PRODUCTION AND POSTHARVEST PROTOCOLS FOR CUT PENSTEMON AND EUCOMIS
Abstract:
Introduction As the demand for locally grown food crops has increased, so has the demand for locally grown specialty cut flowers. New cut flower introductions are a necessity to maintain and increase consumer interest. Expanding the availability and knowledge about new cut flowers allows growers to pick species and cultivars ideally suited for their climates and consumer base. Many garden ornamental species and exotic, bulbous genera and cultivars are underutilized by the floral industry. Two examples include pineapple lily (Eucomis sp. L’ Hérit.) and annual penstemon (Penstemon grandiflorus Nutt.). Eucomis has about fifteen species (Bryan and Griffiths, 1995), each with unique pineapple-like inflorescences with the potential to last for more than a month in vase (Regan, 2008). Annual penstemon has the largest flowers and the greatest color range (31 different distinct color shades) of all Penstemon species (Way et al., 1998). However, growers are hesitant to produce them commercially due to a lack of production and postharvest information. The objectives of this study were to develop production and postharvest procedures for Eucomis ‘Coral,’ ‘Cream,’ ‘Lavender,’ ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ and Penstemon grandiflorus ‘Esprit’ mix.
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Keywords: ICFG Hill Final Report 2009-2010
Libraries: Floriculture