2002-2004 Specialty Crops Research Program
University of California

Principal Investigators: Richard Evans, Wesley Hackett and Ken Giles

Project title: Improvement of methods for vegetative propagation of California native plants

California native plant species represent a small, but growing, proportion of the $2.2 billion nursery industry in the State. Nursery-grown native plants are especially valuable for water-conserving landscapes, restoration of disturbed wildlands, and habitat for animals. These benefits of native species have resulted in a rapid increase in demand for them by gardeners, public and private agencies, and landscaping firms. Despite the promising market for native plants, nurseries have not been able to meet the demand, in part because of the difficulty in propagating many of the horticulturally desirable native species. Since there are no organizations supporting nursery research that can offer substantial support for research on production of California native species, the Specialty Crop Grant Program presents an important opportunity to undertake much-needed research that otherwise would not be funded.

The goal of the proposed research is to increase the rate of success in vegetative propagation of California native plants. This will be achieved by two methods. One is to develop protocols for manipulating the growth of stockplants to increase the ease of rooting of leafy cuttings. The other is to determine the optimal environmental conditions for rooting and investigate new propagation systems for achieving those optimal conditions.

Project results will be published in trade and scientific journals and on websites and field days will be held for clientele groups and Cooperative Extension Advisors.