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Public session of 3 December 2012 Second Chamber no A/09/03215

Rep. No 9114

The Second Chamber of the Commercial Court of Ghent has given the following judgment in the case of:

In the alternative, it argues that that plaintiff’s claims should be declared admissible, but before further proceeding to justice, it de­ mands that an expert should be appointed with a full remit to pro­ vide an opinion as to whether the plants it markets under the names 'Catherine' and 'Starlight' infringe the plaintiff’s plant rights on their plant ‘Calypso’, after the origin of all the plants concerned has been investigated.

LUC PIETERS , business manager, resident at Koewegstraat 4, 9270 Laarne, CAROLINE DEMEYER , business manager, resident at Koeweg­ straat 4, 9270 Laarne, Plaintiffs, represented by Philippe de Jong and Kirian Claeyé, lawy­ ers in Brussels; versus NV DEROOSE PLANTS , with registered office at Droogte 139, 9940 Evergem, enterprise no 0441.725.528; Defendant, represented by Christïaan Beyaert, lawyer in Ghent; The grounds and pleadings of the parties were heard in the public session of 10 September 2012, after which the discussion was closed and the case was considered.

The court took note of the documents and evidence, including the introductory writ duly served on the defendant on 25 August 2009.

I THE ACTION The action of the plaintiffs seeks to: ­ prohibit the defendant to produce, offer for sale, market, possess for the purposes of sale or supply, exchange, sell, supply, import or export plant material in Belgium that falls within the scope of the protection of the Belgian Plant Variety Certificate number 1542 on penalty of a fine of EUR 1,000 per single infringement of such prohibition and per day that that the infringement persists, on the understanding that each plant or part of a plant within the scope of the said protection and with respect to which one of the aforemen­ tioned acts is committed, shall constitute a single infringement prohibit the defendant to produce, or further propagate, act with a view to propagation, bring to the market, export, import, stock for one of these purposes, plant material in the Netherlands that falls within the scope of the protection of the Dutch Plant Variety Certificate number 19379, or cause any such action to be taken, on penalty of a fine of EUR 1,000 per single infringement of such prohibition and per day that that the infringement persists, on the understanding that each plant or part of a plant within the scope of the said protection and with respect to which one of the aforemen­ tioned acts is committed, shall constitute a single infringement; to order the defendant, at its own expense, to uproot and destroy, monitored by a court enforcement officer appointed by them, all plant material from the plants under the names 'Starlight’ (plant code G8834) and 'Catherine' (plant code G8770) still in its posses­ sion or in the possession of any third party working with it under licence or otherwise, on penalty of a fine of EUR 2,500 per day that it shall still hold such material, with effect from fourteen days after notification of the judgment to be pronounced; to order the defendant, for the period to 27 February 2009, to pay them damages which, on the basis of the information in Mr Golvers’s expert report of 1 July 2009, are estimated at EUR 629,358.72, increased at the statutory interest rate by the com­ pensatory and judicial interest calculated from the date that 'Starlight’ (1 January 2000) and 'Catherine’ (1 January 2002) were first marketed; to order the defendant, for the period from 27 February 2009 to the date of the judgment to be pronounced, to pay them provisional damages of EUR 10,000 and to require the defendant, in accor­ dance with article 35 of the Law on the protection of plant varie­ ties, not later than a date proposed by the court, in a documented manner and under the supervision of a company auditor chosen by the plaintiffs, to report the quantities of material produced and traded from 28 February 2009 under the names 'Starlight’ (plant code G8834) and 'Catherine' (plant code G8770) and of any other plant material which falls within the scope of the Belgian Plant Variety Certificate number 1542 and/or the Dutch Plant Variety Certificate number 19379; to order the defendant to pay the costs of the case, including the procedural indemnity estimated at EUR 22,000, and the costs of seizure on grounds of counterfeiting; In the justificatory part of their pleading, the plaintiffs also ask that the publication of the judgment be required in two specialist trade publications of their choice, at the defendant’s expense; all this through an immediately executable judgment, notwithstan­ ding any legal grounds advanced, without collateral and with the option of payment into court.

The defendant argues, in the first place, for the dismissal of the case as admissible but unfounded, and for the costs of the case to be awarded against the plaintiffs.

In the further alternative, the defendant claims the reduction of the damages claimed by the plaintiffs.

II THE FACTS The plaintiffs are managers of Exotic Plant BVBA, with registered office at Koewegstraat 2­4, 9270 Laarne. This company specialises in the development and improvement of plants of the Bromeliaceae family.

The defendant is active in the development and sale of ornamental plants, including Bromelias.

On 1 March 1999, the plaintiffs obtained a Belgian certificate for the plant variety "Calypso". On 14 August 2000, they also obtained a Dutch certificate for Calypso.

On 13 December 2000 the plaintiffs wrote to the defendant that: At the Hortifair, they had pointed out to the defendant that its plant “Starlight” had the same characteristics as Calypso; The defendant had subsequently removed the Starlight name board, by mutual agreement; Despite the defendant’s promise, they had not yet received any plant material for investigation at the plant variety rights re­ search centre in the Netherlands. They asked for an urgent response.

On 23 October 2001 the agricultural research centre of Ghent delive­ red a DNA investigation of Starlight and Calypso at the request of the plaintiffs. The investigation reached the following conclusion:

Exotic Plant versus However, the negotiations did not lead to any result and broke down in December 2007.

Meanwhile, a further dispute arose between the parties regarding the defendant’s bromelia “Catherine”.

On 16 January 2009, via a unilateral application, the plaintiffs ob­ tained an order for seizure on grounds of counterfeiting, and the appointment of Hendrik Jan de Greef and Luc Golvers as experts.

Notice of the order was given on 27 February 2009.

On 16 May 2009 Mr de Greef sent a DNA analysis to the court.

On 25 May 2009 Mr de Greef submitted his interim report.

On 1 July 2009, Mr Golvers submitted his final report.

On 25 August 2009 the plaintiff served a writ on the merits.

On 14 December 2010 Mr de Greef submitted his final report.

III DISCUSSION 1. THE INFRINgEMENT OF THE PLAINTIFF’S PLANT bREEDER’S RIgHTS. The expert witness Mr de Greef conducted a comparative genologi­ cal investigation of Calypso, Catherine and Starlight. He then carried out a morphological comparative study of Catherine and Calypso.

Regarding the morphological study of Catherine and Calypso, the expert concluded: “The 'Calypso' sample and the two 'Catherine' samples examined do not differ from one another morphologically. Although the values measured may differ slightly, this is insufficient to classify this as a distinction. According to the calibration test the measured values fall within one expression. However, the bract characteristics give rise to discussion. Hypsophylls, bracts and prophylls are all bracts. Today these characteristics are defined more clearly. Hypsophylls are now called leafy bracts, and bracts which give colour to the inflorescence are now known as flower bracts.

“- Distinguishability: with the two primer combinations the two cultivars cannot be distinguished, there are no polymorphisms (presence or absence of given DNA fragments). See the electropherograms.

Relationship analysis: with the two primer combinations a relationship tree was constructed for the two cultivars under investigation, and a series of other cultivars as a frame of reference.

An obvious cluster of Calypso and Starlight Bromelia guzmania cultivars could be observed.

Prophylls are also flower bracts, but of another order, and are still called prophylls. In 1995 this classification had not yet been clearly defined, and the term prophylls was regularly confused with the (flower) bracts which give these species their red colour. The conclusion is that these three samples are the same. This is also confirmed by the report on the DNA analysis which was submitted to the court on 16 May 2009.”

It can therefore be said that the Bromelia guzmania cultivars Calypso and Starlight presumably refer to one and the same cultivar.”

For the morphological evaluation of Starlight and Calypso, the expert refers to the report of 21 April 2005.

Subsequently a comparative morphological investigation was con­ ducted on Starlight and Calypso at the CGN (the Dutch centre for genetic resources) in Wageningen, the Netherlands. On 18 August 2006 the plaintiffs passed a copy of the CGN’s report of 21 April 2005 on to the defendant. In the report, plant inspector de Greef concluded:

The plaintiffs rely on the findings of the expert. The defendant chal­ lenges these.

“The plant material was planted in the greenhouse in section 20 at the Nergena Proeftuin (experimental garden) in Bennekom. When both varieties were sufficiently mature, the plants were treated with acetylene (in gaseous form) in order to force the plants to flower.

During cultivation the plants were inspected regularly to see if there were any differences between them. There was a very small difference in plant size visible, but this can be explained by the fact that the samples were not the same size when they were supplied.

Material from two different companies always differs.

On 20 August 2003 both samples were in full flower and could be assessed. There was only a difference in size between the 'Calypso' and 'Starlight’ plants (Calypso was a little larger). This difference, as indicated above, was present from the start. On 2 September 2003, Mr M. van Winden examined these plantings and could not explain what the differences might be. He did recommend cutting the plants after flowering, because that could cause differences to appear. This was carried out after flowering in January 2004, but there have so far been no demonstrable differences. However the material is no longer in flower. Since both companies have concluded that further investigation makes no sense, I have been asked to issue a report on the results.

Conclusion:

Firstly, the AFLP method used allegedly does not prove that the plants are also morphologically alike. However, the defendant’s criticism is unconvincing. The expert has conducted a phenotype (morphological) investigation as well as a genological study. That a small genetic difference can make a large phenological difference is true, but is irrelevant given that a phenotype study also took place. The results of the genological investigation thus do not replace the phenotype study, but instead confirm its results.

The suggestion that the morphological investigation was unreliable because it has not been established that the expert received Calypso from the plaintiffs, rather than Starlight or Catherine, is unconvincing.

There is no reason to assume that the expert uncritically received plants from the plaintiffs and did not pick them out himself at their registered offices.

The defendant then questions whether the present Calypso still has the same varietal characteristics as when the plant variety certifi­ cates were granted. Once again, this is a mere assertion. In any case the burden of proof lies with the defendant, which has failed to make its case.

It can be assumed with sufficient certainty that the plants Catherine, Calypso and Starlight are now of the same variety, as the various investigations show:

From this investigation, it appears that 'Calypso' and 'Starlight' do not differ from each other morphologically. The only difference is the very slight difference in size which already existed on delivery. Since this difference appeared during cultivation itself, this cannot be interpreted as a genetic difference.”

That no relevant phenotype distinction can be made between Starlight and Calypso (report of 21 April 2005); That no relevant phenotype distinction can be made between Ca­ therine and Calypso (report of 13 December 2010); That the samples of Starlight, Calypso and Catherine were geno­ typically very closely related.

Since October 2006 the parties have sought an amicable settlement of the dispute.

The argument that the expert took plants of the same size and not of the same age does not convince. The expert documented the (slight)

Deroose Plants difference in size properly, and took it into account in his investiga­ tion. In view of the very small size when the plants were collected in comparison with their full mature size, we can accept that the plants sampled were of around the same age.

The credibility of the expert investigation is not undermined by the fact that the expert based his conclusions on his morphological in­ vestigation of 2005 rather than conducting a new phenotype study of the Calypso and Starlight plants.

Firstly, the defendant does not prove that the two plants have since changed (this was disproved by the genological investigation).

Secondly, the defendant agreed after the morphological investi­ gation of 2005 that further investigation would be pointless, and said at that time that it was prepared to pay royalties, which is hard to explain if it did not believe that both plants were the same (plaintiffs’ exhibit III.8).

The investigation ordered by defendant itself does not have the same value as a judicial investigation in which all parties are represented.

Nor is it clear how visual discrimination by the owners could overturn the result of the expert investigation.

Little objective value can be afforded to messages from messrs Bunnik and Koolhaas, suppliers of the plants under investigation to the defendants and not involved. The court concurs with the plaintiffs’ observation that no evidence has been put forward of an alleged plant breeder’s right to Catherine and Starlight, which should be possible for the defendant. The suggestion that Messrs Bunnik or Koolhaas are the owners of this plant breeder’s right, and that it can therefore not submit it to the court, is a very poor excuse.

In summary, the infringement of the plant breeder’s right has been established. The action for an injunction is found to be justified.

2. DAMAgES The amount of the damages was the subject of the expert investiga­ tion by Mr Golvers. As the figures were provided by the defendant, and contain discrepancies that could not be explained, the highest figure was applied in each case.

The defendant refers in the first instance to Article 2262bis para­ graph 1 of the civil code. Since the plaintiffs only issued the writ on 25 August 2009, the extra­contractual infringements from before 25 August 2004 are allegedly time­barred.

The plaintiffs rightly reply that the five­year time limitation of Article 2262bis paragraph 1 of the civil code begins to run “from the day after that on which the injured party became aware of the loss... and of the identity of the persons liable.”

Knowledge of the loss and of the identity of the party responsible assumes a sufficient degree of certainty. A mere assumption is not enough.

In the case of Starlight, consequently, the plaintiffs’ knowledge, on 21 April 2005, of the comparative morphological study by the CGN can be taken as the starting point for the period of limitation.

The notification of seizure on grounds of counterfeiting on 27 Febru­ ary 2009 also halts the period of limitation.

All infringements fall within the twenty­year period established by Article 2262bis paragraph 1 subparagraph 2 of the civil code.

