and colorful of them started off as a humble bush from our neighbors to the south.

The poinsettia was introduced to this country in the late 1820s by Joel Poinsett, the first American ambassador to Mexico, but only started on the path to holiday season superstardom in the early 1900s.  By 2013, poinsettias accounted for 23 percent of sales for flowering potted plants – to the tune of $146 million.

Floriculture, the aspect of horticulture than relates to ornamental crops, ranks fifth in U.S. agriculture.  Production of these crops – which includes cut flowers, both potted and landscape plants, and green roofs – occurs in open fields, nurseries, greenhouses, and high tunnels.

The high demand of these crops for irrigation water is a major challenge for growers, with household use and traditional agriculture as the major competitors for water.  This competition is especially severe when coupled with drought.  Growers must have effective and efficient ways to both provide the quality and quantity of water they need to ensure the health of their plants and to limit the flow of nutrients and chemicals through runoff into watersheds.

That’s where USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) comes in.  NIFA has provided funding for several floriculture research projects that address a variety of irrigation concerns.  One example is a $2.7 million project in which researchers from Virginia Tech have developed protocols to manage pathogens in reclaimed water sources.  As of August 2014, researchers have categorized nine new species of Phytophthora – a primary cause of plant root and crown rot – from nursery irrigation systems in Virginia and Mississippi.

Right outside of our nation’s capital, University of Maryland researchers are using a NIFA-administered grant of more than $5.1 million to develop a wireless sensor network capable of supporting the intensive production system requirements of field nurseries, container nurseries, greenhouse operations, and green roof systems.  After only three years, the system has helped growers make more informed irrigation scheduling decisions and reduced average water applications by more than 50 percent.  Smarter scheduling decreases runoff and means better production with less water.

Better production means more flowering plants, including the pink, white, red, or multicolored beauties that bring so many added holiday cheer.   The next time you gaze at a poinsettia, you can thank Joel Poinsett, America’s nursery industry, and NIFA for adding color to the season, reducing the demand on U.S. water supplies, and protecting the nation’s waterways.

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education, and extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people’s daily lives and the nation’s future. For more information, visit www.nifa.usda.gov.