MANASOTA & PEACE RIVER BBDs Meeting Notebook 10-21-09.docx

B239
Determine Water Requirements For Genetically Altered Lantana
Camara Nursery and Landscape Plants
Project Type Basin Initiatives
AOR(s)
Water Supply, Water Quality, Natural Systems
Basin(s) Alafia River, Hillsborough River, Peace River, Manasota
Cooperator(s)
University of Florida
Project Manager COHEN, RON
Task Manager(s)
Status Ongoing
Description
A large amount of water is permitted for nursery and landscape irrigation. With the increase of urban development it is
anticipated that the overall permitted amount for these uses will also increase. To reduce water use for landscape
irrigation and to conserve water, the District has been promoting Florida Friendly principles. One of the first and most
important principles of this practice is the selection and use of drought-tolerant plants (Koske and Owings). The intent
of this project is to develop a drought tolerant variety of Lantana camara; and determining its water needs for nursery
production and urban landscapes.
Benefits
It is estimated that each year Florida nurseries sell as many as 40 million Lantana plants to other states, of those
plants about 5 million are grown within the District. The number of acres planted and their water use will change
annually based on market and climatic conditions. To quantify an estimated water savings from this project lets
assume one Lantana plant covers 12 square feet (3 ft x 4 ft) and the proposed Lantana plants will save 150 gallons of
water a year, thus these plants could save as much as 750 million gallons of water a year for this District.
Costs
This three-year project will cost $112,790. Currently over 80% of the District's permitted container nursery production
occurs within the jurisdictional region of four basin boards. Funding for this project is prorated between them (Alafia
River (22%), Manasota (22%), Hillsborough River (28%) and Peace River (28%)) boards. The Nursery industry has
provided $12,890 for this project and the Alafia Basin Board will budget $7,350, Hillsborough River will budget $9,350,
Manasota will budget $7,350 and the Peace River will budget $9,350 in FY2007; and $33, 250 (Alafia River - $7,315,
22% , Manasota - $7,315, 22%, Hillsborough River $9,310, 28% and Peace River $9,310, 28%) in both FY2008 and
FY2009.
Additional Information
In the past the industry has provided seed money to start this project and they are supportive of this proposal. Drought
tolerant plants develop various mechanisms that allow them to survive droughts, and stay green while producing
flowers without much water. Lantana depressa and Lantana involucrata are some of the best drought tolerant plants
available and are among the few plants recommended for desert landscaping in Arizona (City of Tucson; Hedding;
Master gardeners of the University of Arizona Pima County Extension Services). In addition they have been used
widely in many other states such as California (UC Sacramento County Extension) and Nevada (Southern Nevada
Water Authority) for landscape water conservation. Lantana depressa and Lantana involucrate are not widely used in
Florida.Several lantana species exist in Florida. Lantana depressa and Lantana involucrata provide year-round color,
use little irrigation, have excellent salt tolerance (Beaulieu), attracts butterflies (Schaefer et al., 2002) and
hummingbirds (Beaulieu), and have limited fertilization and pesticide requirements (Beaulieu; Owings, 2004), which
helps to reduce pollutant loading. Because of these attributes, Lantana depressa and Lantana involucrata, are
recommended for water saving in Florida landscapes (South Florida Water Management District). However, adoption
of these species of Lantana has been poor because they do not have appealing growth habits and flower colors.
Homeowners, nurseryman and landscapers prefer growing Lantana camara. This species of Lantana offers a
spectrum of long-lasting colors and is widely used in the U.S. (Koske and Owings; Russ, 2004). In Florida, Lantana
camara varieties produce abundance of viable pollen and hybridize with Florida's native species, Lantana depressa,
contaminating the native species' gene pool. Consequently, they have been listed as a Category I invasive species by
the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (http://www.fleppc.org/). Category I invasive species are defined as invasive
exotics that are altering native plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structures or
ecological functions, or hybridizing with natives. IFAS, FDACS and other entities do not recommend producing or
growing Category I invasive species plants. Genetic sterilization of Lantana camara could control its invasiveness,
thus protecting Florida's native species and ecosystems. Also, it will allow it to be used widely in public and residential
landscapes for water conservation and butterfly attraction. Thus conserving water and reducing pollutant loading into
the state's water resources. This project will develop a variety of Florida Friendly sterile Lantana camara plants. In
addition it will determine the plants water requirements for nursery and landscape irrigation.
021 - Manasota Basin 147