The infringements before 25 August 2004 are therefore not time­ barred.

In the case of Catherine, the period of limitation only begins to run from 15 December 2010, the point at which, following the morpholo­ gical expert investigation, there was sufficient certainty as to the loss and the identity of the perpetrator.

Again, all infringements in the case of Catherine fall with the scope of Article 2262bis paragraph 1 subparagraph 2.

The claim is not time­barred in any respect.

In the second instance, the defendant claims that the protection of plant breeder’s rights does not apply to sales concluded in the USA and China by subsidiaries and other enterprises.

This is correct. The propagation of plants and tissues in the USA and China are not covered by the protection of the law of 20 May 1975 protecting plant varieties.

However, the plaintiffs rightly note that the definition of ‘trading’ in Article 2 of the Law of 20 May 1975 includes possessing, selling, offering for sale and import or export.

This means that the plaintiff may claim a royalty for all the plants that were found in the defendant’s possession, or were sold and/ or exported by it.

The sales results achieved by its subsidiaries in, e.g. China, cannot be taken separately into account. Firstly this lies outside the territo­ rial protection of Belgian law. Secondly, this entails (partial) double counting with the exported plants and clumps.

There is no reason to double the normal royalty which the plaintiffs estimate at EUR 0.065. Such doubling cannot be deemed to cover the loss which the plaintiffs have suffered, now that the numbers sold are known.

There is even less reason to pay more than one royalty for the clumps.

Indeed, once abroad clumps can be propagated even further. This also applies to normal plants.

Now the defendant admits that it can (on average) produce four plants per clump, justifying a fourfold royalty per clump or 0.065 x 4 = EUR 0.26.

These principles lead to the following calculation: 1. “Catherine” Plants found: 62,259 x 0.065 = EUR 4,046.84 Clumps found: 1,924 x 0.26 = EUR 500.24 Plants traded: 877,042 x 0.065 ­ EUR 57,007.73 Clumps traded: (3,510 + 28,433) x 0.26 = EUR 8,305.18 SUBTOTAL: EUR 69,859.99 2. “Starlight” Clumps found: 3,727 x 0.26 = EUR 969.02 Plants traded: 465,602 x 0.065 = EUR 30,264.13 Clumps traded: (6,180 + 33,377) x 0.26 = EUR 10,284.82 SUBTOTAL: EUR 41,517.97 TOTAL: EUR 111,377.96 Compensatory interest is granted from an average date, 30 June 2005 for Starlight and 30 June 2006 for Catherine.

For plants and clumps traded from 2009 an additional expert inves­ tigation may be ordered, also under the supervision of the court and not by an auditor appointed by the plaintiffs.

A provisional sum of EUR 10.000,00 may be awarded for infringe­ ments from 1 January 2009.

3. THE FURTHER CLAIMS The plaintiffs demand the uprooting and destruction of the plant ma­ terial still present. Under Article 36 paragraph 5 of the law of 20 May 1975 this can be granted.

Given the persistent nature of the defendant’s infringement, even when faced with unambiguous expert reports, the claim for publica­ tion in two trade journals is justified.

In view of the nature of the measures claimed, and the continuing in­ crease in losses to the plaintiff, immediate enforceability is granted.

ON THESE gROUNDS, THE COURT, having heard the arguments:

protection and with respect to which one of the aforementioned acts is committed, shall constitute a single infringement; Prohibits the defendant to produce, or further propagate, act with a view to propagation, bring to the market, export, import, stock for one of these purposes, plant material in the Netherlands that falls within the scope of the protection of the Dutch Plant Variety Certificate num­ ber 19379, or cause any such action to be taken, on penalty of a fine of 1,000 EUR per single infringement of such prohibition and per day that that the infringement persists, on the understanding that each plant or part of a plant within the scope of the said protection and with respect to which one of the aforementioned acts is committed, shall constitute a single infringement; Orders the defendant, at its own expense, to uproot and destroy, mo­ nitored by a court enforcement officer appointed by the plaintiffs, all plant material from the plants under the names 'Starlight’ (plant code G8834) and 'Catherine' (plant code G8770) still in its possession or in the possession of any third party working with it under licence or otherwise, on penalty of a fine of 2,500 EUR per day that it shall still hold such material, with effect from fourteen days after notification of the present judgment; Appoints as expert Mr Luc golvers, with offices at Baron de Vi­ ronlaan 108/11, 1700 Dilbeek, with instructions to report in a docu­ mented manner the quantities of material produced and traded by the defendant from 28 February 2009 until today under the names 'Starlight’ (plant code G8834) and 'Catherine' (plant code G8770) and of any other plant material which falls within the scope of the Belgian Plant Variety Certificate number 1542 and/or the Dutch Plant Variety Certificate number 19379; Grants the expert a period of eight days after the notification of this judg­ ment to refuse the instruction, with appropriately reasoned justification.

Rules that consequent upon the expert investigation, the expert and the parties shall further act in accordance with the provisions of Arti­ cles 962 to 991bis of the Judicial Code, proceeding as follows: rules that the expert shall have 15 days following notification to announce the location, the day and the time of the start of his activities. The expert shall give notice by registered letter to the parties and by normal letter to the chairman and members of the court; the expert shall, during the course of his task, himself determine whether it is necessary to have recourse to technical advisors; the sum of the advance that must be paid by the defendant to the court registry (account no 679­2008472­87) within 14 days of the acceptance of the instructions by the expert, is set at EUR 2,000.00 ex. VAT; 11the reasonable proportion of the advance that may be paid to the expert is set at EUR 1,000.00 ex. VAT, and will be released within ten days of receipt; the expert will himself determine the reasonable period within which the parties may submit their comments on his provi­ sional opinion; the deadline for the submission of the final report shall be four months from the date on which the expert commences his activities, without prejudice to article 972bis, paragraph 2, second subpara­ graph of the Judicial Code (“If all the parties or their legal advisors request postponement, the expert must grant this request. In all other cases he may permit or refuse the postponement and shall notify the judge of his decision by ordinary letter.”)

Rules that the expert is not permitted to accept a direct payment from a party to the proceedings (article 509quater of the Criminal Code);

With regard to Articles 2, 32, 34, 36, 37 and 41 of the Law of 15 June 1935 on the use of languages in legal proceedings,

Orders the publication of the judgment in two specialist trade jour­ nals of the plaintiff’s choice, at the defendant’s expense;

Declares the claim admissible and well­founded as follows:

Dismisses the counterclaim for the appointment of an expert with a comprehensive remit as admissible but unfounded;

Orders the defendant to pay to the plaintiffs the sum of: EUR 69,859.99, plus interest at the statutory interest rate from the averaged date of 30 June 2006 until the day of full payment; EUR 41,517.97, plus interest at the statutory interest rate from the averaged date of 30 June 2005 until the day of full payment; EUR 10,000.00 provisionally for infringements since 1 January 2009; Prohibits the defendant to produce, offer for sale, market, possess for the purposes of sale or supply, exchange, sell, supply, import or export plant material in Belgium that falls within the scope of the protection of the Belgian Plant Variety Certificate number 1542 on penalty of a fine of EUR 1,000 per single infringement of such prohi­ bition and per day that that the infringement persists, on the under­ standing that each plant or part of a plant within the scope of the said

Sends the case to the special roll of the Second Chamber; Reserves the costs; Declares the judgment immediately enforceable regardless of the ap­ plication of any legal remedy and without collateral.

Judgment is thus pronounced in ordinary open session on Monday the third of December two thousand and twelve.

The case was judged by Frederik De Vylder, judge at the court, chair­ man: André Van Maldegem and Frank De Wilde, commercial judges, assisted in their judgment by Alwin Bruynooghe, registrar.

Bruynooghe

F. De Wilde

A. Van Maldege

F. De Vylder

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Table of Contents

January 2013 Volume 23 Number 1

Proud to be the sole flower auction reporting growth in clock sales FCI recently spoke with Ruud Knorr, director of flower auction Veiling Rhein-Maas, about business and asked him about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the German Dutch flower auction and its role in the international market.

by Ron van der Ploeg

Green Vitamins reinvigorate Iberflora

Spain’s largest trade show and conference for the ornamental horticulture and gardening industry took place at the Feria Valencia exhibition centre from October 3 to 6, 2012.

by Ron van der Ploeg

16

Nursery stock conference

Around 350 people from 12 countries took part in the international ‘Research and Development in Nursery Stock’ conference, which was held in Ożarów Mazowiecki near Warsaw on 17-18 November.

by Alicja Cecot

21

Unconventional Phalaenopsis cloning

22

Messe IPM Essen

Over 1,500 exhibitors from more than 40 countries will present themselves at the world's premier horticultural trade exhibition.

by Ron van der Ploeg

Jordan has key ingredients for a vibrant flower industry

An overview of the Jordanian horticulture scene.

by Eyal Policar and Saleh Adwan

30

Reducing spread of plant pathogens with disinfestants

Disinfestants are used to eliminate pathogens from areas where previous crops were grown or from tools that contact infected plant tissue or infested soil or organic media. Like all disease control methods the purpose is to minimize the occurrence and severity of disease.

39

by Warren Copes

LED4CROPS

Calvin Anderson’s use of unconventional scientific methods to clone Phalaenopsis orchids has proven to be very successful.

by Ron van der Ploeg

10

Europe’s biggest open horticultural research facility for LED lighting technology went into operation in England last year. Sited at Stockbridge Technology Centre (STC Ltd.), it is co-sponsored by the Dutch company Philips Lighting and by CambridgeHOK.

42

by John Sutton

25

Reliable quality links Grünewald to Ellepot System

Jonge Planten Grünewald in The Netherlands produces about 55 million plant plugs annually for Grünewald Group customers all over Europe.

All plugs are Ellepots, made on one of two Elle­ gaard substrate pot machines that have operated in ´s Gravenzande succesfully since 1999.

by Harmen Kamminga

46

Departments World News Prices International Events Advertising Index

15 37 45 49

Columns From the editor Miami Dutch Comfort Happy Gardening Certifiable in California

09 15 19 35 41

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly.Worldwide distribution.

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No portion of editorial may FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is monthly.Worldwide distribution. © FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published published monthly.Worldwide 2009 FloraCulture International magazine.

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No portion of editorial may distribution. The organisers of the world’s premier horticultural trade show, IPM © reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Publisher is not liable be 2009 FloraCulture International magazine.

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No portion of editorial may © 2009 FloraCulture International magazine.

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No portion of editorial may Essen will most probably still be rolling on the floor with laughter. e reproduced infor any form without written permission of the publisher.

Publisher is not liable advertisements using illegally obtained Sendof address changes Publisher to FloraCulture be reproduced in any any form without writtenimages. permission the publisher. is not not liable liable FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is changes published monthly.Worldwide distribution. be reproduced in form without written permission of the publisher.

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What would you do and if you read that your that biggest International magazine, P .O.Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, theNetherlands. © for advertisements using illegally obtained images.

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All rights No portion of editorial may for advertisements using illegally obtained images.

Sendreserved. address changes to FloraCulture FloraCulture nternational magazine, P.O.Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, theNetherlands.

FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly.Worldwide distribution.

Quality, innovation, sustainability and logistics are words thatby moving to the competitor, Horti Fair fades slowly into the shadow International magazine, P .O.Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, theNetherlands. be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher.

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Th is is a compliment to you, the International magazine, P.O.Box 82, 1850 ABAllHeiloo, theNetherlands.

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Th issustainability is a compliment tologistics you,FloraHolland, theare words thatwhile catacombs of flower auction for advertisements using illegally obtained Sendof address changes Publisher to FloraCulture be reproduced in any form without writtenimages. permission the publisher. is not liable dark, old often appear in our editorial.

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Th is is compliment togiven you, the green fl oriculture industry; the interviewees and contributors remain International magazine, P .O.Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, theNetherlands. you yourself can jump for you’ve just been the for advertisementsFloraCulture using illegallyInternational obtained images.

Quality, innovation, sustainability and“what logistics areTh words that B.V.Send address changes to FloraCulture fl oriculture industry; the interviewees and contributors remain focused on “what canjoy be”because rather than isn’t”. e cut flower fl oriculture industry; the interviewees and contributors remain FloraCulture International B.V. focused onfor “what can be” rather than “what isn’t”.

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International magazine, P .O.Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, theNetherlands. often appear in our editorial.

Th isthan isand a “what compliment towords you, the FloraCulture International B.V. P .O.Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, the Netherlands Quality, innovation, sustainability logistics are that focused on “what can be” rather isn’t”.

Th e cut ower market is diffi cult, but a glimpse of relief is being experienced by FloraCulture B.V. focused ona“what canmassive, be” rather than “what isn’t”.

The cut fl flproject ower P.O.Box AB Heiloo,International the Netherlands market is diffi cult, but glimpse ofthe relief isfour being experienced by Insiders dubbed this year long, renovation Ron van 82, 1850 flhave oriculture industry; interviewees and contributors remain P.O.Box ABFHeiloo, T (31) 7282, 531850 23 522 (31) 72the 53 Netherlands 23 521 often appear in our editorial.

