HOWELL, Mich. — It is exciting to see years of research end in product registration, and a new tool in the Christmas tree grower’s toolbox. In 2018, the Christmas Tree Promotion Board funded research projects at Oregon State (Chal Landgren) and Michigan State (Bert Cregg) Universities exploring the use of PGRs to control leader length in firs.
Traditionally U.S Christmas tree growers use cultural methods to control leader length, while for some time European growers have used plant growth regulators (PGRs). The PGR trialed in these experiments was a form of abcissic acid (ABA) manufactured by Valent Bioscience.
As a result of these experiments, applications on Turkish/Nordmann and Noble firs were very promising, and rates and techniques have been developed. This encouraged Valent Bioscience to fund further research at universities in major U.S. Christmas tree growing regions, to fine tune rates and application methods. Applications for Fraser, Korean and Douglas fir are still in the trial stages.
Very recently, their product, ConShape, became registered in Oregon and Washington for use on Christmas trees. Registration of ConShape is underway in Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and is expected to be available by April 2021. The Christmas Tree Promotion Board’s limited research funds helped pave the way for expenditures by private industry to introduce a new leader length control option for Christmas tree growers.
— Christmas Tree Promotion Board