May 28, 2020

HRI tHRIve Series to Focus on Research

The Horticultural Research Institute is introducing a new web-based series featuring key research findings that help environmental horticulture businesses grow.

The series, called tHRIve,  aims to help the industry flourish. These web-based offerings cover research that is directly funded by HRI as well as federally funded research.

HRI President Gary Knosher said, “HRI was created to improve the horticultural community through research that addresses critical issues and new innovations. HRI trustees recognize that research is critical to help our industry succeed and grow, and sharing new findings is part of that equation. I’m excited to be part of this focus of using videos not only to share new research but also to engage our community in another way.”

HRI supports research and outreach efforts that prepare the industry for challenges and opportunities for business success. Connecting the industry to the research is a key component in that endeavor.

The new tHRIve sessions will be posted throughout the year, with all content available online for free at any time at www.HRIresearch.org. The tHRIve sessions will offer everything from bite-sized research clips to researcher interviews to short webinars to live Q&A with researchers.

The first tHRIve content will be available June 1. It includes a set of videos focusing on research supported through the Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative (FNRI) program administered by USDA ARS, the research agency for USDA.

The videos focuses on the FNRI “Resilient Plant Group”, including

• John Erwin, University of Maryland,
• Jim Faust, Clemson University,
• Paul Fisher and Dr. Celina Gomez, University of Florida,
• Charlie Hall, Texas A&M,
• Roberto Lopez, Michigan State University, and Erik Runkle, Michigan State University.

This group collaborates with their practical, applied research in areas such as energy inputs, water use optimization, resource efficiencies, economic efficiencies, and lighting.

The pre-recorded webinars are available online now, and will be followed by a live Q&A webinar with these researchers open to all on June 4 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern.

Additional videos will follow later in June and highlight research directly funded by HRI. Jim Owen, USDA ARS and collaborators James Altland, USDA ARS and Jeb Fields, Louisiana State University detail their studies on the impacts of stratified media on crop stress and production in the first release. Krishna Nemali, Purdue University, will introduce his concept of developing a smartphone app to measure nitrogen status in crops in the second release.

Learn how to become involved in the work supported through HRI, the AmericanHort Foundation, at hriresearch.org.