Th isofiswith a compliment to you, the market is diffi cult, but aa glimpse relief is being experienced by the pot and bedding plant growers the spring sunshine having Ron van P .O.Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, the Netherlands market is diffi cult, but glimpse of relief is being experienced by on der Ploeg T (31) 72 53 23FloraCulture 522 F (31) 72 53 23 521 B.V. the pot and bedding plant growers with the sunshine having ‘Messe Essen’s open heart surgery’ asinspring it will not have direct impact Ron van International focused on “what can be” rather than “what isn’t”.

The cut flower der Ploeg T (31) 72 53Administration: 23 522 F (31) 72 53 23 521 P.O. Box 612, Circulation FBW Woerden fl oriculture industry; the interviewees and contributors remain the pot and bedding plant growers with the spring sunshine having made a well-timed appearance Europe.

Ron van T (31) 72 53 23 522Woerden F (31) 72 53Box 23 521 the pot and bedding plant growers with the spring sunshine having der Ploeg Administration: Circulation FBW P.O. 612, made a well-timed appearance in Europe. the daymade to day well-timed the exhibition centre.

Starting der Ploeg P .O.Box 1850 ABtheHeiloo, the Netherlands market isrunning cult,of but a glimpse of relief is being experienced by FloraCulture International B.V. Circulation Administration: FBW Woerden P.O. Box 612, 3440 AP82, Woerden, Netherlands focused ondiffi “what can be” rather than “what isn’t”.

Thein cutSeptember flower appearance in Circulation Administration: FBW Woerden P.O. Box 612, made aaEssen well-timed appearance rebuild in Europe.

Europe.

3440 AP Woerden, the72Netherlands Ron van 2013, Messe will completely its east wing, a project T (31) 53 23 522 F (31) 72 53 23 521 the pot and bedding plant growers with the spring sunshine having P .O.Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, the Netherlands 3440 AP Woerden, the Netherlands T (31) 34 84 31 393 F (31) 34 84 32 552 info@fbw-woerden.nl market is diffi cult, but a glimpse of relief is being experienced bythat Working backwards in this issue; in East Africa, Ethiopia’s der Ploeg Woerden, the552 Netherlands T (31) 34 84 313440 393 FAP(31) 34 84 32 info@fbw-woerden.nl Working backwards inmost this issue; in East Africa, Ethiopia’s will make itpot the modern and functional single level facilities in the Ron van Circulation Administration: FBW Woerden P.O. Box 612, made a well-timed appearance in Europe.

T (31) 72 53 23 522 F (31) 72 53 23 521 34 84 31 393 34 84 32 552 info@fbw-woerden.nl Editors: Anabel Evans (anabel@fl oracultureinternational.com) the and bedding plant growers with the spring sunshine having Working backwards in this issue; in East Africa, Ethiopia’s explosive fl oriculture growth is being reined back, but in another FloraCulture T (31)(anabel@fl 34 84International 31 oracultureinternational.com) 393 F (31) 34 84 32 552 info@fbw-woerden.nl der Ploeg Workingplenty backwards in this issue;back, in East Ethiopia’s Editors: Anabel Evans explosive growth is natural being reined butAfrica, in another Dennis worldfloriculture offering of daylight.

3440 AP Woerden, the Netherlands Circulation Administration: FBW Woerden P.O. 313, Box 612, Editors: Anabel Evans (anabel@fl oracultureinternational.com) Ron van der Ploeg (ron@fl oracultureinternational.com) made a well-timed appearance in Europe. explosive fl oriculture growth is being reined back, but in another snippet of news received from David Gray it appears that Dennis Business address: ECA Office 140-21, Legmeerdijk Seriese Editors: Anabel Evans (anabel@floracultureinternational.com) explosive floriculture growth isitbeing reined back, but in another Ron van der Ploeg (ron@fl oracultureinternational.com) snippet of news received from David Gray appears that Dennis Seriese T (31) 34der 84 31Edward 393 F (31) 34Chris 84 32 552 info@fbw-woerden.nl Working backwards in are this issue; in aEast Africa, Ethiopia’s 3440 AP Woerden, the Netherlands Dennis Ron van Ploeg (ron@fl oracultureinternational.com) Editorial team: Bent, Beytes, Lotte Bjarke, Arturo Croci, snippet of news from David Gray it appears that logistics East received Africa receiving boost.

He writes that if 1431 GB Seriese vanAalsmeer der Ploeg (ron@fl oracultureinternational.com) snippet ofin news received from David Gray itthat appears Editorial Edward Bent, Chris Beytes, Lotte Bjarke, Arturo Croci, logistics in East Africa are receiving a boost.

He writes if but Seriese team: Ron The 2013 IPM Essen show, which will open its doors onthat January Editors: Anabel Evans (anabel@fl oracultureinternational.com) explosivein floriculture growth is being reined back, in another T (31) 34team: 84Postbus 31David 393 1081, FGray, (31) 34Chris 84BB 32 552 info@fbw-woerden.nl Editorial Edward Bent, Beytes, Lotte Arturo Croci, Hans De Vries, Kerry Herndon, HelenBjarke, Moody, Working backwards in this issue; in East Africa, Ethiopia’s logistics East Africa are receiving a boost.

He writes that infrastructure, communications and transport are the key toif Postal address: 1430 Aalsmeer team: Edward Bent,Helen Chris Moody, Beytes, Lotte Bjarke, Arturo Croci, infrastructure, logistics in Eastcome Africa are receiving a boost.

He writes that ifthe Dennis Hans De Vries, Editorial David Gray, Kerry Herndon, communications and are thetime! key to the that 22-25, couldn’t at atransport more perfect From the complete Ron van der Ploeg (ron@fl oracultureinternational.com) snippet ofhave received from Gray itin appears Editors: Evans (anabel@fl oracultureinternational.com) Hans DeAnabel Vries, David Gray, Kerry Herndon, Helen Moody, Petitjean, Marta Pizano, Leaora Policar, Jennifer White Marie-Françoise explosive flnews oriculture growth isDavid being reined back, but in infrastructure, and transport are the key to the development ofcommunications horticulture and economies general theanother news Seriese T (31) 297 769 095 F (31) 297 365 366 Hans De Vries, David Gray, Kerry Herndon, Helen Moody, infrastructure, communications and transport are the key to thethe Petitjean,team: Marta Pizano,Bent, Leaora Policar, Jennifer White Marie-Françoise ofofhorticulture and economies in general theHe news Dennis diversitysnippet plants and flowers via floristry highlights right upnews Editorial Edward Chris Beytes, LottePolicar, Bjarke,Jennifer Arturo White Croci, development logistics innews East Africa arefrom receiving aGray boost. writes that ifto Ron van der Ploeg (ron@flHamrick oracultureinternational.com) Petitjean, Marta Pizano, Leaora Marie-Françoise Founding editor: Debbie of received David it appears that development of horticulture and economies in general the of: new roads linking Addis Ababa with Nairobi; a proposed new Seriese FBW Woerden P.O. Box 612, Circulation Administration: Petitjean, Marta Pizano, Leaora Policar, Jennifer White of: new Marie-Françoise development of horticulture and economies in general the news Founding Debbie Hamrick Claudia editor: roads linking Addis Ababa with Nairobi; a proposed new newest logistics trends from equipment and services - key over Hans De team: Vries, David Gray, Kerry HelenBjarke, Moody, infrastructure, communications and are toif1,500 the Editorial Edward Bent, ChrisHerndon, Beytes, Lotte Arturo Croci, Founding editor: Debbie Hamrick Cover: Pack Trials in East Africa are receiving atransport boost.

He writes that of: new roads linking Addis Ababa with Nairobi; aa the proposed new railway line ontechnology, the Kenyan Coast from Addis Ababa to Lamu; a Claudia Stokreef 3440 APCalifornia Woerden, the Netherlands Founding editor: Debbie Hamrick new roads linking Addis AbabaAbaba with Nairobi; new Cover: California Pack Trials Claudia line of: on the Kenyan Coast from Addis to Lamu; aproposed exhibitors from more than 40 countries will present themselves at Stokreef Petitjean, Marta Pizano, Leaora Policar, Jennifer White railway Marie-Françoise development of horticulture and economies in general the news Claudia Hans De Vries, David Gray, Kerry Herndon, Helen Moody, Cover: California Pack Trials Publisher: FloraCulture International B.V. infrastructure, communications and transport are the key to the railway line on the Kenyan Coast from Addis Ababa to Lamu; aa the new railway line from Tanzania to Uganda; Delta Airlines about Stokreef T (31) 34 84 31 393 F (31) 34 84 32 552 info@fbw-woerden.nl Angie FloraCulture Cover: California Pack Trials line on the Kenyan Coast from Addis Ababa to Lamu; Publisher: International B.V. Stokreef new world's railway railway line from Tanzania toAddis Uganda; Delta Airlines about largest horticultural trade show.

The top position of between IPM ESSEN Founding editor: Debbie Hamrick Duffree of: new roads linking Ababa with Nairobi; a proposed new Petitjean, Marta Pizano, Leaora Policar, Jennifer White Marie-Françoise Publisher: FloraCulture International B.V. (jaap@fl oracultureinternational.com) development of horticulture and economies in general the news new railway line from Tanzania to Uganda; Delta Airlines about to start direct fl ights between Nairobi and Atlanta; a deal Editors: Ron van der Ploeg (ron@floracultureinternational.com) Publisher: FloraCulture International B.V. Claudiaoracultureinternational.com) new railway line from Tanzania to Uganda; Airlines about (jaap@fl to start flagain ights between Nairobi and Atlanta; a the dealDelta between willdirect once be on underpinned not only by constantly growing Cover: Pack railway line the Kenyan Coast from Addis Ababa to Lamu; a Founding editor: Debbie Hamrick (jaap@fl oracultureinternational.com) T (31) California 20 61 Chris 82 666 FTrials (31) 20 61Bjarke, 81 333Arturo Croci, of: new roads linking Addis Ababa with Nairobi; a proposed new Stokreef to start direct fl ights between Nairobi and Atlanta; a deal between Kenya’s Astral Aviation and Etihad Crystal Cargo for the NairobiEditorial team: Beytes, Lotte to start direct fl ights between Nairobi and Atlanta; a deal between Claudia T (31) 20 61 82(jaap@fl 666 F oracultureinternational.com) (31)FloraCulture 20 61 81 333 Kenya’s Astral Aviation and Etihad Crystal Cargo for the Nairobiinternationality amongst the exhibitors and the visitors but also Publisher: International B.V. new railway line from Tanzania Uganda; Delta about Cover: California Pack T (31)Gerber, 20Hollandia 61 82 666 FTrials (31) 20 61 81 333 Printer: Printing, Heerhugowaard railway line on the Kenyan from Addis Ababa to Lamu; aby an Kenya’s Astral Aviation and Etihad Crystal for the NairobiAbu Dhabi route; should allCoast havetopositive effCargo ects onAirlines the economic Stokreef Audrey Marie-Françoise and Jennifer White T (31) 20 61 Heerhugowaard 82 666 F (31) 20Petitjean 61 81 333 Kenya’s Astral Aviation and Etihad Crystal Cargo for the NairobiPrinter: Printing, Abu Dhabi route; should all have positive eff ects on the economic extensive range on offer as well as a first-class supporting programme.

Arturo Hollandia (jaap@fl oracultureinternational.com) to start direct fl ights between Nairobi andeff Atlanta; athe deal between Publisher: FloraCulture International B.V. Printer: Hollandia Printing, Heerhugowaard Designer: Hollandia Media Productions new railway line from Tanzania to Uganda; Delta Airlines about Abu Dhabi route; should all have positive ects on economic development of East Africa in the medium to long term.

Founding editor: Debbie Hamrick Arturo Croci Printer: Hollandia Printing, Heerhugowaard Abu Dhabi route; should all have positive effects on theexpect economic Designer: Productions development of the East Africa inmeeting the medium toat long term.

For 2013, point Messe will around Arturo Hollandia Croci T (31)Media 20 61 82 Kohler 666 FMedia (31) 20 61 81 333 Kenya’s Astral and Etihad Crystal Cargo for the Nairobi(jaap@fl oracultureinternational.com) Designer: Hollandia Productions Cartoonist: Bas to start sectoral direct ights between Nairobi and Essen Atlanta; a deal between development offlAviation East Africa in medium to long Arturo Publisher: International Croci Designer: Hollandia Media Productions East will Africa in the the long term. term.

Cartoonist: Bas Kohler FloraCulture Croci 60,000 development trade visitorsofwho want to medium establishtobusiness contacts, to

& Administration ces Editorial Editorial & Administration Offices Offi Editorial & Administration Offi Editorial & Administration Offices ces Editorial & Administration Offi ‘Concordia res parvae crescunt’ces Editorial & Administration Offices

With compliments With With compliments compliments

Editorial & Administration Offices

Printer: Printing, Heerhugowaard Abu Dhabi route; shouldand allopening have positive effCargo ects onfor the economic T (31) 20Hollandia 61Bas 82 Kohler 666 F (31) 20 61 81 333 Cartoonist: Kenya’s Astral Aviation Etihad Crystal the NairobiIn Taiwan, the presidential of the International Orchid (jaap@floracultureinternational.com) Cartoonist: Bas Kohler Arturo In Taiwan, the presidential opening of further the International Orchid consolidate existing even and to obtain information Designer: Hollandia Media Productions development ofones East Africa inhave the positive medium to long term.

