Objective(s):
1) Provide a platform for scientists, educators, industry leaders, and growers to evaluate the challenges and opportunities of tropical horticulture using orchids as a model. 2) Provide interaction and networking opportunities for scientists in different disciplines, including biotechnology, ecology, entomology, plant pathology, and horticulture science to identify and recommend key research criterion. 3) Evaluate the needs and assess the hurdles for future opportunities of tropical floriculture and ornamentals.

Production of ornamentals and floriculture in tropics has faced considerable challenges lately. Some of the challenges include newly emerging pests and diseases, ever-rising fuel cost for production, sustainability and impacts on environment, and germplasm preservation due to rapidly decimating populations of genetic materials. Additionally, genetic engineering is now employed to enhance aesthetic quality of ornamental crops. These challenges have concurrently created various opportunities for horticulture scientists to tackle. Among many tropical and subtropical ornamental crops, orchids have strong potential. Orchid sales have drastically increased over the last few decades. According to USDA, orchids are the number one floriculture crop in wholesale value, which has increased 206% from 1996 to 2006, while wholesale value for many other floriculture or ornamental crops such as poinsettia and African violets have stayed the same or even decreased. Orchids were once exclusive to aristocrats and wealthy people. Nowadays, consumers can purchase reasonably priced blooming Cymbidium, Dendrobium, and Phalaenopsis plants at local grocery and hardware stores. This recent popularity of orchids is a culmination of steady and persistent advances in ornamental horticulture research, starting with in vitro asymbiotic seed germination, mass clonal propagation as well as investigation on crop physiology, cultural requirements, and pest and disease control. This colloquium will look at challenges and opportunities that tropical ornamental crops are currently facing, using orchids as a model crops with a wider application to other horticultural crops.