W. Roland Leatherwood

Graduate Student (PhD)

Mailing address:
Department of Horticultural Science
Campus Box 7609
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7609

Office Phone: 919.515.3178
FAX: 919.515.2505
E-Mail: wrleathe@ncsu.edu

Advisor:   Dr. John Dole

Thesis research area: Ornamental plant producers use cuttings shipped from all over the world. Shipping durations range from two to five days during which time the cuttings face ethylene and water stress, and significant carbohydrate depletion through respiration. Proper pretreatment, packaging and stock plant management are key to lowering cutting losses due to shipping stresses. The value of unrooted cutting imports into the United States totaled $60 million in 2005 with the bulk coming from Central America, South America, Mexico, and Asia (USDA, 2006). For just three species, geraniums (Pelargonium L'Hér. ex Ait.), poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch) and New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri W. Bull) produced from cuttings, finished flats, hanging baskets, and pots had a wholesale value of $494 million and were produced from approximately 495 million cuttings (USDA, 2006). In this case, the loss of a single cutting is $0.99 lost in potential revenue. Suitably, reducing losses of cuttings during shipping is a critical research interest for cutting producers, rooting starters, and finished plant producers. The project’s overall goal is the discovery of techniques and treatments that will improve the quality of unrooted cuttings arriving at the grower’s doorstep. As the horticulture industry continues to grow, so too does the need for more detailed understanding of how nutrition, environment, and stress impact cutting quality.

Webpage: http://www4.ncsu.edu/~wrleathe/