Printer: Hollandia Printing, Heerhugowaard Abu Dhabi route; should allopening eff ects on the Orchid economic In Taiwan, the presidential of the International Show is an indication in itself about the pride the nation takes in about Croci Printer: Habo DaCosta In Taiwan, the presidential opening of the International Orchid Showinnovations, is an indication in itself about the pride thefuture nationperspectives takes in Arturo market opportunities and in the green Cartoonist: Bas Kohler Designer: Hollandia Media Productions Europe, Africa, Asia/Pacifi c development of East Africa in the medium to long term.

Show is an indication in itself about the pride the nation takes its orchid innovations, in particular for their phalaenopsis exports.

Designers: SDA Print + Media, Dirk van der Burgh Croci Africa, Asia/Pacific Show25. is anin indication infor itself about the pride exports. the nation takes in in Europe, its orchid innovations, particular their phalaenopsis sector.

Page Lotte In Taiwan, the presidential opening of the International Orchid Cartoonist: Bas Kohler Europe, Africa, Asia/Pacifi c International Accounts Management: its orchid innovations, in particular for their phalaenopsis exports.

Th e Breeder Open Days in the Netherlands for the number one in Copy correction and sub-editing: Vanessa Heinrich Lotte Bjarke Europe, Africa, Asia/Pacifi c orchid innovations, in particular fornumber their phalaenopsis exports.

International Accounts Management: The Breeder its Open in the Netherlands for the onenation in takes Lotte Bjarke Show isDays an indication in in itself about pride the inin International Dennis Seriese Accounts (dennis@flManagement: oracultureinternational.com) In the presidential opening ofkey; the International Orchid Th eeTaiwan, Open Days the Netherlands for the one cut flBreeder owers were, conversely, very lowthe quality isnumber the renowned Lotte Bjarke International Accounts Management: Th Breeder Open Days in the Netherlands for the number one in Dennis Seriese (dennis@fl oracultureinternational.com) cut fl owers were, conversely, very low key; quality is the renowned Even the trade shows, however, go through down cycles, but Bjarke Europe, Africa, Asia/Pacifi c itsbest orchid particular for their phalaenopsis exports.

Dennis Seriese (dennis@fl oracultureinternational.com) Angie Duff ree (angie@fl oracultureinternational.com) Show ispoint, aninnovations, indication inin itself about the pride the nation takes in the cut fl owers were, conversely, very low key; quality is the renowned selling however, especially for those Dutch rose growers Dennis Seriese (dennis@fl oracultureinternational.com) cut fl owers were, conversely, very low key; quality is the renowned Angie oracultureinternational.com) selling point, however, especially for those Dutch rose growers LotteDuffree (angie@fl mark of a true survivor is the ability to minimise the length of those International Accounts Management: Theorchid Breeder Open Daysin in the Netherlands for therose number one in Europe, Africa, Asia/Pacifi c61 81 333 M(31) 62 21 65 220 Angie Duff oracultureinternational.com) T(31)20 61ree 82(angie@fl 666 F (31)20 its innovations, particular for their phalaenopsis exports. selling point, however, especially for those Dutch whose existence is being threatened by current economic conditions.

Bjarke 61 82 Europe, Africa, Asia/Pacific Angie ree 61 (angie@fl selling point, however, especially for those Dutch rose growers growers T(31)20 666 FDuff (31)20 81 333oracultureinternational.com) M(31) 62 21 65 220 whose existence isowers being threatened by current economic conditions. weaker years and come back strong asby ever.

In few years, Lotte Dennis Seriese (dennis@fl oracultureinternational.com) cut were, conversely, very low key; quality the renowned International Accounts Management: T(31)20 61 82 666 F (31)20 61 81 333 M(31) 62 21 65 220 Office Manager: Claudia Stokreef Th eflBreeder Open Days as in the Netherlands forthe theispast number one in whose existence is being threatened current economic conditions.

International Accounts Management: Bjarke T(31)20 61 82 666 F (31)20 61 81 333 M(31) 62 21 65 220 whose existence is being threatened by current economic conditions.

OfficePizaManager: Claudia ree Stokreef it seemed that the Iberflora trade show inthose thequality Eastern Spanish city of Marta Angie (angie@fl oracultureinternational.com) selling point, however, especially for Dutch rose growers Dennis Seriese (dennis@fl oracultureinternational.com) OfficeDuff Manager: Claudia Stokreef (claudia@fl oracultureinternational.com) cut fl owers were, conversely, very low key; is the renowned Quality is also the overwhelming message of our substrates FloraCulture International, Marta Piza- node Office Manager: Claudia Stokreef Marquezoracultureinternational.com) (claudia@fl Quality is also the stuck overwhelming message of our substrates Valencia was in the midst of one of those down cycles.

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Angie Duff ree (angie@fl oracultureinternational.com) (claudia@fl FloraCulture International B.V. selling point, however, especially for those Dutch rose growers Quality is the overwhelming message of our special.

Th e RHP Foundation is guiding the “will to improve” Piza- Business address: Office 140-21, Legmeerdijk 313, node Marquez (claudia@fl oracultureinternational.com) Quality is also also the overwhelming message of Green our substrates substrates FloraCulture B.V.ECA special.

Th e RHP Foundation is guiding the “will to improve” ofVitamins (the it came back stronger than ever.

A mega dose of node Marquez International Offi ce Manager: Claudia Stokreef T(31)20 61 666AB F (31)20 61 333 M(31) 62 21 65 220 FloraCulture International B.V. P .O.GB BoxAalsmeer 82,82 1850 Heiloo, the81Netherlands whose existence is being threatened by current economic conditions. special.

Th e RHP Foundation is guiding the “will to improve” of 50 affi liated companies.

And where substrates control of growth 1431 FloraCulture International B.V. Th e And RHPwhere Foundation is guiding “will to improve” of P.O. Box AB Heiloo, the Netherlands 50 affi liated special. companies. substrates controlthe of Marta Piza-82, 1850 official theme) boosted of new initiatives and exciting ideas. (claudia@fl Quality is also the overwhelming message ofgrowth our substrates Offi ce Manager: Claudia P .O. Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, theBB Netherlands T (31)72 53oracultureinternational.com) 23 522 F (31)Stokreef 72 53 23 521 M (31) 63 03 99 450 50 affi liated companies. where substrates control of growth is hidden from ourplenty sight,And the crop protection series

by Louise node Marquez Postal address: Postbus 1081, 1430 Aalsmeer, the Netherlands P .O. Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, the Netherlands 50 affi liated companies.

And where substrates control of growth T (31)72 522 F (31) 72 53 23 521 M (31) 63 03 99 450 is hidden from our sight, the crop protection series by Louise Page 16.

Marta Piza-53 23FloraCulture International B.V. special.

Th e RHP Foundation is guiding the tobyimprove” of T (31)72 53oracultureinternational.com) 23 522 (31)297 72 53 23 521 (31) Italy, Southern France: Quality isfrom also the overwhelming message of “will our substrates is hidden our the series Labuschagne focuses on sustainable programs to assist in optimum T (claudia@fl (31) 297 769 095 FF 366 MM (31) 6263 2103 6599 220450 node Marquez T (31)72 53 23 522 F(31) (31) 72365 53 23 521 M (31) 63 03 99 450 hidden on from our sight, sight, the crop crop protection protection

by Louise Louise Italy, Southern France: Labuschagneis sustainable programs tosubstrates assist in series optimum William P.O. Box 82, 1850 AB Heiloo, 50focuses affi liated companies.

And where control ofinin growth FloraCulture International B.V.the Netherlands Italy, Southern France: Arturo Croci (arturo@fl oracultureinternational.com) special.

The RHP Foundation is guiding the to improve” Labuschagne focuses on sustainable programs to assist optimum control above the ground.

Sustainability also“will goes hand handof Dennis Seriese (dennis@floracultureinternational.com) William Italy, Southern France: Labuschagne focuses on sustainable programs to assist in optimum Armellini Arturo Croci (arturo@fl oracultureinternational.com) control above ground.

Sustainability also goes handwith inseries hand Speaking about new ideas, FCI recently spoke Ruud director William T (31)72 53 23 522Bjarke F Heiloo, (31) 72 53 521 M (31) 63 03 99 450 is the hidden from our sight, the crop protection

by Louise Armellini P .O. Box 82, 1850 AB the23 Netherlands Arturo Croci (arturo@fl oracultureinternational.com) Scandinavia: Lotte (lotte@fl oracultureinternational.com) 50 affithe liated companies.

And where substrates control ofKnorr, growth control above the ground.

Sustainability also goes hand hand with vision and hard work of Meiny Prins, managing director William Angie Duffree (angie@floracultureinternational.com) Arturo Croci (arturo@fl oracultureinternational.com) control above the ground.

Sustainability also him goes hand in inbusiness hand and Armellini Scandinavia: Lotte Bjarke (lotte@fl oracultureinternational.com) withof the vision and hard work ofRhein-Maas.

Meiny Prins, We managing director flower auction Veiling asked about Armellini Italy, Southern France: Labuschagne focuses on sustainable programs to assist in optimum T (31)72 53 23 522 F (31) 72 53 23 521 M (31) 63 03 99 450 Scandinavia: Lotte Bjarke (lotte@fl oracultureinternational.com) LB Text & Idé, Søndervej 10, 8350 Hundslund, Denmark T(45) 21 48 75 30 is hidden from our sight, the crop protection series by Louise with the vision and hard work of Meiny Prins, managing director of Priva, whose accomplishments have been rewarded with the Miguel Mendes de Leon (info@floracultureinternational.com) Scandinavia: Bjarke (lotte@fl oracultureinternational.com) withaccomplishments theand vision and hard ofrewarded Meiny Prins, managing director LB Text & Idé, Søndervej 10,Lotte 8350 Hundslund, Denmark T(45) 21 48 75 30 of Priva, whose havework been with the hand William opportunities that lie ahead for German Dutch Arturo Croci oracultureinternational.com) control above the Sustainability also goes hand Italy, Southern France: LB Text & Idé,(arturo@fl Søndervej 10, 8350 Hundslund, Denmark T(45) 21 48 75 30 the challenges Marta Pizano de Marquez (marta@fl oracultureinternational.com) Labuschagne focuses sustainable programs tothe assist ininoptimum of Priva, whose accomplishments have been rewarded with the Businesswoman ofground. theonYear award.

MSouth (31) 6America: 81543366 Armellini LB Text & Idé, de Søndervej 10, 8350 Hundslund, Denmark T(45) 21 48 75Businesswoman 30 flower auction of Priva, whose accomplishments have been rewarded with the South America: Marta Pizano Marquez (marta@fl oracultureinternational.com) of the Year award. and its role inYear the international market.

Page 10.

William Scandinavia: Lotte Bjarke (lotte@fl oracultureinternational.com) with the vision and hard work of Meiny Prins, managing director Arturo Croci (arturo@fl oracultureinternational.com) South America: Marta Pizano de Marquez (marta@fl oracultureinternational.com) Horti Tecnia Ltda., Calle 85 No20-25 Of. 202B, Bogotá, Colombia control above the ground.

Sustainability also goes hand in hand Businesswoman of the award.

Italy, Southern France: South America: Marta Pizano de Marquez (marta@fl oracultureinternational.com) Armellini Businesswoman of the Year award.

Horti Calle No20-25 Of.10, 202B, Bogotá, Colombia PaulTecnia Ltda., LB Text &85 Idé, 8350 Hundslund, Denmark 21 48 75 30 of Priva, whosecrosses accomplishments have been rewarded withdirector Scandinavia: Lotte (lotte@fl Horti Tecnia Ltda., Calle 85 No20-25 Of.hortitec@unete.com 202B, Bogotá, T(45) Colombia T (57) 15 30 20Søndervej 36Bjarke F (57) 12 36 oracultureinternational.com) 25 54 with the vision and hard Meiny Prins, managing Sustainability overwork intooflogistics under the subject ofthe Arturo Croci, (acearturo@yahoo.it) Paul Horti Tecnia Ltda., Calle 85 No20-25 Of. 202B, Bogotá, Colombia TBlack (57) 15 30 20 36 F (57) 12 36 25 54 hortitec@unete.com Sustainability crosses over into logistics under the subject of this issue, our colleague Eyal Policar andrewarded Saleh provide Paul South Marta de36Marquez (marta@fl oracultureinternational.com) Black Businesswoman ofthe the Yearinto award.

