FLOWER AND GARDEN SEEDS
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION TO FLOWER SEEDS AND THE FLOWER SEED INDUSTRY HISTORY OF THE FLOWER SEED INDUSTRY ORNAMENTAL BEDDING PLANT INDUSTRY AND PLUG PRODUCTION THE USES AND POTENTIAL OF WILDFLOWER SEED IN LANDSCAPING BREEDING FLOWER SEED CROPS FACTORS AFFECTING FLOWERING IN ORNAMENTAL PLANTS SEED DEVELOPMENT AND STRUCTURE IN FLORAL CROPS FLOWER SEED PHYSIOLOGY AND PLUG GERMINATION SEED DORMANCY IN WILD FLOWERS FLOWER SEED LONGEVITY AND DETERIORATION FLOWER SEED PRODUCTION FLOWER SEED CLEANING AND GRADING FLOWER SEED PRIMING, PREGERMINATION, PELLETING AND COATING LABORATORY GERMINATION TESTING OF FLOWER SEED TETRAZOLIUM TESTING FOR FLOWER SEEDS VIGOUR TESTING IN FLOWER SEEDS CONSERVING HERBACEOUS ORNAMENTAL PLANT GERMPLASM CONCLUSIONS INTRODUCTION TO FLOWER SEEDS AND THE FLOWER SEED INDUSTRY FLORICULTURE IS A SMALL, BUT SIGNIFICANT, COMPONENT OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY A RECENT EUROPEAN STUDY (HANNOVER UNIVERSITY, 2003) ESTIMATED THE WORLDWIDE PRODUCTION VALUE OF FLOWERS TO BE AROUND ?60 BILLION THE NORTH AMERICAN PRODUCTION TOTALLED ABOUT 10% OF THIS AMOUNT THE RETAIL FLORICULTURE INDUSTRY HAS BEEN STEADILY INCREASING IN SIZE AND IMPORTANCE FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE USA, RETAIL SALES OF FLOWERS HAVE INCREASED FROM US$4 7 BILLION IN 1980 TO US$19 BILLION IN 2002 (FIG 1 1) IN COMPARISON WITH OVERALL AGRICULTURAL INCOME, THE FLORAL INDUSTRY REPRESENTED 7 3% IN 1994 AND INCREASED TO 9 8% IN 2002 (FIG 1 2) GREAT DIVERSITY EXISTS IN THE USE OF FLOWERS BOTH FROM A GEOGRAPHICAL AND FROM A HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE THE INCORPORATION OF BEDDING PLANTS INTO OUR GARDENS CAN BE TRACED BACK TO THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY WHEN COLOURFUL ANNU- ALS AND TENDER ORNAMENTALS WERE IMPORTED TO EUROPE FROM THE AMERICAS, SOUTH AFRICA AND ASIA FROM THE ONSET, DOMESTICATION OF EXOTIC PLANT SPECIES HAS BEEN A MAINSTAY IN THE YEAR $ (BILLIONS) FIG 1 1 THE VALUE OF THE AMERICAN RETAIL FLORAL INDUSTRY IN US DOLLARS FROM 1980 TO 2002 YEAR PER CENT FIG 1 2 THE PERCENTAGE CONTRIBUTION OF THE FLORAL INDUSTRY TO AMERICAN AGRICULTURE FROM 1994 TO 2002