Year-round Greenhouse Production of Cut Sunflowers in the Rocky Mountain West

Abstract

<jats:p>The objective of this study was to determine the potential for year-round greenhouse production of specialty cut sunflowers (<jats:italic>Helianthus annuus</jats:italic>) in Wyoming. Over a 14-month period, we produced cut sunflowers in a nontraditional, transplant-based, potted method using natural light intensity and daylength conditions in Laramie, WY. Three cultivars of annual sunflowers, Dafna, ProCut Bicolor, and Sunbright Supreme, were grown from seeds sown at 2-week intervals starting on 16 Nov. 2011. Each planting consisted of four replications of four plants each. Seedlings were transplanted into 550-mL square plastic pots 15 days after sowing and were placed on greenhouse benches in blocks according to sow date. Flowers were cut at soil level when ray florets opened. Data collected included days to harvest and stem length for each stem. Results indicated significant cultivar by sow date interactions for days to harvest and stem lengths, indicating the importance of cultivar selection. Mean days to harvest ranged from 57 days (‘Sunbright Supreme’) to 103 days (‘ProCut Bicolor’). Mean stem lengths ranged from 43 cm (‘Dafna’) to 153 cm (‘Sunbright Supreme’). Overall, the results of this study show potential for year-round production of cut sunflowers and can help guide producers in the Rocky Mountain west to choose cultivars that best fit the needs of their business and market demand.</jats:p>

Greenhouse and High Tunnel Production of Specialty Cut Flowers

“…Garfinkel and Panter (2014) collected environmental data inside the greenhouse using pendant temperature/light data loggers (64K-UA-002-64 HOBO; Onset Computer Corp., Bourne, MA) to track light intensity and air temperature over a 13-month period. The data loggers were placed 52 cm above the benches and found that average temperatures ranged from 66.6 to 67.9 F and average light readings were 1639.4 to 2648.4 lumens/ft 2 (Garfinkel and Panter, 2014).…”

“…The protection from inclement weather using both of the production methods has shown to increase cut flower stem lengths and prevent chances of disfigurement and disease (Lamont, 2009). Productivity in protected environments needs to be evaluated regionally (Ortiz et al, 2012) in Wyoming of fresh cut sunflower (Helianthus annuus) production (Garfinkel and Panter, 2014;Panter et al, 2019). Garfinkel and Panter (2014) demonstrated the successful cultivation of three cultivars of sunflower in yearround greenhouse production.…”

“…Productivity in protected environments needs to be evaluated regionally (Ortiz et al, 2012) in Wyoming of fresh cut sunflower (Helianthus annuus) production (Garfinkel and Panter, 2014;Panter et al, 2019). Garfinkel and Panter (2014) demonstrated the successful cultivation of three cultivars of sunflower in yearround greenhouse production. Panter et al (2019) showed that high-tunnel orientation did not affect sunflower growth parameters such as stem lengths and time to harvest and that the differences were the result of specific cultivar characteristics.…”