LB TextAmerica: & Idé, 10, 8350 Hundslund, Denmark T(45) 21 48 75 30 Also in of T (57) 15 30 20Søndervej 36Bjarke F Pizano (57) 12 25 54 hortitec@unete.com Miami: William Armellini(William@fl oracultureinternational.com) Priva, whose accomplishments have been with the Sustainability crosses over logistics under the of eCommerce since streamlining of shipments is subject aAdwan key outcome Paul Scandinavia: Lotte (post@lottebjarke.dk) T (57) 15 30 20 36 F (57) 12 36 25 54 hortitec@unete.com Black Sustainability crosses over into logistics under the subject of They Miami: Armellini(William@fl oracultureinternational.com) eCommerce since the streamlining ofthe shipments is ahorticulture key outcome scene. a comprehensive overview of Jordanian Black WilliamHorti Tecnia Ltda., Calle 85 No20-25 Of. 202B, Bogotá, Colombia South America: Marta Pizano de Hundslund, Marquez (marta@fl oracultureinternational.com) Miami: William Armellini(William@fl oracultureinternational.com) USA, Canada, Central America: Businesswoman of the Year award. eCommerce since the streamlining of shipments is a key outcome resulting from using this tool.

Auctions around the world also LB Text & Idé, Søndervej 10, 8350 Denmark Miami: William Armellini(William@floracultureinternational.com) eCommerce since the streamlining of isand a keythe outcome USA, Central America: resulting from using to thisAmman’s tool.

Auctions around theshipments world also PaulCanada, Horti travelled down Bursa, the auction T (57)Canada, 15 30Ltda., 20Central 36Calle F (57) 36 25 54 hortitec@unete.com Sustainability crosses over into logistics under the subject ofhub of the Tecnia 85 12 No20-25 Of.Lucas 202B, Bogotá, Colombia USA, America: Nicholas resulting from using this tool.

Auctions around the world also facilitate direct sales and the world ishouse not leaving T Paul (45) Black 21 48(pblack@ballpublishing.com) 75 30 Black USA, Canada, Central America: resulting from using thisworld tool.virtual Auctions around the worldthem also Paul Black (pblack@ballpublishing.com) Lucas Nicholas facilitate direct sales and the virtual is not leaving them Jordanian horticulture scene.

Page 30.

Paul Miami: William Armellini(William@fl oracultureinternational.com) eCommerce since theand streamlining of shipments is a key them outcome T (57) 15 30 20 36 FAmerica: (57) 12 36 25Publishing, 54 Lucas hortitec@unete.com Paul Black (pblack@ballpublishing.com) Nicholas (lnicholas@ballpublishing.com) Ball 622 Town Road, Sustainability crosses over into logistics under the subject ofthe facilitate direct sales the virtual world is not leaving behind; FloraHolland persists in its ambition to strengthen USA, Canada, Central Black Paul Black (pblack@ballpublishing.com) Lucas Nicholas facilitate direct sales andambition the virtual world is notthe leaving them (lnicholas@ballpublishing.com) Ball Publishing, 622 Town Road, behind; FloraHolland persists in its to strengthen Lucas USA,Box Canada, Central America: resultingFloraHolland from Auctions around the also Miami: William Armellini(William@fl oracultureinternational.com) (lnicholas@ballpublishing.com) Publishing, Town Road, PO 1660, West Chicago, ILBall 60186, United 622 States eCommerce since thethis streamlining of shipments is aworld key outcome behind; persists in its ambition strengthen the marketplace forusing Europe, atool. continuation of theto Dutch auctions’ Lucas Paul Black (pblack@ballpublishing.com) Nicholas (lnicholas@ballpublishing.com) Ball Publishing, 622 Town Road, behind; FloraHolland persists in its ambition to strengthen the this PO Box 1660, West Chicago, IL 60186, United States Lucas Nicholas marketplace for Europe, a continuation ofvirtual the auctions’ Lucas At the start of a direct new year, everyone hereDutch at FCI like to take Nicholas Paul Black (pblack@ballpublishing.com) facilitate sales and the world iswould not leaving them USA, Canada, Central America: POPublishing, Box West Chicago, Lucas T(1)6 301660, 23 13 675 F(1)6 30 IL 2360186, 15 254United States resulting from using this tool.

Auctions around the world also marketplace for Europe, a continuation of the Dutch auctions’ long history of achievement.

Ball 622 Town Road, Nicholas PO Box 1660, West Chicago, IL 60186, United States marketplace for Europe, a continuation of the Dutch auctions’ T(1)6 30 23 13 675 F(1)6 30 23 15 254 long history of achievement.

Nicholas opportunity toFloraHolland wish you a prosperous New isYear.

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Eyal Beytes has aa well-penned article bringing to life the California Pack Trials, which, like thecolumnists, auctions, Policar China: Dr Sun Jing Xian (consultingflower@yahoo.com.cn) Japan: Eiji Yoshikawa (callems@world.odn.ne.jp) Beytes has well-penned article bringing to life the EyalInc., 2-22-8 EMS Matsubara, Setagaya-ku,Tokyo 156-0043, Japan California Pack Trials, which, like the auctions, Policar and technical reviewers for their time andhistory expertise.

T (81) (972) 5432 4275 97756 002 (972) 86 58 Eyal To end at the beginning, in have the Sunshine State of California, Chris Middle East: Eyal Policar (eyal@fl EMS Inc., 2-22-8 Matsubara, 156-0043, Japan T 33 FF(81) 33Setagaya-ku,Tokyo 32 oracultureinternational.com) 27 19 93307 California Pack Trials, which, like the are another institution that a long Policar Deshpande (team@kisan.com) Inc., 2-22-8 Setagaya-ku,Tokyo 156-0043, Japan California Pack Trials, which, like the auctions, auctions,in Policar T (81) 33 32 India: 75EMS 756Niranjan F Eiji (81) 33 32Matsubara, 27 933 are another institution that have a long history in Japan: Yoshikawa (callems@world.odn.ne.jp) Beytes has ainstitution well-penned article bringing to lifeofthe T (972) 543242 002 (972) (81) 33 7597 756 FF (81) 33 86 32 58 27 19 93307 East Africa: David Gray (gray@africaonline.co.ke) To end at the beginning, in the Sunshine State California, Chris are another that have a long history presenting innovative ideas and quality products.

T (91) 20 302 52 000 Eyal T (81) 33(gray@africaonline.co.ke) 32 75 756 F (81) 33 32 27 933 are another institution thatproducts. have a long history in in East Africa: David Niranjan presenting innovative ideas and quality EMSGray Inc., Setagaya-ku,Tokyo 156-0043, Japan California Trials, which, like the auctions, Japan: Eiji2-22-8 Yoshikawa (callems@world.odn.ne.jp) Policar East Africa: David Gray (gray@africaonline.co.ke) South Africa: CillaMatsubara, Lowen (cilla@fl oracultureinternational.com) Beytes has Pack a well-penned article bringing to life the presenting innovative ideas and quality products.

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Eyal South Africa: Cilla Lowen (cilla@fl oracultureinternational.com) T (81) 33 75 756 (81)(cilla@fl 33Setagaya-ku,Tokyo 32 27 933 are anotherPack institution have a long history in EMS 2-22-8 Matsubara, 156-0043, Japan South Africa: Cilla Lowen oracultureinternational.com) T (27)Inc., 22 32 4857058 FF(27) 22 4857415 California Trials, that which, like the auctions, Policar SouthF Africa: Cilla Lowen (cilla@floracultureinternational.com) Eiji 22 4857058 T (27) (27) 22 4857415 East Africa: David Gray (gray@africaonline.co.ke) presenting innovative products.

T (81) 33 32 75 756 F (81) 33 32 27 933 (27) 22 4857058 F (27) 22 4857415 are another institution that and havequality a long history in Eiji Anabel Evans, Editor ideas Yoshikawa T (27) 22 4857058 F (27) 22 4857415 Eiji FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) is published monthly. Anabel Evans, Editor oshikawa Eiji South Africa: Cilla Gray Lowen (cilla@floracultureinternational.com) East Africa: David (gray@africaonline.co.ke) presenting innovative ideas and quality products.

Anabel Evans, Editor FloraCulture International (ISSN1051-9076) isispublished monthly.

Yoshikawa Worldwide distribution. ©2009 FloraCulture International magazine.

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January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Veiling Rhein-Maas FCI recently spoke with Ruud Knorr, director of flower auction Veiling Rhein-Maas, about business and asked him about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the German Dutch flower auction and its role in the international market

Growth in clock sales So Ruud, let me start with the first question. How is your company doing?

“Quite well. There are always things we could have done better but overall I feel satisfied. 2012 showed good growth and higher prices for our growers. At the end of the day, our “raison d'être” is to help growers achieve the best possible price.

Until week 45 we saw a 10.5% increase in prices, compared to 2011, for the total range of products. This has resulted in a turnover growth of around 5.7%. Also, last year, the ongoing streamlining of our operational process started to bear fruit with lower costs and higher revenues than expected in our budget.”

Did the economic downturn affected your business as much this year as it did in previous years?

by Ron van der Ploeg

“The financial crisis continues to dominate the news, but there are

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | January 2013

two sides to every story. Speaking of crisis, one could imagine that at the beginning of a crisis people go out less and prefer to stay in their own home and garden, which is good for our business. On the other hand, individual buyers and growers really suffer. It is becoming increasingly difficult to secure payments from floral wholesalers. Bank guarantees are an effective way of securing performance and payment in an increasingly challenging business environment but obviously they are very time consuming.

At grower’s level, a one cent higher or lower yield can make the difference between business success and business closure. Especially the German cut flower growers face sky high energy prices as they don’t benefit from preferential gas prices like their Dutch counterparts do.

In contrast, German nursery stock growers can look back on a good season.

Over the last ten years, operating margins have shrunk significantly.

I think the situation is much more tense than before. Nevertheless, no matter how difficult the path is, growers have always had the ability to persevere and hope for better times. That’s their unique strength, mentality and culture.

I reckon the real effects of the crisis are still to come. When you talk to the banks, it’s not a happy story they tell. Their prediction is that a number of nurseries and wholesale companies will fold in the next few years. Consumers continue to tighten their wallets and it is clear that next year we’ll have to work harder to achieve the same results.”

Whilst they are managing to endure this difficult period, growers would welcome a helping hand from Veiling Rhein-Maas…

“Veiling Rhein-Maas takes an pro active approach by organising grower meetings. The main goal is to bring growers and customers together. This month, for example, we’ll hold our second Grower and Customer Day which will host an exciting line of speakers who will talk about trends and marketing tools. Our assortment managers will be present to find out about the product mix that fits the Veiling Rhein-Maas market place the most.

Ultimately the decision of what to grow is taken by the individual entrepreneur, but we try to help him.

In our annual production review, for example we ask growers what quantities and varieties they plan to market at our auction. It has also become increasingly important for auctions to work together with the breeders to ensure the right amount of specialist products at our market place.”

How big an issue is the lack of specialist products?

“Statistics from FloraHolland reveal that the problem isn’t as urgent as the Dutch association of floral wholesalers would like to let us believe. Nevertheless we are keen on providing a complete range of cut flowers and pot plants. Last month, I traveled to Israel, a country that has witnessed a significant decline in summer flower production.

Gone are the days when Israeli growers sold 80 trolleys of

Limonium in front of our clock.

Especially in winter time the absence of Israelean summer flowers is clearly visible. We are doing our utmost to meet the demand by teaming up with Puglia (Southern Italy) based growers. We try to convince them to grow Matthiola, Calendula and Antirrhinum. Puglia has the potential of becoming the new Israel. The flowers can be trucked to our logistic hub in Latina to be regrouped ready for the North European flower auctions.

We are currently sourcing Ranunculus from Italian growers, who last year were invited to our auction.

Meanwhile we continue to look after our local growers as they are the foundation of our success. The Western European market isn’t growing. The cake is divided and we have to enlarge our slice, which is a very difficult and time consuming process.”

Is Veiling Rhein-Maas really evolving into an online sales platform?

“Not yet. Last year we estimated the KOA (Kopen Op Afstand = remote buying system) sales would increase to 20%. But by the end of 2012 we had only reached a modest 17% to 18% KOA growth. We now have 219 KOA buyers and see ourselves as ‘followers’ rather than leaders. We carefully look at what is happening in the Netherlands where is much more pressure to go virtual. The truth is that our auction room is still filled with 450 to 500 buyers on a Monday and Wednesday morning and more than 350 buyers on other weekdays.

We are proud of our own specific buyer’s audience including small to medium-sized wholesalers who attach great value to checking the product with their own eyes.

In terms of online sales, 2013 will be an important year as we will have to deliver the Linnaeus project which aims at a massive reduction of the VBN product codes. For the introduction of six new digital sort codes, we’ll make partly use of projection technology. Meanwhile, we will continue to expand our own KOA system as the move to online

Ruud Knorr becomes sole CEO of Veiling Rhein-Maas

services is unstoppable. We don’t care that we’re a little bit behind as we are trying to combine the best of two worlds by using the Landgard and the FloraHolland systems. If you ask me if the auction clock will continue to exist, my answer is that I don’t foresee any real change for the next three years.

One should also take into account that Veiling Rhein-Maas has its own specific buyers audience, receiving 50% of its revenue from pot plants. As can be witnessed in the Netherlands, online sales of cut flowers grow much faster than those of pot plants. It is estimated that at the Dutch auctions about 85% to 90% of the cut flowers are bought via the KOA remote buying system while the KOA share of pot plants is only 25%. Being a high value product, pot plants are more likely to be viewed by the buyers before the auction. KOA sales, however, continue to expand and recently started offering growers the opportunity to add real time images of their products. Veiling RheinMaas has eight clocks of which two are virtual. Most of the products still pass under the auction clock.

