Impact and social acceptance of selected sustainable practices in ornamental crop production systems

The overall goal of the proposed research is to initiate the establishment of guidelines for increasing environmental, social, and economic sustainability in horticulture. The proposed research utilizes two production inputs, plant containers and irrigation management, to achieve three objectives: • Evaluate the sustainability of plastic container alternatives in mechanized systems • Evaluate sustainable irrigation management practices and • Evaluate the impact of biodegradable and plantable pots on landscape performance of selected perennial and woody plants.