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Hort Alumni News - Spring 1998 A Welcome from the new Department Head - Dr. Dennis Decoteau Dear Friends, I hope you are enjoying the summer and that this note finds you in good spirits and health. Activity in the Department of Horticulture continues at rapidly increasing pace. Your former Professors have kept extremely busy and productive with several recently receiving prestigious awards from horticultural organizations and societies. For example, Rob Crassweller and Barb Goulart were recently honored at the recent American Society for Horticultural Science meeting for their extension publication on small fruit production. Also the Ohio Florists’ Association honored Dick Craig and some of his colleagues for their paper in the Journal of the American Society of Horticultural Sciences. These are some of the recent honors bestowed on our faculty and these types of recognitions help establish the Department of Horticulture at Penn State as one of the best departments in the country. I would like to take this opportunity to extend to you the Department’s invitation to attend the Hort Alumni Weekend. The Hort Alumni Weekend is scheduled for the Hort Show Weekend (Sept. 12-13), which corresponds to the Bowling Green football game at Penn State. The Hort Alumni weekend will provide you opportunity for fun and allow you to reminisce and mingle with former students, faculty and staff. Since this will be my first Hort Alumni Weekend, I’m looking forward to meeting many friends and alumni of the department and attaching faces with some of the names I’ve been hearing about. Please accept our offer to join with the Hort Alumni Association and enjoy a weekend of fun during Hort Alumni weekend. Hope to see you there. Dennis R. Decoteau, Professor
and Head President's Corner:
Hort Alumni Scholarships for Horticulture students this fall went to recipients Jennifer Ehrenberger and Angela Masters. Both Angela and Jennifer are 5th semester Horticulture Majors. Both started their Penn State experience at a commonwealth campus and received a change of assignment to University Park Campus just last fall. They became involved with Department of Horticulture activities quickly, such as corsage sales with the Alumni group and flowers sales with the Hort Club, and are making significant contributions to the department. A call for updates! The Landscape Contracting Alumni and Horticulture Alumni are urged to supply information for a NEW digital database. Check out the following web address: http://hortweb.cas.psu.edu/lscpe/Alumni.html
Letters received: I was surprised to receive the Hort Alumni mailing recently. The past 9 years out of PSU have been hectic but rewarding. Currently I am employed by Express Seed Co. living in Augusta, GA area and also co-owner of an internet business designing web sites for growers www.growernet.com . Anyway, I have watched with interest all the work yourself, Mike Baronner and others have put into the association to keep things alive. I commend your efforts and wish you good luck in the future. I have tried in the past, unsuccessfully, to get tickets for one of the football games over Hort Show weekend to come for a visit. I would like to see PSU again with the new students and staff but my family would perhaps not find it as exciting to just visit greenhouses in Happy Valley. The attention span of my daughter, Sarah 1.5 yrs., is not very long. Please pass this email along to any other alumni from the classes of '88-'90 in horticulture. Also, any bright students that can write html or java coding for the internet we would be interested in talking with. All the best - Rick Grossman, Class of '89 (rgrossman@growernet.com) Calendar of Events 1998 Summer Events... • Ag Progress Days was held at Rock Springs from Aug. 18-20. The Hort Alumni Group had a demonstration garden with a water feature and booth there. • All American Selection Tour at the Trial Gardens: Aug.27. 1998 Fall Events ... • Hort Show: September 12-13. This year’s theme is "An Enchanted Forest: A Walk through our Childhood" • Hort Alumni Weekend: September 11-13. Come enjoy the fun and food! • Ag Alumni Annual tailgate is scheduled for the last home game of the season. • Corsage sales will be held following home football games: October 11 - Ohio State; October 18 - Minnesota (Homecoming); November 8 - Michigan. Corsage making in Head House #1 begins at 6 PM, on Friday evenings prior to these games. All volunteers are welcome to join in on the fun. Sales begin game day four hours before kickoff at Head House #1. Proceeds go towards scholarship, philanthropy, and alumni activities. • Hort Alumni fall tree planting will take place to kick-off a new program cooperative between Hort Alumni and OPP at Penn State, where the Alum group donates a tree or shrub to supplement the instruction in HORT 137/138 and the Penn State landscape crew assists with site preparation. Special thanks to Jeff Dice, John Joseph, and Derek Fell for helping to make this donation program come to life. Thoughts on Native Plants for the Landscape Landscaping with native plants or native plants in the landscape might be considered by some gardeners to be different sides on the same coin. If one attempts to develop a landscape based solely on plants native to the immediate area, the plant selection and final design will be very limited. On the other hand, when developing a landscape with plants that are native, and from a habitat similar to the proposed site, it results in a successful and satisfactory solution. The key to successful use of native plants is an appreciation of the various habitats that exist in nature and their impact on plant communities (plants that are well suited to the same cultural conditions) in a certain location/area/county. Sometimes plant communities can be as small as a narrow stream bed on the side of a wooded hill or as large and extensive as an entire mountain top or valley. Factors that impact the establishment and survival of all plants in a given habitat are: hardiness (the ability to adapt to all seasonal conditions); soil type (sand vs. clay), depth and quality (pH); moisture conditions (wet or dry); and available light (sun or shade). When a specific plant is found growing in an identified set of conditions in one location it is quite likely to survive under the same conditions in another location removed from the