The pertinent question is whether we need to continue to send all these plants and flowers through this narrow stretch of the auction room at which traffic is held up.

Here we see a phenomenon where the capacity of our entire system is limited by the lowest-capacity part of our system.”

Ruud Knorr (pictured left) has become the sole CEO of the auction, as Willi Honnen moves to the role of Landgard business manager after sharing the Veiling Rhein-Maas leadership role for more than two years. Ruud Knorr became co-director of Veiling Rhein Maas in the autumn of 2010 and took up his new role as sole CEO as of January 1st, 2013.

>>>

conditions in Kenya and direct sales from African farms to non auction buyers. In our area snow and ice in February 2012 hammered sales activity and damaged 50% of the first flush Freiland roses followed by hail damage on peonies. In pot plants, we ask our growers to parti­ cipate in the online Jahresanliefermeldung and the Wochenmeldung, an annual and weekly pot plant supply prognosis, which greatly enhance the auction’s reliability in terms of balanced supplies. It helps us steer the auction process. The Advisory Board played a pivotal role in the implementation of these measures. In fact, we received their full support and it was their own idea to also introduce a penalty system for those growers who by Thursday 10 o’clock have not communicated their expected supply for the next week. This is a win-win situation with growers clearly seeing the benefit. There is less volume but a higher price.” >>>

Speaking of KOA , it is highly interesting to see how the new online sales and the old economic model are ‘doomed’ to live together.

There is often tension between the traditional sales channel and the online platform. The FloraHolland, a 25% shareholder of Veiling Rhein-Maas, clocks sales have dramatically dropped in favour of online sales.

How big is the tension in Herongen?

“FloraHolland’s 4% drop in clock sales was partly caused by a lack of import flowers due to cold weather

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Veiling Rhein-Maas If you would have to give the Veiling Rhein-Maas auction clock a mark out of ten what mark would you give it when it comes to overall performance?

“In terms of price setting a 7,5.

When benchmarking our results against the Dutch auctions, Veiling Rhein-Maas has more or less the same price level. During the course of the year, however there is still too much fluctuation in prices. One of our top priorities is to strengthen the buying power at the cut flowers clock. The problems is that we heavily depend on the German and more specifically the Nordrhein Westfalen market. This makes our business very local with hardly any peak sales in the run up to important international flower holidays such as Woman’s Day. Our business is also a very traditional one, with, for example, sales evolving the weeks before Christmas (Grüne Woche = green week) only around greens and typical Christmas items, while at the Dutch auctions sales on summer flowers, Gerberas and tulips are business as usual. We would love to generate more buying power at that time of year.”

How?

“Connecting Dutch buyers with our KOA system would be beneficial, but this requires a profound change of the supply chain. In this case, the Dutch flower trucks

would have to stop in Herongen to pick up the flower and plants and continue their onward journey to Germany. To truck KOA flowers and plants to the Netherlands is no option as they would arrive too late in Aalsmeer or Naaldwijk where trucks normally leave at 2 o’clock.”

It’s also a matter of mentality and this is normally very hard to change…

“There’s a long way to go, but we don’t just sit and wait. Last summer, we invited a group of 80 Dutch KOA buyers of which two are now buying at Veiling Rhein-Maas. It’s a beginning and it’s worth it. Some of these buyers didn’t even know about our existence, while others did but didn’t realise how big our business was. Don’t get me wrong, we are no Aalsmeer or Naaldwijk, but in peak sales season we still handle over 16,000 auction trollies and are proud to be the only flower auction reporting a growth in clock sales.”

Ruud Knorr, director of flower auction Veiling Rhein-Maas.

contract breach following a merger refusal. In what way does the Plantion topic influence the running of your auction in the longer term?

“Hardly. We and Plantion have different customers. Some of the customers that were previously buying at Venlo, switched to Plantion because our auction is too big for them. At Plantion the auction process finishes at 9 o’ clock while in Herongen it can happen that the last auction lot is sold at 11.30. But there are also growers and buyers who work with both auctions. Our relationship with Plantion is good and we meet each other twice a year.”

Returning to the topic of online sales, FloraHolland, a 25% parent company of Veiling Rhein-Maas is teaming up with Plantion to develop a virtual marketplace. Speaking of Plantion, did you follow the FloraHolland/Plantion saga last spring with Plantion suing FloraHolland for

What about your second parent company, Landgard? It finds itself in choppy waters...

In this tense situation, how big is the pressure from FloraHolland to acquire more Landgard shares?

In the peak sales season Veiling Rhein-Maas handles over 16,000 auction trollies.

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | January 2013

“Landgard has had a very difficult 2011, recognizing a loss for the first time in its history of €61,5 million. Indirectly, this will effect Veiling Rhein-Maas as it is closely linked with the bank’s investment policy in terms of appraising credit proposals. In terms of investments it’s only logical that we consider Landgard first as they have a 75% participation in our auction.

I reckon having two parent companies is very positive. Here in Herongen, we saw an influx of FloraHolland growers, but at the moment there are no indications that FloraHolland will increase its

participation in Veiling RheinMaas. If, however, Landgard ends up in a situation where the banks lose confidence, we could see things move very quickly. But that s merely speculation.”

In the long term, could this be an interesting scenario?

“Veiling Rhein-Maas continues to have aspirations to grow. As we speak, we have a waiting list of customers who would like to rent a space. However, we don’t have the money to enlarge our buildings.

Another wish is to renew our import department because from the logistical point of view it is badly situated which also goes for our CC depot. We might find another solution as Landgard owns several halls and clustering activities that could also be an option. If we are lucky we can create new space without building new premises. Meanwhile our 2013 budget was approved in November. It’s a different budget than if we had more money to invest. In 2013, we’ll continue to expand our market place, but not so fast as we would have wanted.”

Your biggest challenge?

“To get better acquainted with

our cut flower customers. Who are they, how often do they buy, what kind business do they run, who are the potential buyers and most of all, how can we persuade them to buy more frequently. The other challenges are more technical will have to be solved in a more concrete manner. In terms of customer service, it’s also about trust and fulfilling wishes. It is therefore necessary to maintain an expert service center, especially in the light of increasing KOA sales. Good packaging, products quality control, loading efficiency of auction trollies and added value products are more essential than ever. We’ll need an extra 3 of 4 account managers only for buyers.”

Veiling RheinMaas is full of life with over 450 buyers occupying our auction room in the morning.

Hopes for 2013?

“I hope that 2013 will bring us more or less the same weather conditions as last year and that we as an society will be able to cope with the constant negative media given to the economy. Sometimes it’s refreshing to go out into town on a Saturday afternoon. Seeing an impressive shopping crowd, one starts asking himself if we really are suffering from a crisis. Another pertinent question is how to cope

with demography. Our current consumers are from the baby boom generation but what about the next generation? Will they buy flowers and if yes how will they acquire them?

The auction’s role will change with a stronger focus on market developments. We will have to bring our buyers closer together with growers and breeders by organising market events. The auction clock has a future but the market is changing and we have to change along with it.

The flower auction an old fashioned institution? Let’s look at the facts.

The ongoing virtual systems mean disconnecting the selling process from the logistical process. This means closure of auction halls. By closing auction halls you unavoidably take out the soul of the auction. Buyers are now sitting in their own dealing rooms and it is even possible to sell from the grower’s coolstore to the buyer as long as you can guarantee a well oiled logistics process and timely delivery.

Meanwhile, Veiling Rhein-Maas is still full of life with over 450 buyers occupying our auction room in the morning. That we were able to achieve growth at the auction clock is mainly thanks to them.” |||

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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World News Norway

Yara well positioned for profitable growth Last month, Yara International ASA met with investors and analysts for Yara's Capital Markets Day to present market prospects, Yara's differentiated position and growth opportunities, and financial scenarios.

by William Armellini

Miami

Face it I am not sure I get Facebook yet. Sure I follow it like a sheep and read aimlessly about friends' lives and the lives of friends I did not know I had. When I recommended to my beautiful wife that she check it out said to me why would I get on Facebook no one knows me there? That might have been a mistake because now she is hooked like a fish and is sure that checking her wall often is vital.

These days if you are not on Facebook it is akin to not having a mobile phone (4G of course) and yet somehow I survived just fine without either in my life up to now.

I admit getting sucked into the open windows of so many others lives. Clearly you get to know people better as they parade their lives in front of those just willing to accept them as friends.

Speaking of friends, this use of the word “friends” makes me a bit uncomfortable. I don't know about you but in real life, the one of flesh and blood, I don't have so many people that I call friends.

I have thousands of acquaintances and many people I know on a first name basis but only a handful that I call real friends.

There are indeed good things about this public chalkboard. Like being able to promote your band or event, find like minded people, support a cause, share a laugh, shed a tear, express your political view or post something no one has even thought of yet. It has been a great tool for helping find homes for rescue dogs.

“For 2011/12 Yara delivered its highest seasonal EBITDA so far, reflecting the strength of its globally integrated business model even with a disappointing European season. Stronger urea prices have contributed to recent earnings growth, but European gas prices have almost doubled in the last 3 years, limiting the earnings growth in Yara’s European commodity (ammonia and urea) plants.

However, Yara’s upgrading and distribution activities have at the same time seen a strong positive earnings trend. Illustrating the different drivers and sensitivities of Yara’s value-added and commodity businesses is the focus area for today’s presentation”, says President and CEO Jørgen Ole Haslestad.

Yara presents new scenarios for future earnings at the Capital Markets Day. The scenarios are not a prediction of future results, but are “what if” examples based on selected fertilizer and energy price scenarios and Yara’s current business.

A supply-driven market where China is the highest-cost exporter translates into an estimated Earnings Per Share (EPS) of NOK 20 based on assumed domestic costs and zero margins, and an EPS of NOK 35 based on the average domestic price level in China during the 2012 low export tax period. A demand-driven scenario with USD 150 per ton urea margins yields an estimated EPS of NOK 57.

“Yara’s balance sheet has never been stronger, reflecting strong earnings from our globally integrated business model, and a deliberate effort to build financial flexibility for growth execution.

Yara intends to use its financial flexibility both to realize well-timed profitable growth, and to return cash to shareholders in line with its policy”, says President and CEO Jørgen Ole Haslestad. |||

Businesses are beginning to pay less and less attention to their websites and more and more to their social media presence. This is where it gets more complex. Speaking strictly for myself, I am not sure how to do much more on Facebook than post some text, pictures and like things. Even though I work in and around this high tech world there is too much to learn in the time my brain allows for these things. Indeed people are making a business on how to manage your social media presence and there is no lack of those willing to share their views on how to best take advantage of Facebook, twitter, Tumbler, stumbler, jumbler, and who knows how many other new ways exist to capture our attention and money.

Originally I created one identity for business and one for personal use and that turned out to be a bad idea. The reality is that sites like Facebook by their very nature are merging the business and personal profiles of users into an ever larger pool of confusion.

For now it appears that I have to learn about a first grade graduation of someone that I only know from a picture, what someone made for dinner last night, who won the little league ball game between the Eagles and the Fighting Hens in Cleveland, who has the best lilies for sale and what video went viral today and… and… and…

William Armellini. Editor Flowersandcents.com Williee@williee.com

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Spain Spain’s largest trade show and conference for the ornamental horticulture and gardening industry took place at the Feria Valencia exhibition centre from October 3 to 6, 2012. This year’s show boosted plenty of new initiatives and ideas.

Green Vitamins reinvigorate st 41 Iberflora E

by Ron van der Ploeg

ven the best trade shows go through down cycles, but the mark of a true survivor is the ability to minimise the length of those weaker years and come back as strong as ever.

The past few years, it seemed that the Iberflora trade show in the Eastern Spanish city of Valencia was stuck in the midst of one of those down cycles. The message of its organisers was not always clear and consistent and not everybody understood their side-by-side trade show concept. The concept combines the ornamental plant show Iberflora and Eurobrico, one of the most important Spanish industry trade shows for retailers and suppliers of products in the DIY and home improvement

sector. Some visitors and exhibitors frowned when seeing cement mixers, roofing, bricks, pets and pets accessories occupying part of the exhibion area.

Cleary, it would be wrong to blame them for a problem which is partly due to an economy which is struggling through recession. In the aftermath of the massive overdevelopment that went on in the first half of the decade, there are now around 700,000 empty, newly-built homes on the market. Empty homes mean empty gardens and that’s not good for the ornamental plant business.

Additional convenience Commenting on the dual concept trade show Iberflora’s chairman, Vicente Peris Alcayde, said that,

Vicente Peris Alcayde, chairman of Iberflora.

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | January 2013

“Iberflora and Eurobrico have been held in conjunction with each other since 2008. The news this year is that they share a common pavilion, the Gardening Hall, where visitors can find a wide range of gardening equipment. Bringing the Iberflora and Eurobrico brands together is a natural evolution and creates additional convenience and benefits as well as synergies for our exhibitors and visitors.”

