Brian J. Pearson

The Derivation of Modern Cannabis Varieties

ABSTRACT Considering the ancient importance of cannabis and the current trend toward its deregulation worldwide, it is imperative to develop best management practices to legitimize the crop. The genetic backgrounds of commercially-sold varieties must be determined in order to standardize the products produced from them and to efficiently improve them for future needs. Currently the genetic backgrounds of most cannabis varieties are unknown or suspect. It is possible that some are merely clones of other varieties. By utilizing modern tools of genetic analyses, the identities of all or most existing varieties, as well as their parentages, will be determined. As with all major crops, understanding varietal identity is a crucial step required to modernize the cannabis industry. This article describes and explores the derivation of 601 modern varieties in order to provide a fundamental point of reference for scientists to study cannabis genetics in the future.

Evaluation of Storm Water Surface Runoff and Road Debris as Sources of Water Pollution

Street sweeping is regularly performed within cities and residential communities to reduce roadway debris and ensure properly functioning storm water management systems. Given removal of plant and soil debris, street sweeping may also reduce nonpoint source pollution through removal of leachate source material. To assess the influence of street sweeping on storm water pollutants, 36 storm water collection devices were installed within six residential communities in Central Florida and subjected to varying municipal sweeping regimes. Additionally, precipitation and storm water retention pond leachate samplers were installed to quantify pollutant sources that may enter and leave selected urban communities. Despite high variability in percentage of impervious surfaces, population density, and volume of road debris among communities, no significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences were observed for total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), nitrate + nitrite (NOx), and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in storm water among communities or between swept and unswept areas of roadways. Similarly, no significant differences were observed for TKN, NOx, and TP concentrations in precipitation and storm water. Significant differences in orthophosphate (ortho-P), however, were observed between communities and precipitation. Additionally, storm water TP concentrations were greater than discharge estimated to originate from communities within the study area. Although street sweeping may be effective at reducing volume of roadway debris, our data did not find it reduced N or P in storm water.

Allelopathic Effects of Common Landscape and Nursery Mulch Materials on Weed Control

Use of organic mulch materials such as pinebark, pinestraw, or various hardwood chips for weed control is a common practice in residential and commercial landscapes. Mulch can inhibit weed seed germination and growth through light exclusion, acting as physical barrier, reducing available moisture to weed seeds within the mulch layer, and through release of allelochemicals that may inhibit germination or growth of some weed species. Previous and current research on allelopathic chemicals present in mulch have focused on cover crops and their residues with an emphasis on agronomic crops. These materials would not be suitable in a landscape setting due to rapid decomposition, lack of commercial availability, and little aesthetic appeal. Research is needed concerning identification, quantification, extraction, mechanism of release, persistence, selectivity, genetic regulation, and mode of action of potential allelochemicals present in mulch materials used for landscape purposes. More knowledge of these natural chemicals could aid practitioners and homeowners in the selection of mulch and identify potential new mulch materials that could be utilized in these industries. The purpose of this review is to summarize previous research pertaining to allelopathic compounds present in commonly used mulch materials and identify new potential mulch materials that could be utilized in the landscape sector based upon allelopathic properties. Current areas where additional research is needed are also identified.

Soft Skills in an Online Class

The development of course content and assignments focused on basic horticultural knowledge and theory (hard skills) in an online setting is relatively straightforward and uncomplicated. However, it is slightly more challenging to improve a student’s soft skills like communication, problem solving, critical observation, and professionalism in an asynchronous online classroom environment. To address this challenge, we developed assignments, such as the challenge question, that focused on having students solve situational horticulture problems. In another assignment, we gave students data from an experiment and asked them to summarize and interpret the data. The recent addition of an online scholars ignite assignment (3-minute thesis competition) has turned each student into the teacher for a brief moment and makes the student an active learner and active listener. The addition of etiquette rules to the syllabus, weekly online tasks, and reminders help to develop professionalism and time management skills in addition to organization skills. It is impossible to cover all soft skills in any class but by offering various assignments and assessments, many soft skills are potentially improved.

Identification of Industry Needs and Development of Professional Skills in Students of Horticulture

Increased global trade coupled with diversified employment opportunities demand college graduates possessing well-developed professional skills. Recent survey results identified the importance of professional skills among candidates seeking employment, with communication being recognized as the most important skill or quality when selecting candidates. The ability to work within a team structure, solve complex problems, and organize and prioritize work also ranked high among industry employment needs. Despite a rigorous focus on disciplineoriented knowledge and skills, development of professional skills in students of horticulture may be overlooked or not fully developed. Teaching methods can be modified to incorporate development of professional skills and discipline-oriented knowledge to enhance student employment preparedness and directly address industry needs.