Articles
THE RELEVANCE OF RESEARCH ON PRODUCTION HORTICULTURE TO THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT
The ISHS was founded in 1959 and deals with the science of horticulture.
The Society is concerned with the production and utilisation of horticultural crops and commodities and with the exchange of scientific information internationally.
The work of the Society is based on a number of Sections and Commissions of which the Commission for Urban Horticulture, established in 1982, is the youngest.
Until recently the Society placed most emphasis on plant production.
However, in recognition of the new interdisciplinary area of horiculture concerned with the utilisation rather than with the production of plants, the Commission for Urban Horticulture was established.
This Commission is concerned with research, development and education on the functional uses of plants as a means of enhancing our living environment and minimising the stresses and strains of life in modern cities.
Much information has been amassed by government-sponsored and industrial research on production horticulture in relation to growing substrates, soil chemistry and physics, plant nutrition, irrigation, pest, disease and weed control, plant physiology, mycorrhiza and many other areas.
This information has resulted in more efficient growing systems and increased yields.
However, landscape designers, amenity horticulturists, contractors and other personnel directly concerned with the functional use of plants in urban areas have had to rely to a large extent on extrapolating, sifting and adapting results from production horticulture and related areas.
With some notable exceptions scientists working on the problems of production horticulture have failed to appreciate that often their results are just as relevant to plants grown for their functional or aesthetic use in towns and cities as for crops grown for the production of food, fuel or fibre.
Yet in many countries in north west Europe there are more people employed in the amenity and decorative sectors than in food production.
While the CEC is facing the problem of massive food surpluses and while the demand for food in Europe is not likely to increase significantly, the growing emphasis on leisure activities suggests that the amenity and environmental sectors will continue to expand.
It is indisputable that these sectors require research backing.
Problems such as the survival of trees planted on hostile sites and the selection of plants resistant to urban pollution, tolerant of casual