Flower Council of Holland Flowers
Basic Material Newsletter May 2004
Breeder shows razor-sharp teeth
Leiden, May 2004 – US Customs have seized illegally cultivated roses at Miami Airport. This success in the fight against illegal practices followed months of investigation, in cooperation with the plant breeder, the licensing agency and the American authorities.
The American rose breeder Hill, together with the Dutch Royalty Administration International (RAI), took legal action after it was found that South American producers were illegally cultivating rose bushes of the cultivar ‘Classy’.
The action was a total success, as the seizure took place during the period around Valentine’s Day – probably the busiest of the year, when flower prices and numbers are high. As far as is known, a record number of plants was seized.
Maarten Leune, Director of RAI in ’s-Gravenzande, warned that the operation in Miami was just the first of many even more far-reaching moves to combat illegal cultivation, and that the following action is ready to be launched.
Protection of intellectual property is important, because the royalties paid to the plant breeders enable them to market new, often improved, cultivars of cut flowers and ornamental plants. This is of major importance for the continued development of floriculture and sales of cut flowers and ornamental plants.
The consumer always wants to see new colours and shapes. The seizure of illegally cultivated products prevents unfair competition between the great majority of producers, who conscientiously pay the royalties, and the few pirates, who do not.
It is not easy to have illegally produced cut flowers confiscated. An extensive investigation must first be carried out. Irrefutable proof is needed to show that the flowers are being produced illegally – especially as these products are often sold under another name. The breeder must then, together with the licensing agency, demonstrate conclusively that the products marketed under a certain name are in fact a variety that is protected by breeders’ rights.
In the case that culminated in the seizure around Valentine’s Day in Miami, there was close cooperation with a law firm that specialises in cases involving illegal imports. During the investigation the law firm looked after all the necessary legal actions with regard to the US Customs.
As a result of the cooperation and thorough investigation by Hill and RAI, not a single batch was seized on which royalties had been paid. Producers who legally export ‘Classy’ to Miami therefore suffered no losses.
Stimulus for dieffenbachia through product innovation
Leiden, May 2004 – Product innovation is necessary in order to retain and expand markets. In the case of green plants in particular, product innovation is far from simple, as it is dependent on product batches of spontaneous mutants. Dieffenbachia is a green plant that has successfully undergone product innovation.
In recent years, the production of Dieffenbachia in the Netherlands has decreased slowly but steadily. In part, this is a consequence of a shift towards larger sizes and many Dieffenbachia grown in southern Italy comply with this.
Until a few decades ago, there was virtually no selection. This was all changed by Elstgeest Potplanten in Roelofarendsveen, South Holland. Elstgeest is the only company that selects and multiplies parental material for Dieffenbachia, and is therefore automatically the leading supplier of young plants.
Elstgeest is a family company with 6 ha of land, of which 1.5 ha are used to multiply parental material and 4.5 ha to grow final products. By cultivating final products, Elstgeest keeps abreast of market trends and sees and experiences the pros and cons of the range it has developed.
Dieffenbachia is not subjected to genetic improvement processes, being simply selected from variant forms, colours and qualities.
The most important differences between the familiar, old range of Dieffenbachia ‘Camilla’ and ‘Compacta’ and the new range are the sturdiness and thickness of the leaf and the longer shelf life. Thanks to their different structure, the new cultivars are especially suitable for growing in larger pot sizes, with 17 cm as a minimum.
The latest cultivars from Elstgeest are named after popular tropical islands in the Pacific Ocean, such as Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.
For the launch of the new cultivars, Elstgeest is using growers who have good market contacts and also have the capacity to supply large batches if required. Thanks to the new range, Dieffenbachia has also risen in the esteem of dealers and exporters, so that increased sales of this green leaf plant are anticipated.
Angelonia?
Leiden, May 2004 – Never heard of Angelonia? Don’t worry – you are in good company. But this will soon change, because Angelonia is an interesting addition to the range of patio plants.
Angelonia was first marketed last year, as an appealing new product. Previously it was known to a few enthusiasts, but was almost impossible to grow. The plants were then still grown exclusively from seed, were very wild, non-uniform and badly branched. This did not make them very popular among professional gardeners.
A number of breeders have now carried out the necessary work, with the result that a new generation of cutting-propagated Angelonia has been launched. The trade and garden centres see it as an attractive proposition. With parental material in the form of cuttings, the season for annuals can be extended to some extent. As Angelonia needs more heat and light, it blooms a little later than comparable products such as Surfinia and Fuchsia. Angelonia is also suitable for growing in larger pots making it more exclusive.