initial site. Nearly all plant materials are incorporated into a landscape design because of their specific functional qualities (shade, screening, size, etc.) or unique aesthetic characteristics created by flowers, fruit, fall foliage color, bark, and to some extent summer foliage color and texture. Over the years many non-native plants have been introduced into the nursery and landscape industry because they offered qualities and characteristics generally not found in native material. This process has been in effect in many countries around the world: European and Asian plants are found in American gardens and a variety of common American natives are planted extensively in European gardens. The introduction of non-native plants over the years has lead to competition with native species to the extent that some foreign plants have become naturalized and appear to be growing everywhere in a diversity of habitats: especially those that are competitive and adaptable to light, moisture and soil quality. The incorporation and use of native species in landscapes does not necessarily mean a reduction in plant or design quality. All native species have unique features in their own right, but they may be scaled back in comparison to equal features on the introduced plants from years ago. In all fairness to the early plant explorer, they were seeking new and different plants that would introduce new and interesting features to the landscapes of a developing country. There is a challenge to the gardener to appreciate the qualities and limitations of native plants and use them in suitable habitats to achieve stated design goals. On a parallel note, the nursery industry has to appreciate the need for such plants and determine profitable production practices that will allow the introduction of more native plants into the trade. Essentially we are faced with a "catch 22" situation when no one asks for a plant it will not be produced, and when no one sees a plant in the trade it can’t be used in a landscape. Gardeners and industry need to work together to have access to new plants. Propagation and production challenges to the nursery industry will probably limit the numbers and quantities of native species in the trade. Often these plants have unique propagation schedules which slows their introduction, and the industry may not have access to stock plants from which to initially propagate.
Center For Plasticulture Michael D. Orzolek A Center for Plasticulture will be established and housed in the Department of Horticulture at Penn State. The principle objectives of the Center for Plasticulture are: the development of cutting-edge plasticulture technology for the horticultural crop producer in Pennsylvania and the Northeast United States, production information related to specific crop applications, and recovery of plastics in the form of energy or recycled products. Initial funding for the Center will be obtained from state funding sources and thereafter, industry support would have to fund Center activities. A part of the initial core group of scientists who will participate in the Center from the Department include: Mike Orzolek, Bill Lamont, Dave Beattie, and Dennis Decoteau. Dr. Orzolek will serve as the Director for the initial year of activity. Pennsylvania and Northeast U. S. vegetable growers face strong competition from major production areas in the U. S. and other countries where environmental conditions are more favorable for high productivity and crop quality. In addition, Pennsylvania’s short growing season, which includes substantial periods of temperature and moisture extremes, limits crop productivity and encourages insect and disease organisms to infest stressed crops. Use of chemical controls for weed, insect and disease control is successful, but chemical costs, potential for crop injury, and worker safety has shifted the need to look at alternative control programs. The use of plasticulture including high tunnels, plastic mulch, drip irrigation, and row covers for production of vegetables offers Pennsylvania growers several advantages: 1) reduced temperature and moisture fluctuations during the growing season, 2) the use of biological pest control for both insect and disease control, 3) extension of the Spring and Fall growing seasons for vegetable growers, 4) the production of several semitropical crops which grow best in a constant or more predictable temperature, 5) more precise water and nutrient application to optimize crop yield and quality, 6) reduction in the total amount of pesticides applied to the crop and 7) an increase in worker protection standards. The Center for Plasticulture will pursue plastic-related research opportunities and address educational programs and problems associated with all the types of plastics used in agriculture such as: silage covers, hay bale wraps, greenhouse covers, plastic mulch, drip irrigation tape and tubing, row covers, nursery house coverings, various plastic containers in the vegetable, ornamental and floriculture industries. The Center will also work with food processors on plastic packaging of agricultural products. The Center’s Value Recovery Initiative (VRI) will address environmental and commercial issues associated with promoting recovery of value from used agricultural plastics and associated products that have traditionally been considered disposable wastes. VRI staff and affiliated researchers and educators work to develop technical solutions to used plastic management problems through research, outreach and teaching activities. The team will also address broader issues such as energy recovery, recycling, extended product use, polymer composition and degradation, waste reduction, risk management, life cycle analysis and public decision-making. The focus for such work is on multi-disciplinary projects that integrate research and outreach. Ongoing programs consist of VRI personnel working in collaboration with Penn State faculty and students from many departments, Cooperative Extension, and with cooperators in both the public and private sectors. The use of plasticulture systems will offer a number of benefits to vegetable, ornamental nursery, small fruit and flower growers, consumers, and the citizens of Pennsylvania, the Northeast and the entire U. S. Because of the large population in the Commonwealth and a blend of rural and urban environments, there is ever increasing pressure