Being held once again against a gloomy economic backdrop, Iberflora took a mega dose of Green Vitamins (the official 2012 theme) to fiercely and successfully fight its way back to the top. The number of exhibitors and visitors plunged in just over five years from 581 in 2006 to 400 in 2011, but the worst is definitely over. “Last year, we hit rock-bottom and we are delighted that the decrease in exhibitors has come to a halt,“ Peris Alcayde said.

He added, “For the first time in three years there’s a modest growth even if the trend is towards less square metres per participant. There are an increasing number of collective stands offering exhibitors the opportunity to save money while preserving their own corporate identity. We’ve done our utmost to retool and reinvigorate the show, which this year boosts plenty of new and exciting initiatives. Hosting a special novelties section and the Iberflora Innovation Awards, the show offers the ideal platform for companies looking to showcase ground-breaking product developments and provides an insight into the future trends of the gardening world. Well-worth a visit for

Clipped olive trees

example is the 21st Century Garden Exhibit. Here, the Spanish Garden Centres Association, AECJ presents a large virtual show on all the leading international trends when it comes to garden centres from around the world.”

Educational programme

Iberflora offered educational opportunities via free trade show floor demonstrations and its top-notch educational programme, which included sessions that were specifically geared towards landscapers and business managers. The Profeve company held a conference on red palm weevil (Rhyncophorus ferrugineus) control strategy that provided analysis of the problem and an update of research findings. An impressive line-up of plant health experts informed the audience about the latest advances and tests done to fight plagues of these weevils. At this moment the red palm weevil has become the most feared pest in the world for palm trees. On the famous Costa del Sol, as well as in many other places in Spain, monumental palm trees die one after the other. The production and trade of palm trees is equally suffering. At the 700,000m2 family run business Orvifrusa, for example, Trachycarpus fortunei, Cycas revoluta,

Spanish production towards sustainability

Butia capitata, Chaemerops humilis cerifera and Chamaerops humilis find themselves under netting that prevent the red palm weevil to fly in. Orvifrusa’s production manager, Jorge Ferrer Alba explained that annual production currently stands in excess of 2,600,000 2-, 3-, 5-, 7.5- and 10-litre pots, encompassing ornamental trees, palms, fruit trees and garden roses.

The company is run by father Tomas and his three sons, Jorge, Raul and Donis and their annual palm production is approximately 20,000. “It’s a testing time with the red palm weevil causing overall damage to the palm industry,” said Jorge. The control of the insect is extremely difficult costing the nursery an estimated 35% extra in production costs.”

All those who grow and sell palm trees say the red palm weevil has seriously affected their operations.

“Sales have slowed down, and wholesale business has totally dried up because retail customers aren't placing their usual palm orders as they witness dying palm tree in private gardens, real estate developments , parks and everywhere. It is said that palms in smaller pot sizes are less sensible to red weevil attacks but this doesn’t mean they are safe for future attacks when they grow taller. What we now see is that demand for medium sized palms of 100 to 200 cm have dropped the quickest because of their cost and higher infection risk.”

The species Palmae is checked and regulated according EU directives.

Plant health checks are carried out each month and trees are treated with different crop protection products depending on the season.

“All our plants are accompanied by a plant passport that guarantees the quality and the phytosanitary status of the plant.”

by Marie-Françoise Petitjean In order to give a new impetus to the industry, the growers association FEPEX* will launch their own code of practice PPQS**, with the objective to respond to market demands in terms of sustainability, health and safety protection, good social practice, hygiene and traceability.

While started, growers will be audited by an independent body on a yearly basis. FEPEX estimates that 40 to 50 companies may be interested to join the scheme, which cost is evaluated at around € 1200.

When asked about the reason to develop a national scheme in an internationally oriented industry, Lennart Lovén, chairman of the Canaries growers association ASOCAN *** answered that PPQS was more intended to promote Spanish products and growers on their national market. As chairman of Union Fleurs, he also mentioned that this association was working towards a system of correspondence between the numerous existing schemes and their convergence around a common core of good environmental and social practice at international level, in order to improve clarity for the consumer.

Sustainability in floriculture started in Spain 2004 with MPS-ABC, at that time with 10 participants. Since then, membership has grown to 83 growers (71 in Spain and 12 in Portugal). Some groups, like the CORMA cooperative in Barcelona, have all their members certified MPS-ABC together with Trace Cert, a traceability scheme. MPS Spain in working on various projects, among others establishing specific standards for Mediterranean plants, together with Italy and the South of France, as well as setting up a progress association.

PPQS is creating some kind of questioning among growers already involved in other certification schemes, especially with regards to aid conditionality. Time will say how the market will react, thus helping growers to make their choice.

Palms, olive trees and urban gardening

* FEPEX: Federación Española de Associaciones de Productores Exportadores de Frutas, Hortalizas , Flores y Plantas Vivas. FEPEX counts with 8 regional associations of ornamental

Endorsed by Fepex (the Spanish federation of exporters of ornamental plants and horticultural product), ASFPLANT (the trade

products, representing 85% of Spanish exports of flowers and plants. ** PPQS : Plant production Quality System ***ASOCAN : Asociación de Cosecheros y Exportadores de Flores y Plantas Vivas de Canarias

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Spain

association representing the flowers, plants and horticultural technology industry of the autonomous region of Valencia), AECJ (Associación Española de Centros de Jardinería, the Spanish association for garden centres) and a team of elite sponsors including Projar, Olivos Ornamentales, Iberplant, Pindstrup Mosebrug, Viveros Elche, and Viveros Demoy, Iberflora is an international tradeshow with an exhibition area of 38,000 m2. Showcasing more than 400 exhibiting companies, Iberflora offers young plants, seeds, bedding plants, perennials, trees, shrubs, fresh cut flowers and indoor plants.

Besides its juicy oranges, Valencia is famed for its palm and olive trees that come in a wide range of sizes and shapes. Beautifully clipped olive trees are emerging as a leading trend this season. A nice example of this is Ecija-based Olivos Ornamentales which exhibited olive trees ranging from hundred year old specimens to mini trees.

The 25 ha Olivos Ornamentales nursery is located in the Seville area, the country’s epicentre of olive growing.

A real attention grabber was the Macrobonsais of Iberplant that transforms century old olive trees into a work of art. Targeting a niche market, Macrobonsais are exported to France, Italy, and Arabic countries. Iberplant also specialises in heat loving Ceratonia siliqua, more commonly know as the carob tree.

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | January 2013

Another ongoing trend is urban gardening. Acknowledging that the current trend for home vegetable gardens is still a largely untapped area full of possibilities, Iberflora exhibited an urban kitchen garden to inspire professional visitors by showing them the latest ways of growing fruit and vegetables at home. Cooking demonstrations using local, fresh seasonal farm produce attracted an eager audience.

Smaller pot sizes and more colours

Optimism also ruled at the stand of Vivercid, a brand with a 38-year old history. Managing director Lara Magraner explainsed that although they are a relative newcomer to Mediterranean plant production, they have built on the company’s expertise in certified citrus seedlings for fruit production in the open field.

Lara Magraner of Vivercid.

Fuelled by Spain’s booming property market in 2006 (when Spain built more than 760,000 homes, five times as much as the UK, the company has quickly evolved into one of Europe’s leading suppliers of Nerium oleander, palms and ornamental citrus.

Magraner said that Vivercid only feels a limited effect from what is also dubbed as ‘Costa Catastrophe’.

“Last year was really bad but we are now back on the growth path.

Vivercid consists of a group of six nurseries covering a growing area of 300ha. We have an extensive range of products that includes more than 1,500 species that are sold to customers all over Europe.

So even in difficult economic times, we can serve different markets with different products. Over the years the trend has shifted towards growing in smaller pot sizes and more colourful products.”

Flowers

Exciting colours were also be found in Iberflora’s cut flower exhibition area where, on the first day, the Spanish ambassador to Kenya, Mr Bramwel Waliaula Kisuya represented one of the main roseproducing countries in the world.

Iberflora and Kenya began negotiations at the beginning of the year to reinforce the cut flower sector within the trade fair.

Floral art was another of the fair’s commitments this year. During the three days the fair lasted, Iberflora offered floral demonstrations with the special guest appearance of Russian-born, Sergey Karpunin, the world champion in this discipline. |||

World News CIOPORA launches new website CIOPORA, the International Association of Breeders of Vegetatively Reproduced Ornamental and Fruit Varieties, has just launched an updated website featuring new content and an all-new look (www.ciopora.org) Waiting for spring impatiently has just been removed from the CIOPORA’s agenda, since already now, on the break of winter, the association’s new website stands in bloom demonstrating the best of horticulture. The brand new internet presence of CIOPORA, which was launched on November 20, welcomed its visitors with a fresh and colorful design. However, the eye-candy looks is not everything the new CIOPORA.org has to offer. The recent re-launch was primarily aimed at the enhancement of the user experience, as well as update and restructuring of the contents.

Within the framework of CIOPORA’s communication strategy the new website was designed to become the central source of information about CIOPORA, its activities and positions on IP by consolidating all the available digital contents about the association.

The new features of CIOPORA.org include a dynamic newsslider screening the snippets of the cross-referenced log of CIOPORA’s latest activities, an all-new CIOPORA Publications category with a full collection of the association’s appearances in media and press-releases, as well as a quick navigation menu for direct access to the most important facts about the community of plant breeders. Those interested in CIOPORA membership will now find the whole information package online: the newly released CIOPORA Credentials brochure, the CIOPORA film, which is also available on the video webplatform Vimeo, the Bylaws of the association, previews of CIOPORA Chronicles & Newsletters, a gallery with captions of CIOPORA events, as well as a library of CIOPORA’s position papers.

Members of CIOPORA are offered a reorganized and enriched download center, which includes all CIOPORA documents ranging from presentations held by leading IP experts at the association’s seminars and conferences to detailed event and AGM reports. The navigation of the comprehensive content is supported by intuitive icons. For the users’ convenience the CIOPORA’s profile on the business network LinkedIn.com is included into the quick navigation. Although at the moment the website is available only in English, the development of German, French and Spanish versions is in the prospect.

The newly launched website will regularly deliver news about CIOPORA and its positions on Intellectual Property Protection for plant innovation. For breeders, growers, IP lawyers and everyone who believes in value of innovation – CIOPORA.org is a brand new place to navigate. |||

Dutch Comfort

by Jaap N. Kras

Changing times At a Blooming Breeders workshop in the Netherlands last month I defended my opinion that over 50% of a company’s success depends on the surrounding business environment.

Meanwhile, I witnessed how the business environment of commercial horticulture, has changed from horizontal organisations to vertical businesses. Many breeders are affiliated with breeders’ associations, many growers are member of farmer unions while wholesalers and florists adhere to wholesale organisations and retail florist associations respectively. The commercial trade is characterised by integrating activities vertically in the supply chain and for good reason: as a farmer you earn your money by being as close as possible to the consumers.

Spurred on by digital media, the commercial model of cooperation turned from horizontal to vertical. You have to either sell a unique product (or service) or be cheaper than your competitor (and be part of the rat race).

Farmers have to use all their tools to strengthen their unique position in the vertical supply chain. They have to differentiate themselves in the marketplace in order to be recognisable for their customers.

A grower, for example, can launch a unique breeders’right protected product and focus on exclusive production and sales agreements with retailers and transporters. He can make the necessary arrangements to grow the quantities and qualities and deliver these in the agreed time to the retailer. The future is for those who cooperate together in the vertical supply chain: breeders, farmers, retailers including supermarkets and traditional florists.

For many organisations and entrepreneurs this means a cultural change: we have to realign our company policy and total behaviour.

The Society of American Florists is such an example.

At the Blooming Breeders workshop one floral wholesaler asked me about future perspectives for his business. I answered that there will be no future for them if they continue to do business in their traditional way. Collecting and distributing flowers and plants alone is no longer a raison d’être for the traditional wholesaler. This job can easily be taken over by farmers, transporters, freight forwarders, warehousing and cooling companies at airports.

The wholesaler became angry with me. “Every day we work hard and we still deserve a decent income”, he said and walked away.

Suppose the difference in price between what the grower receives and the consumer pays is 170% then the pertinent question is whether 170% is an attractive profit margin to divide amongst the partners in the vertical supply chain?

Happy New Year.

Jaap N. Kras jaap@floracultureinternational.com

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Poland A good dose of nursery stock knowledge on ZSzP’s 20th anniversary Around 350 people from 12 countries took part in the international ‘Research and Development in Nursery Stock’ conference, which was held in Ozarów Mazowiecki near Warsaw on 17-18 November. The conference was organised by the Polish Nurserymen Association (ZSzP) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its foundation and was supported by the International Plant Propagators Society (IPPS) as well as the European Nursery Stock Association (ENA).

by Alicja Cecot

E

NA was represented by its secretary, Mr David Brown, who was also one of the 12 key speakers invited by the organisers. There was a strong line up of international speakers such as Marco Hoffman and Henk van Reuler of the Dutch research institute, Praktijkonderzoek Plant & Omgeving, John Adlam, consultant at Dove Associates based in the UK, and Heirich Lösing, a German consultant.

