Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of cyclic irrigation on leachate NO3-N concentration, container leachate volume, total effluent volume, and growth of Ilex crenata Thunb. `Compacta'. In Expt. 1, container leachate volume was reduced 34% when 13 mm of water was applied in three cycles compared to continuous irrigation of 13 mm per unit time. Forty-nine percent less container leachate volume was collected from a continuous application of 8 mm than from that of 13 mm water. In Expt. 2, container leachate volume was reduced 71% when 6 mm was applied in a single application over 30 minutes compared to 13 mm applied continuously for 1 hour. Total effluent was reduced by 14% and 10% in Expts. 1 and 2, respectively, when 13-mm irrigation was applied in three cycles compared to one continuous irrigation. Container leachate NO3-N concentrations from cyclic irrigation were generally less than leachate NO3-N concentrations from continuous irrigation treatments. The percentage of applied N leached as NO3-N ranged from 46% when 13-mm irrigation was applied in three cycles to 63% when 13-mm irrigation was applied in a single cycle. Leachate NO3-N concentration was reduced as irrigation volume was reduced from 13 to 6 mm in Expt. 2. Percentage of applied N leached as NO3-N was 63%, 56%, and 47% when 13-mm irrigation was applied in one, two, and three cycles, respectively, compared to 19%, 16%, and 15% when 6-mm irrigation was applied in one, two, and three cycles, respectively. `Compacta' holly shoot and root growth were minimally affected by cyclic irrigation or irrigation volume.

Twelve red maple selections in an existing field trial were evaluated for leaf chlorophyll content with a SPAD-502 chlorophyll meter, total foliar N concentration with a LECO CHN analyzer, and total foliar chlorophyll content (CHL) by N,N-dimethylformamide extraction. Selections included Acer rubrum L. `Autumn Flame', `Fairview Flame', `Franksred' (Red Sunset™), `Karpick', `Northwood', `October Glory', `Redskin', `Schlesingeri', and `Tilford', and A. ×freemanii E. Murray `AutumnBlaze' (`Jeffersred'), `Morgan' (`Indian Summer'), and `Scarsen' (Scarlet Sentinel™). `Franksred' and `Northwood' had the highest monthly SPAD-502 values in 1993 and 1994. Lowest SPAD-502 values were on `Redskin' and `Autumn Blaze' each year. Foliar N concentration ranged from 2.62% for `Autumn Flame' to 2.01% for Redskin. CHL levels on a fresh-weight basis ranged from 5.38 mg·g–1 for `Fairview Flame' to 3.94 mg·g–1 for `October Glory'. SPAD-502 and extractable CHL values were correlated (r = 0.45; P ≤ 0.001); however, the correlation (r = 0.15; P ≤ 0.38) between SPAD-502 values and total foliar N concentration was nonsignificant.

Efficient usage of current water supplies is of great concern to container-nursery producers. Improving water management first requires knowledge of current commercial container production practices. In this study, irrigation distribution from overhead sprinklers was monitored at container nurseries to determine the distribution and the amount of irrigation applied during a typical irrigation cycle. Several nurseries surveyed had poorly designed irrigation systems; subsequently, irrigation distribution varied widely at sampling dates and within the growing-container block. Uniform distribution was achieved at some nurseries, but required careful monitoring of the irrigation system. Future water restrictions may force nurseries to improve water usage by changing irrigation delivery methods to minimize water use, resulting in reduced surface runoff and effluent from container nurseries.

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Phytophthora parasitica was transmitted within 6 weeks from vinca (Catharanthus roseus) plants growing in infested potting mix, on the drain end of ebb-and-flow benches, to plants in noninfested potting mix. Transmission of Phytophthora was very low when potting mix was not pasteurized. When potting mix was steam pasteurized, infection of plants, disease incidence, and severity increased with time and decreased with distance from plants in infested pots. The cultivar Pretty in Pink was more susceptible to infection by P. parasitica than cv. Peppermint Cooler, allowing more rapid and severe disease development as well as pathogen dissemination and transmission. Pot spacing did not significantly affect transmission of P. parasitica on an ebb-and-flow bench.

Two experiments were conducted with pansy (Viola ×wittrockiana Gams `Bingo Yello') to determine the relationship between foliar nitrogen (% of dry weight) (FN) and either sap nitrate concentration (SN) in petioles or SPAD readings of foliage. FN was highly correlated to SN throughout both experiments (r = 0.80 to 0.91). FN was poorly correlated to SPAD readings early in both experiments (r = 0.54 to 0.65), but more highly correlated later when visual symptoms of N deficiency were apparent (r = 0.84 to 0.90). SN determined with the Cardy sap nitrate meter was a reliable predictor of FN in pansy, while SPAD readings were only reliable after symptoms of N deficiency were visually evident. FN can be predicted with SN using the following equation: log(SN) = 0.47*FN + 1.6 [r2 = 0.80, n = 132]. Growers and landscape professionals can use SN readings to predict FN levels in pansy, and thus rapidly and accurately diagnose the N status of their crop.

Adsorption, mobility, and filtration ability of organic media toward metolachlor were evaluated in a series of laboratory experiments. Experimental variables included media type, metolachlor concentration, and equilibration time. Adsorption isotherms were determined by applying the log form of the Freundlich equation. Mobility was evaluated using glass columns filled with media, which were then surface spiked with metolachlor and then leached daily for 10 consecutive days. Peat, pine bark, combinations of these two media and a mixture of pine bark and sand adsorbed >90% of the 14C metolachlor. Freundlich sorption coefficients were 10.9, 18.2, 13.4, 14.2, and 11.0 for pine bark, peat, 5 pine bark: 1 peat, 3 pine bark: 1 peat, and 5 pine bark: 1 sand, respectively. In a timed exposure experiment using bark, minimum metolachlor adsorption (57%) was at 90 seconds and maximum adsorption (82%) required at least 1440 minutes. In column leaching studies, data for all media indicate that metolachlor is relatively immobile through these substrates. An initial pulse of metolachlor (<1.0 μg·liter-1) was detected with each medium up to the third wetting event with a subsequent decline (>0.5 μg·liter-1 for each medium) in the metolachlor recovered. Filtration efficiency of commercially formulated metolachlor from water passed through different lengths of pine bark filled filters was 0%, 17%, 20%, 22%, 23%, and 29% for filters 4, 20, 12, 8, 16, and 24 cm in length, respectively. These results support the contention that such filtration would be effective provided the residence time of water within the filter was sufficient for adsorption of the contaminant by the media to occur.