The Role of Horticultural Research in Powering the Green Industry
Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) logo. | AmericanHort
The horticulture industry continues to change as new technologies, production practices, and consumer expectations reshape the marketplace. Research plays an essential role in helping growers, landscapers, and retailers adapt and succeed. That’s exactly where the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) enters the chat.
Every year, HRI selects and funds research projects that advance horticulture. In 2026, HRI is investing more than $560,000 in 18 research projects that target challenges across the horticultural supply chain, including plant production, pest and disease management, landscape plant performance, and consumer insights.
“What makes HRI research so valuable is that it focuses on real challenges the industry is facing right now,” says Mark Yelanich, HRI President and Research Director at Metrolina Greenhouses. “The 2026 HRI-funded projects were selected because they develop knowledge, processes, or tools that businesses can actually use.”
HRI’s four strategic research priorities guide funding decisions, focusing on quantifying plant benefits, creating innovative solutions, gathering consumer insights, and producing practical solutions to industry challenges. The 2026 projects reflect these priorities across the horticulture supply chain.
Getting Started in the Supply Chain
The supply chain starts with plant propagation. However, when plants root slowly or unevenly, growers can face frustrating delays and unpredictability. In 2026, HRI is investing in projects that will improve propagation systems and rooting success.
For example, Hsuan Chen at North Carolina State University is developing micropropagation systems for redbud cultivars. Redbud demand is rising, but vascular streak dieback complicates traditional methods. The research will refine tissue culture protocols and compare tissue-cultured plants to chip-budded liners.
Other research is focused on improving rooting in difficult woody ornamentals. Clemson University’s Haiying Liang is testing a slow-release synthetic auxin for woody cuttings, and Virginia Tech’s Kristopher Criscione is studying plant growth regulators to accelerate root development in container-grown nursery stock.
HRI’s industry-supported investments in projects that improve rooting efficiency and plant quality help build a stronger foundation for success downstream.
Producing Plants More Efficiently
After propagation, growers must maintain quality while managing labor and production costs. Becoming more efficient means the industry must continue to adopt new production technologies. HRI is investing here, too.
At Oregon State University, Marcelo Moretti is testing new ways to manage suckers and water sprouts in ornamentals, reducing the need for hand-pruning, and reducing labor, and lowering costs. This research tests growth regulators and mechanical methods to reduce sucker growth while maintaining plant quality.
Patricia Knight at Mississippi State University is developing an AI-based drone system to identify, count, and classify southern magnolia trees at different growth stages. This system could give growers real-time inventory data to improve planning and labor management. Although the southern magnolia serves as the model crop, researchers may adapt the technology to other ornamental species over time.
Protection from Pests and Diseases
Plant health poses a significant challenge for nursery and greenhouse growers. When new pests and diseases emerge, they can quickly undermine plant quality and marketability, underscoring the importance of effective management tools. HRI continues to address the most pressing plant health challenges head-on, and 2026 is no exception.
Johanna Del Castillo Munera at the University of California, Davis is developing rapid molecular diagnostic tools to detect Phytophthora in irrigation and recycled water. Current tests can take weeks, but faster detection will let growers find contamination sooner and act quickly.
Fulya Baysal-Gurel at Tennessee State University is studying management strategies for vascular streak dieback, a disease that has become an increasing concern in redbud production. The project is evaluating fungicides, biofungicides, and emerging treatments under commercial nursery conditions to identify effective control programs.
Researchers are also exploring biological approaches. Jonathan Jacobs at The Ohio State University is testing bacteriophages and Bacillus species for managing diseases like Xanthomonas and Rhodococcus. Jean Burns at Case Western Reserve University is studying beneficial fungi to help rhododendrons tolerate root rot from Phytophthora cinnamomi.
Insect pests remain another persistent challenge. Alejandro Del Pozo-Valdivia at Virginia Tech is studying integrated pest management for box tree moth, an invasive pest of boxwood. Raymond Cloyd at Kansas State University is testing systemic insecticides applied through container media to reduce redheaded flea beetle damage.
Other HRI-funded projects are exploring next-generation pest control technologies. For example, at Texas A&M University, Hongmin Qin is developing RNA interference-based sprays designed to control crapemyrtle bark scale by targeting essential genes in the pest.
Plants for Tomorrow’s Landscapes
HRI-funded research is not limited to production challenges. It also examines how plants perform in landscapes. Two Oregon State University projects are studying pollinator plants in landscapes this year.
Ryan Conteras is researching whether polyploid ornamental cultivars maintain quality under reduced irrigation while still attracting pollinators. The research explores potential tradeoffs between drought tolerance and ecological value and could help identify cultivars suited for water-limited landscapes.
Gail Langellotto’s project focuses on pollinator diversity in ornamental plantings by evaluating how highly attractive non-native ornamentals, referred to as magnet plants, influence pollinator behavior in garden systems. By attracting honeybees away from native plants, these ornamentals may reduce competition and allow a wider range of pollinators to access floral resources.
Exploring these questions helps the industry unlock new ways ornamental plants can shine both in the landscape and in supporting ecosystems.
Last Link in the Supply Chain: The Consumer
The consumer is the final and most crucial link in the horticultural supply chain, and HRI projects show up here as well. Want to spark demand? Start by understanding how people connect with plants.
At Michigan State University, Juan Mundel is studying how artificial intelligence and personalized digital marketing influence consumer trust and purchase intent for horticultural products. The research will examine how different forms of AI-assisted advertising affect engagement while maintaining transparency with consumers.
Another project led by Xuan Wu at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension explores the social and emotional benefits of plant gifting and cooperative gardening activities among young adults with disabilities. The research measures stress reduction, social bonding, and consumer interest in plants.
These insights can help garden centers, public gardens, and horticulture businesses develop programming and marketing strategies that highlight the social and wellness benefits of plants.
For additional information on HRI research projects and their look at the horticultural supply chain, please read the original article found on the Horticultural Research Institute website.
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