Commercial Evaluation of Large, Biopolymer-based Biocontainers for Herbaceous Perennial Production

Biocontainers may serve as effective alternatives to plastic containers in the commercial container crops industry. The objectives of this experiment were to quantify commercial producer interest and willingness to use large biocontainers in their commercial production systems, and quantify growth and quality of herbaceous perennials grown in different biocontainers. Seedlings of ‘Arizona Sun’ blanket flower (Gaillardia × grandiflora Van Houtte) and ‘Pow Wow Wild Berry’ purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.), and three types of 1-gallon containers were taken to five commercial grower facilities in the upper Midwest. Containers employed in this study included two types of biopolymer-based biocontainers and a control: 1) 80% polylactic acid (PLA) and 20% Biores™ (BR); 2) biopolyurethane-coated paper fiber; and 9) petroleum plastic (control). Questionnaires that quantified producer perceptions and willingness to use, interest in different container attributes, and satisfaction were administered at different times during the experiment. When the majority of plants were flowering, growers rated the quality of the shoots, roots, and containers. Data collected included height, widest width, and perpendicular width; Growth Index (GI) was calculated. Shoots were harvested, dried, and shoot dry mass (SDM) was recorded. Grower affected GI, SDM, and shoot ratings of coneflower; GI and SDM of coneflower from grower C were 24–48% and 43–82% larger, respectively, compared to other growers. Container type and grower interacted to affect coneflower root and container ratings. For example, root ratings of coneflower grown in PLA/BR varied from 2.0–4.3 across growers, while variation across container types within grower only occurred for grower D. Container type and grower interacted to affect blanket flower GI, SDM, and container rating. Blanket flower GI and SDM were 29.9–30.8 and 11.5–12.2 g across containers for grower A, respectively, but differed within container type among growers. For example, GI and SDM of blanket flower grown in bio-polyurethane coated paper fiber containers at grower D were 43% and 74% larger than grower B, respectively, but did not differ across container types for grower D. Blanket flower shoot rating was 3.7–3.9 out of 5 across container types, and was not affected by grower or container type. Our results indicate that commercial producers can adapt these biocontainers to herbaceous perennial production schemes with few or no changes to their crop culture practices. Commercial producers should use this information if transitioning away from petroleum plastics to biocontainers in their large-container cropping systems.