Researchers at Michigan State University, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and Cornell University recently conducted a survey of greenhouse growers and retailers that sought to determine the impacts of impatiens downy mildew (IDM) on this industry. The on-line survey was open to U.S. growers/retailers during the entire month of October 2013. The survey aimed to gather information on the impact of the disease, grower and retailer responses to the disease, as well as information on trends in consumer purchasing.
There were a total of 298 participants in the survey, of which 122 were growers, 138 were combination growerretailers, and 38 were retailers. Participants were from 2014 Sponsor thirty six states and ranged from small growers (under 2,000 sq ft) to large growers (500,000+ sq ft). When asked if IDM was seen in the landscapes in their area, 16% responded that IDM was reported from landscapes or gardens in their area in 2011, 66% noted IDM in 2012, and 55% noted IDM in 2013. Fifteen percent of grower participants said they had seen IDM in their greenhouse in 2012, while only 7.3% said they saw it in 2013. Only half of the businesses used a fungicide prevention program in 2013.
Participants who had a retail component to their business were asked about their sales of impatiens in 2012 and 2013. Over 70% said they sold impatiens in 2013 (Figure 1), although for most it was signifi cantly less than what they sold in 2012. About half the retail participants felt that less than 25% of customers were aware of IDM when entering their retail store in 2013, while others reported greater awareness: 27% felt 25-50% were aware, 18% felt 50-75% were aware, and 5% felt 50- 100% of their customers were already aware of the disease. Almost all (87.5%) of the retail participants said they made some effort to educate consumers about IDM in 2013 and they did so primarily by using signage near the plants or having cashiers mention it to the consumer upon checking out of the store (Figure 2).
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