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Poinsettia
Nutrition Research and Regional Cultivar Trials
Christopher J. Catanzaro and Sarabjit M. Bhatti
Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research
Seminar Series
Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN
May 12, 2004
A
greenhouse study was conducted during fall 2003 with ‘Freedom’ and
‘Prestige’ poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch.). This
study was conducted as part of a multi-state USDA-funded project
entitled “Environmental Resource Management Systems for Nurseries,
Greenhouses and Landscapes.” Plants were grown in either a peat-based or
bark-based commercial substrate (Fafard 2 or 52) with or without the
incorporation of an attapulgite-type clay (10% v/v). Plants were grown
in 16.5 cm standard containers, fertilized with 9.3 g of 19N-2.6P-10K (Osmocote
19-6-12, 3-4 month release), and irrigated when they dropped to 55% of
container capacity. Plants were otherwise grown according to accepted
industry practices. Plant and inflorescence size was higher with the
peat-based substrate than with the bark-based substrate, but clay did
not affect growth. Leachate conductivity exhibited similar trends.
Poinsettia cultivar trials were also
conducted during fall 2003 in cooperation with Kansas State University
and the University of Illinois. Twenty-one cultivars were grown from
rooted cuttings, most supplied by Dummen USA. Ten plants of each
cultivar were grown according to industry practices. Plant height was
recorded weekly, and on the date of pollen shed, final plant height,
width in two directions, and width of the two topmost inflorescences
were recorded. Growth responses were generally comparable across
locations, although response time from inception of short days until
pollen shed tended to be one to two weeks shorter at TSU compared to KSU.
A consumer preference survey conducted at TSU produced 174 useable
surveys. It confirmed that most consumers prefer red cultivars, with the
top-rated cultivar being ‘Premium Red’, ‘Infinity Red’ and ‘Spotlight
Dark Red’. Eighty percent of respondents purchased poinsettias in 2003,
and the number of plants purchased varied by age, education and income.
Women tended to like some non-traditional cultivars, such as
‘Limelight’, more so than men. For more information on the regional
cultivar trials, visit
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/hfrr/floriculture/poinsettia/.
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