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The Ellison Chair in International Floriculture announces the second of a 3-part webinar series that focuses on water quality, conservation, and management continues this month on September 15, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. CDT. Dr. Peter Ling of Ohio State University will be our next featured speaker and he will address the topic: Knowing Exactly When to Apply Irrigation Water.

Proper irrigation management is a key to successful plant growth and pest management in controlled environments. Further, limited water resources and public concerns of environmental sustainability are making greenhouse water usage efficiency a priority for commercial greenhouse production. Peter will discuss three aspects of automated irrigation management to achieve high efficiency water usage: when to water, how much to water, and how to deliver water. Starting with an overview of commercial sensors for irrigation management, Peter will also introduce emerging non-contact sensing technologies to determine when plants need water by monitoring plants directly. Using this sensing technology, along with evapotranspiration models to determine irrigation quantity and proper delivery of water, his research team has achieved about 50% water savings in growing plants, using water as a biological growth regulator to improve plant quality.

CLICK HERE — or go to http://ellisonchair.tamu.edu/webinar.htm to register for the SECOND webinar of the series.

HOLD THE DATE for the third webinar of the series! Registration will be open soon. October 20, 2009 – 11:00 a.m. CDT. Dr. Don Wilkerson of Texas A&M; University will our third featured speaker discussing the topic: Water Management that Makes Cents!

CLICK HERE — or go to http://ellisonchair.tamu.edu/webinar.htm to view the RECORDING of the first webinar, which is now available online. Dr. Paul Fisher of the University of Florida covered: What’s in Your Water? Water Quality and Treatment for Pathogens and Algae

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CLICK HERE to register for the first webinar of the series (see below).

August 17, 2009 – 2:00 p.m. CDT
Webinar 1 Topic:
What’s in Your Water? Water Quality and Treatment for Pathogens and Algae
Dr. Paul Fisher, University of Florida

September 15, 2009 – 11:00 a.m. CDT
Webinar 2 Topic:
Knowing Exactly When to Apply Irrigation Water
Dr. Peter Ling, Ohio State University

October 20, 2009 – 11:00 a.m. CDT
Webinar 3 Topic:
Water Management that Makes Cents!
Dr. Don Wilkerson, Texas A&M; University

Given the success of its inaugural Shine in 09 webinar series (recordings are online at http://ellisonchair.tamu.edu/webinar.htm), the Ellison Chair in International Floriculture announces a new 3-part webinar series that focuses on water quality, conservation, and management.

Why water?

Access to an adequate supply of high quality water is also a growing concern for the nursery/floral industry due to drought, urbanization, and competing demands have decreased available irrigation water. Additionally, regulations on consumption and runoff have greatly impacted greenhouse and nursery management and profitability!

The first of these water-related webinars will be presented on August 17 at 2:00 p.m. CDT by Dr. Paul Fisher, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist at the University of Florida. His topic will be: “What’s living in your water? Water quality and treatment for pathogens and algae.”

Paul also serves as the lead collaborator for the Water Education Alliance for Horticulture. The goal of the Alliance is to reduce runoff and water-related disease issues in the greenhouse and nursery industry by increasing grower knowledge of water technologies and water conservation practices. Current projects are focusing on the development of accessible educational materials for growers. They are also researching practical methods to assess how well treatment technologies work to treat pathogens. Click here to review some of the activities, programs, and educational materials of the WEAH.

To register, click here, or copy the link below into your browser:

Program: Ellison Chair Water Webinar Series
Program address: https://tamu.webex.com/tamu/onstage/g.php?p=1&t;=m