PO 019b The Bedding and Pot Plant Centre – new product opportunities for bedding and pot plant growers.

The Bedding and Pot Plant Centre (BPPC) was established in 2014 at Baginton Nurseries, Warwickshire. Between 2014 and 2019, a series of trials were developed and delivered in conjunction with a grower-led management group to provide practical solutions to problems encountered on bedding and pot plant nurseries, and to disseminate information and best practice by a series of publications, workshops, meetings and study tours. The programme continues for a further year (2019-2020) to focus on the use of plant growth regulators on bedding plants and pot plants, specifically poinsettia, work commenced as part of PO 019a.

The programme of work consists of three work packages:

Evaluation of a range of plant growth regulators, either approved in the UK or in other European Countries, for use on bedding plant plugs via drench application, prior to transplant.

Evaluation of a range of plant growth regulators, either approved in the UK or in other European Countries, for use on bedding plants, applied as spray and drench applications, post-transplant.

Evaluation of the efficacy and phytotoxicity of a range of plant growth regulators, either approved in the UK or in other European Countries, on poinsettia within spray programmes, with or without adjuvants.

Benefits to industry: Plant growth regulators are used to control and manage crop growth in protected ornamentals. Crops need to be grown to meet precise product specifications and may also need to be held back in times of reduced demand, during inclement weather. Plant growth regulators permit growers to fine tune crop growth to achieve specifications and hold plants back as required, without loss of quality.

The evaluation of new plant growth regulators for use on bedding and pot plants was prompted by the loss of approval for most products containing chlormequat in protected ornamental plant production, and by label changes to the plant growth regulator Bonzi (paclobutrazol), including removal of the option for drench application.

The programme was designed to evaluate a range of other potential plant growth regulator products for efficacy and phytotoxicity and identify alternatives for use by industry on bedding and pot plants.