Comparison of high tunnel and field production of specialty cut flowers in the Midwest

Abstract

The U.S. specialty cut flower market has grown over the last several years because stems of many specialty cut flower species cannot be transported long distances and therefore need to be grown regionally. High tunnel production of cut flowers is an alternative to field and greenhouse production that has several benefits. Specialty cut flower species Antirrhinum majus L. 'Potomac Orange' and 'Rocket Red', Celosia argentea L. var. cristata Kuntze 'Chief Red', Dahlia 3hybrida Cav. 'Karma Thalia Dark Fuchsia', Dianthus barbatus L. 'Amazon Neon Cherry', Eustoma russellianum Salisb. 'Mariachi Blue', Helianthus annuus L. 'Premier Lemon' and 'Sunrich Yellow', Matthiola incana (L.) W.T. Aiton 'Katz Lavender Blue', and Zinnia elegans Jacq. 'Benary Giant Scarlet' were grown in both field and high tunnel environments in the midwestern United States. High tunnel production resulted in a first week's harvest of 44.8 (46%), 115, and 21.1 (110%) more stems for Antirrhinum 'Rocket Red', Dianthus, and Zinnia, respectively. Compared with field production, high tunnel production yielded a greater number of stems/m2 for Antirrhinum 'Potomac Orange', Celosia, Dianthus, and Zinnia and longer stems for Antirrhinum 'Potomac Orange' and 'Rocket', Eustoma, Matthiola, and Zinnia. For example, high tunnel production yielded 185 (39%) and 192 (59%) more stems/m2 and 12.6 (34%) and 8.9 (32%) cm longer stems for Mathiola and Zinnia, respectively. Other stem characteristics such as inflorescence length and flower width showed more variation among cultivars. Our results indicate that cut flower yield and/or quality of Antirrhinum 'Rocket Red', Dianthus, Matthiola, Zinnia, Dahlia, Eustoma, and Helianthus 'Sunrich Yellow' and 'Premier Lemon' significantly increases when produced in high tunnels located in the Midwest.