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Federal Order aims to stop import of beetles
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued an updated Federal Order to establish additional prohibitions and restrictions for the importation plant host genera of the citrus longhorned beetle (CLB), Anoplophora chinensis Forster, and the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis, effective on May 11, 2011. This Federal Order revises and replaces the order previously issued on Jan. 16, 2009.
This revision adds three new ALB host genera of plants Cercidiphyllum spp., Koelreuteria spp. and Sorbus spp. identified as hosts by the agency’s domestic eradication program and 11 new CLB host genera of plants for planting, Catalpa spp., Chaenomeles spp., Cornus spp., Cydonia spp., Liquidambar spp., Parrotia spp., Polygonum spp., Rhdodendron spp., Sageretia spp., Toona spp. and Viburnum spp., which were identified by the National Plant Protection Organization of the Netherlands and recent scientific journal articles.
The new Federal order also changes the requirements for importation of plants for planting from the European Union member states because the status and distribution of A. chinensis and A. glabripennis in those countries is not sufficiently known. This revision of the Federal Order also adds decorative branches to the list of regulated articles.
For more: Arnold Tschanz, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, (301) 734-5306; Arnold.T.Tschanz@aphis.usda.gov; www.aphisusda.gov/import_export/plants/plant_imports/federal_order/index.shtml
Sakata launches new vegetable division
Sakata Seed America has launched a new division Sakata Home Grown that will offer a selection of home garden vegetable varieties to companies that supply home gardens in the United States and Canada. The division will initially offer 127 vegetable selections.
Sakata Home Grown will offer varieties that are easy to grow, healthy and beautiful for home gardens of any size from a few pots to a few acres.
Sakata along with its subsidiary Chriseed have produced exceptional new varieties and plan to offer more through Sakata Home Grown. Heather Kibble, who joins the company as the new division’s manager, brings with her 15 years of home garden industry experience.
For more: Heather Kibble, Sakata Home Grown, (408) 778-1291; hkibble@sakata.com; www.sakataornamentals.com.
Seeley Conference to focus on "reborn" consumers
The theme for the 26th Seeley Conference at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., June 27-29, is “Floriculture’s Biggest Challenge: Creating Mindshare Opportunities.” The conference will examine the post-recession marketplace and today’s reborn consumer. Consumers are spending differently, buying more in some product categories and less in others. The floriculture industry has experienced this change.
Some of the topics that will be discussed include:
- Consumer Attitudes and Their Effect on Retail Trends and Buying Behavior
- The Power of Plants and People
- What is Plant Blindness and How Should We Combat It?
- Articulating the “More than Pretty” Value Proposition
- Creating the Urban Connection: In Your Face Horticulture
For more: Seeley Conference, www.hort.cornell.edu/seeleyconference.
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