in the rural/urban interface zones for development at the cost of the family farm. Horticultural crop producers who farm in these zones face challenges for a consistent water supply and must constantly develop/adopt technologies that promote efficient use of land and water resources. Whether a grower remains in an urban setting or moves to a more weather-risk environment, there is a dramatic need for improved production technology to enable these growers to remain on the farm and produce horticultural crops with increasing challenges brought on by society and weather. Horticultural growers would benefit from the Plasticulture Center by having alternative methods of producing horticultural crops in an economical, ecological, and efficient system resulting in reduced chemical purchases; increased worker safety standards; more efficient harvesting with minimum pesticide residues; predictable, higher crop yields and quality; and ability to produce horticultural crops in an extended season. Consumers will benefit from the Plasticulture Center by having safe, reduced pesticide or pesticide-free, high quality vegetables and other horticultural crops available for purchase over a longer growing season, and a larger choice of fresh vegetables at the local level. Pennsylvanians will benefit by having less exposure to pesticides, higher quality cancer reducing vegetables being produced over a longer period of time, exposure to IPM production techniques through educational programs, and more production techniques that allows compatible integration of the rural and urban interface which can be a potential problem throughout the Pennsylvania. Our ANNUAL gathering's just ahead! It's a good time happening again - so don't miss the piggie this year! "HORT ALUMNI WEEKEND" The Department of Horticulture and the Horticulture Alumni Affiliate Group are hosting the Horticulture Alumni Weekend September 11-13. The purpose of this Alumni Weekend is to become better aware of the current activities of the department and network with the faculty, staff and students. All faculty, staff and students along with their families or guests are invited to attend any of the events. Volunteers to assist in the activities are also needed. Instructors are asked to announce the activities in class. Contact Tracey Harpster at 865-3190 with any questions. FRIDAY (Sept. 11th) EVENTS (3 PM until ~8 PM):
• Make Corsages (7:30 AM - 10 PM)
For registration mail: $20 per person (along with your name, address, and phone) to Hort Alumni Group, 103 Tyson Bldg, University Park, PA 16802. (Note: Fee covers all three days, four meals, activities, and fun!) IMAGE of Landscape Hort Department sweatshirts and golf shirts are for sale by the Hort Alumni Affiliate Group for $25 and ball caps are also soon available. Call Tracey Harpster at (814) 865-3190! OBITUARIES - the loss of past instructors can leave us with mixed emotions..... "A feeling of honor and fortune, to have had the opportunity to study beneath him, acompanied by old memories and recollections of learning experiences which have helped to pave the way to our futures; impressions left, laughs shared, guidance received, and knowledge and inspiration gained - these things come to mind along with an empty space and a deep sadness in our hearts... this is the loss of an endeared instructor" Keppy Arnoldsen Francis H. 'Frank' Witham Frank Witham was only 62 years old when life was cut short on July 29, 1998. Most of us remember Dr. Witham as the instructor of the Introduction to Horticulture Course (Hort101) while other "older" alums will remember him as Head of the Horticulture Department at Penn State. Dr. Witham received his doctoral degree from Indiana State University in plant physiology. He joined the faculty as Assistant Professor of Botany and from 1979 though 1988 he was department head of horticulture and later became full professor of horticulture and plant physiology. Dr. Witham's plant physiology background led him to pioneer the work on the discovery of zeatin, a highly potent chemical regulator of cell division. He also authored numerous scientific publications including two textbooks in plant physiology. His research at Penn State included the study of growth regulation in plants and plant tumors. His hope was that through the unique mechanisms in plants more could be learned about cancer in humans. He received several teaching recognitions at Penn State's Governor's School for plant sciences. Dr. Witham was an avid golfer and active in Tang Soo Do karate, pursuing his black belt. Frank Witham is survived by his wife Rose Mary Golas Witham and three children: a daughter Paula W. Elejalde and two sons, Howard S. and Timothy F., as well as a sister Janet O'Leary and two grandchildren. Dr. Carl S. Bitner Carl Bitner was 94 years old when he past away on May 14, 1998 in State College. Dr. Bitner was active in horticulture and extension instruction and administration at several esteemed universities during his lifetime. He was also an honored and active member of the American Society of Horticultural Science (ASHS), where he was made a Fellow in 1973. The award was established in 1969 by the Society's Extension Activities Committee to recognize outstanding and valuable contributions to horticulture through innovative extension activities or a noteworthy career in horticultural extension leading to an effective program of unusual impact on the horticultural industry. Dr. Bitner had a temporary position as fruit specialist at Penn State from 1930 to 1932 and then in 1947 he returned as Extension Pomologist at Penn State with the rank of Associate Professor. In 1961 he was named Chairman of the Extension Horticulture Section at Penn State University. He became an intimate and valuable member of Penn State's Horticulture Department retiring in 1969 with the rank of Professor Emeritus. This publication is available in alternative media on request. Penn State encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact E. Jay Holcomb 814-865-2572 in advance of your participation or visit. The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. The Pennsylvania State University does not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Director, The Pennsylvania State University, 201 Willard Building, University Park, PA 16802-2801; tel. (814) 863-0471; TDD (814) 865-3175. |
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