Last year, Angelonia was distributed among growers on a larger scale for the first time and reached customers mainly as a patio plant.
Producers must take care in the choice of variety, because some varieties are naturally thickset, whilst others need to be cut back and/or growth inhibited.
The former varieties grown from seed had problems with leaf-yellowing, but the new varieties propagated from cuttings are superior in this regard. It is of great importance that the parental material is certified and virus-free. The Dutch suppliers of Angelonia can supply certified virus-free material that is continuously monitored by the independent Naktuinbouw.
Yucca: from hedgerow to popular houseplant
Leiden, May 2004 – The production of parental material for the cultivation of ornamental plants is now increasingly high-tech. However, there is and for the time being will continue to be, one exception: the Yucca. Although still enormously popular, it is certainly not high-tech.
For instance, coffee farmers have grown the Yucca on the hill slopes of Central America for years. Guatemala and Honduras, especially, supply a lot of parental material to Dutch importers for Yucca cultivation and the stems are sold on, rooted or not rooted, to commercial gardeners throughout Europe.
Yucca is used by Central American (coffee) farmers to mark the boundaries of their property. This does not involve a lot of work. They stick a small stem in the ground and it grows of its own accord. After four or five years the stem has developed so far that it is suitable for use as parental material for one of the most popular green leaf plants: the Yucca.
The stems are collected by local dealers and passed to companies that wrap them in a plastic bag containing some sawdust or soil, so that they can root.
Many of the workers in the Guatemalan and Honduran Yucca companies have no idea what happens to the stems. In one company in Honduras there is a persistent rumour that the stems are intended as raw material for the production of nylon stockings!
The Yucca has remained consistently popular. Dutch suppliers have exported many stems to Eastern Europe recently, where it is still regarded as an exotic plant.
Anyone can buy primula obconica ‘touch me’
Leiden, May 2004 – An appreciable percentage of the world’s population is allergic to primine. This is not good for the trade in Primula obconica, as the flowering plant spreads an abundance of primine, which causes itchiness and rashes. But fortunately primulas without primine are now available – so today, anyone can buy primulas.
The share of primine-free primulas in the sales of this popular flowering houseplant is increasing steadily. Last year it amounted to 22%, and Ruud Ruiter of Schoneveld Twello BV expects it to rise to around 50% within three years.
Schoneveld in Twello, a village in the east of the Netherlands, is so far the only company marketing primine-free primulas in Europe. In the USA and Japan, Syngenta also sells primine-free material.
Primine in ‘ordinary’ primulas was a serious obstacle to the cultivation of Primula obconica by plant growers. It restricted trade and, as consumers became more demanding, an increasing number of complaints were received.
This problem was solved a few years ago when the Wageningen university and research centre discovered how to remove the primine from the primula with the help of the latest techniques. Work still had to be carried out by traditional breeding methods in order to obtain a good assortment, but it was simply a question of time and the application of already existing expertise. In 2000 the first primine-free primulas appeared on the market.
Schoneveld now has 7 colours of primine-free Primula obconica, all of them under the name ‘Touch Me’. There is a series with ordinary plant sizes and a medium assortment. Naturally the plants are protected by breeders’ rights.
The marketing of the ‘Touch Me’ primulas is characterised by the same professionalism as their creation. Producers are obliged to supply a logo on the pots of ‘Touch Me’. As a result of these efforts, the price of the primine-free plants is about 15% higher than that of ordinary primulas. The appearance of the primula gives no indication of whether or not is primine-free, hence the mandatory logo.
Campaigns have been carried out at the Dutch auctions, with posters and mailings to dealers. Now it’s the turn of the retail trade. Whilst, cost-conscious bulk plant buyers were initially unwilling to pay the higher price, this is now changing.
The consumer can now buy primulas without having to worry. If they bear the ‘Touch Me’ label, itchiness and rashes are a thing of the past.
Business news
Aalsmeer, May 2004 – Terra Nigra, breeder of Gerbera and roses, is opening a new facility on Saturday 3 April 2004, in which all its activities will be housed under one roof.
The new site covers an area of more than 43,000m², devoted to the following activities
- 12,000 m² roses (breeding, display glasshouse and production glasshouse)
- 11,300 m² Gerbera (breeding area and display glasshouse)
- 13,000 m² Gerbera propagation and nursery areas
- 2,000 m² rose propagation
- 5,300 m² packaging area and offices
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