The lectures, which covered a wide range of topics like contemporary tendencies in breeding, environmental regulations concerning nursery stock production, new technologies, IT systems for managing a nursery and pests and diseases were translated simultaneously into English, Polish and Russian.

Apart from Polish growers, the Russian speaking guests (not only from the Russian Federation but also from the Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan) formed the biggest group of participants. Among them were more than 30 members of the Russian Nursery Stock Association, who visited eight Polish nurseries and the research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice prior to the conference.

The programme of their visit was coordinated by the Greenery Promotion Agency (APZ), which is the operating division of ZSzP. It was also responsible for the organisation of the conference. According to APZ’s president, Agnieszka Żukowska, the conference was the second biggest project APZ has ever dealt with after the annual Warsaw exhibition ‘Green is Life’.

Irina Savvateeva, the president of the Russian Nursery Stock Association, said that she and her colleagues learned from their Polish colleagues not only how to produce plants but also how to organise

Around 350 people from 12 countries attended the conference.

conferences and study tours in a professional way.

Foreign speakers appreciated the high level of organisation of the conference as well as its international character, the high number of participants and the spirit of cooperation among them. Those like Heinrich Lösing or John Adlam, who had visited Poland before and had been able to become familiar with the nursery stock industry in the country, emphasised the progress it had made up until know

in terms of technology, assortment and quality.

The idea to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the association by organising a international conference came from its chairman Szczepan Marczyński. Being a former scientist and university teacher, Marczyński understands the importance of exchanging modern, up-todate knowledge. All in all the event made a remarkable final touch to his 3-year ZSzP’s presidency, which ended in November 2012. |||

Members of the Russian Nursery Stock Association made the biggest group of foreign participants (left to right, president Irina Savvateeva, Margarita Valerevna, Olga Talivanova, and Yury Bazhenov (Photo credits: Alicja Cecot).

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Propagation Calvin Anderson’s use of unconventional scientific methods to clone Phalaenopsis orchids has proven to be very successful.

His degree in construction engineering gives him a different perspective than most scientists.

He conducts his research like he is creating a building.

He started with a solid foundation, built a strong framework, and continues his life-long work by continuing to improve precise details.

Tapping into unconventional Phalaenopsis cloning C

alvin started his tissue culture studies by attending Dr. Murashige’s tissue culture class in California in 1985.

He came home to Florida and immediately built a lab. His journey to clone Phalaenopsis started over 20 years ago by studying and replicating every published research paper, about 40 at the time, using the exact formulas and protocols. The only one he could not replicate was Dr. Piper’s formula, only because bleeding sap from a Birch tree was too difficult to locate. Cal was unable to produce any of the reported results by the researchers, however, the experience proved useful as he discovered more efficient methodologies and became an expert by hands on experience in the symbiotic relationships of different

by Ron van der Ploeg

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | January 2013

chemicals and plants that later proved to be invaluable.

Own media combinations

After this foundation was complete, he began working on his own media combinations. He created a giant chart of all of the chemicals in every media he had researched to compare the formulations. As he did this, with the goal of looking for similarities, he found they were “all over the chart”. He did notice that some exotic chemicals were used by different researchers- to name only a few: Phloroglucianol, 1,3 Diphenyurea, Rutin, and Thidiazuron. He was hoping one of them would be a magic bullet.

During this same time, Calvin was experimenting with different

parts of the Phalaenopsis plant to determine whether one type of tissue was easier to work with than others. He tried stem sections, leafculture, flower ovules and root tips.

While his most significant success at this early stage was with root tip cultures, he could only produce the effect 1% of the time. He is now using stem node cultures only.

True to type plants

During the first decade of his research, he could only afford to invest a minimal amount of time.

In 2004, the family plant nursery was almost completely demolished

by Hurricane Charley. Calvin made lemonade from lemons, and picked up his research pace significantly.

He initiated a process similar to Dr. Ronald Defassio’s broad spectrum

Clones in bloom.

Stage 1

Stage 2 (1)

Calvin and Matha Anderson.

tissue culture experiment. Cal would make five different formulations at a time. Every week he would try five more, tweaking them to get better and better results. Not only did he want to clone Phalaenopsis, but he wanted to do it in a manner that produced true to type plants. The type of tissue used and how it reproduced was very important.

Finally, on March 14, 2008 the evaluation sheet for formula #457, with its 37 chemicals, reached beyond his wildest dreams. He had multiple shoots growing like weeds from a single node. He then made a large batch of media #457 and replated the several hundred other nodes from the other media into this new media. They all responded positively, again, beyond Cal’s expectations. The Phalaenopsis bud had lost its polarity and became a spherical bush with axillary shoots on the top, bottom, and sides.

Haircut

Cal had the framework in place, and now it was time to finish off the precise detail work. The cultures were growing similar to foliage plants, so he directed his techs to treat them like foliage plants. They gave the clumps a “haircut” and cut

them into dime-size clumps and put 3 or 4 clumps into a baby food jar. With that method some clumps lived but others died and Cal did not know why.

Cal was reading the book The Field by Lynne McTaggart and one passage turned the light bulb on in his brain: “….a weak radiation from tissues stimulates cell growth in neighboring tissues of the same organism.” After he read that passage he jumped up, immediately went into the transfer room and told the techs to make the clumps touch each other. From that point on he was never plagued with dying clumps again.

Incredible discoveries

The story of hard work and success continued. Cal had to further develop a method to create sustainable shoots that would root. The entire process from node to plantlet is now four separate steps. But during this journey, not all of Cal’s successes were carefully engineered.

He also made some incredible discoveries both by happenstance and even mistake.

In August 2010, Calvin discovered that he had shifted a decimal point by one place on his formula cut sheet, and as a result, was putting

10 times more of one chemical into the media. Furthermore, he had been repeating that mistake for six months. With extreme angst, he evaluated the plants and found no signs of toxicity. Instead, he realized the plants were multiplying and growing at a remarkable pace.

He continued with his “mistake”, now labeled an important discovery, and cut the lights back to 6 hours. The plants continued to grow at an accelerated pace.

The culture rooms are lighted by standard 8 foot 60 watt eco max fluorescent lights which give the plants 30 µmols/s/m2. He continued to lower the lighted time until he reached 4 hours per day and still observed healthy growth.

The 4000 square foot lab located in Kissimmee, Florida has now produced over 250,000 Phalaenopsis rooted plantlets of 900 cultivars with only four hours a day of light and only a nominal number of plants that are not true to type.

Calvin never found a magic bullet for cloning Phalaenopsis, but he still prevailed. His success involved a combination of hard work, serendipity, and a few important mistakes along the way. |||

Stage 2 (2)

Stage 3 (1)

Stage 3 (2)

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Germany IPM ESSEN will open its doors on January 22 25, 2013. From the complete diversity of plants and flowers via floristry highlights right up to the newest trends from technology, equipment and services - over 1,500 exhibitors from more than 40 countries will present themselves at the world's premier fair in the green sector.

by Ron van der Ploeg

IPM Essen has it all T

he top position of IPM ESSEN will once again be underpinned not only by the constantly growing internationality amongst the exhibitors and the visitors but also by an extensive range on offer as well as a first-class supporting programme. For 2013, the sectoral meeting point at Messe Essen will expect around 60,000 trade visitors who will want to establish business contacts, to consolidate existing ones even further and to obtain information about innovations, market opportunities and future perspectives in the green sector.

This year too, Ilse Aigner, Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, has agreed to be the patron of the international trade fair.

A truly international event

The continuously high participation of foreign companies emphasises the significance of IPM ESSEN to the horticultural world. A lot of foreign participations will extend their cooperative booths even further in 2013 and, in view of markets with ever more global activities, will offer the trade visitors a worldwide overview. For the first time, Korea will appear in the Technology section with a common fair booth. At IPM ESSEN 2013, Sri Lanka will also be represented with an official national particiipation for the first time. In addition, the supporting programme will reflect the main international role of IPM ESSEN: The Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) will be partners of the International Horticultural Forum on Eastern Europe. In the specialist forum, experts will provide information about new market opportunities in the horticultural and plant industries in Eastern Europe.

The Green City

The Green City in Hall 1A will be the meeting point for associations, institutions and service providers in the green sector. Here, trade visitors will find topical sectoral subjects in a condensed form in one fair hall.

In the Horticultural Info Center, Zentralverband Gartenbau e. V. (ZVG - “Central Horticultural Association”), Landesverband Gartenbau Rheinland e. V. (“Rhineland Federal State Horticultural Association") and Landesverband Gartenbau Westfalen-Lippe e. V. ("Westphalia-Lippe Federal State Horticultural Association”) will present a comprehensive cross-

section of their services and ranges on offer.

With the title of “Stress? - Come on Down!”, the ZVG Teaching Show will make available interesting information about the proper handling of plants displaying stress symptoms.

The Innovation Showcase has become firmly established in Hall 1A: Here, international plant breeders will introduce their innovations throughout the period of the fair.

The best innovations will be distinguished by an expert jury during the opening ceremony of the fair.

Applications can be submitted up to the deadline on December 13, 2012.

High-class florists

The FDF FloristEvent Center in the Green City will be the stage for the newest trends and technologies from the world of floral design and the meeting point for florists from all over the world: Here, Fachverband Deutscher Floristen (FDF “Trade Association of German Florists”) will present itself together with its partners. The range of advice and information on offer will be supplemented by spectacular stage events in the FDF Arena and various special exhibitions as well as exhibition specials. As a point of attraction for florists from all over the world, the FDF Stage will await international stars in the sector: The winner of the European Cup in 2011, Natalia Zhizhlo, as well as the runner-up, Niina Minkinnen from Finland, and Araik Galstyan, who was honoured as the public's favourite in the European contest, will present their floral works of art on the FDF Stage. In addition, the top three in the German Floristry Championship (the victor, Jürgen Herold, the runner-up, Stefan Göttle, and the third-placed competitor, Victoria Salomon) will demonstrate a flowery and inspired spring show. |||

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Germany IPM Essen at a glance!

Eurofleurs Junior Championchip Worldskills Germany 2013 IPM WETTBEWERBE IPM C O M P E T I T I O N S

OST EAST SERVICE OFFICE

26

Gartenbauforum Osteuropa International Horticultural Forum on Eastern Europe

Award 2013

MITTE

GALERIA

MIDDLE

HALLE 1A

SÜD

SOUTH

WEST WEST

Pflanzen/Verkaufsförderung Plants /Sales Promotion Technik /Verkaufsförderung Technology/Sales Promotion Floristik /Verkaufsförderung Floristry/Sales Promotion

Dates: From Tuesday, January 22 to Friday, January 25, 2013 Organisers: Messe Essen GmbH in cooperation with Landesverband Gartenbau Rheinland e. V. (“Rhineland Federal State Horticultural Association”), Landesverband Gartenbau Westfalen-Lippe e. V. (“Westphalia-Lippe Federal State Horticultural Association”) and Fachverband Deutscher Floristen e.

V. - Bundesverband - (“Trade Association of German Florists - Federal Association”) with the sponsorship of Zentralverband Gartenbau e.

V. (ZVG - “Central Horticultural Association”)

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | January 2013

Venue: Messe Essen exhibition centre, Norbertstraße 45131 Essen Trade show hours: 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.

Exhibitors: Over 1,500 from more than 40 nations On display: Plants: Flowering potted plants, flower bulbs, young plants, green plants, hydroponics, vegetables, tree nursery plants, palm trees, bonsai, perennial plants, cut flowers, seeds as well as sales-promoting products Technology: Greenhouse construction, measurement and control technology, heating engineering, machines and devices, soils, peats and substrates, plant protection, pots, irrigation and drainage installations, cooling technology, transport and hoisting devices, commercial vehicles and trailers, technology for fruit and vegetable cultivation, technology for tree nurseries, technology for horticulture and landscaping as well as sales-promoting products Floristry: Florists’ requisites, grave decoration, arts/crafts, decoration, greetings cards, candles, dried/silk flowers, wickerwork, embossing machines, handmade ceramics, ornamental flowerpot holders made of glass, ceramic, porcelain, plastic and enamel as well as sales-promo­ ting products Equipment: Garden equipment, sales-promoting products, packaging material, price marking, fountains, working and protective clothing, small tools, gardening requisites, shop construction and shopfittings, EDP / EDP advice as well as miscellaneous/services Admission: Adults €21, two-day ticket €32, four-day ticket €57.

Groups of 20 people or more (per person) €12, students €12. Tickets can be ordered in Messe Essen’s online shop and printed out at home.

For further information: Messe Essen

Info Tel.: +49.(0)1805.221514/ www.ipm-essen.de How to get there: by car Via the Rhine-Ruhr motorways: A 52 / A 3 and A 40 / A 42 From the Direction of Düsseldorf: Via the A 52 as far as the “EssenRüttenscheid” exit.

From the Direction of Dortmund: At the “Essen-Ost” motorway merging point, turn on to the A 52 towards Düsseldorf, “Essen-Haarzopf” exit.

From the Direction of Duisburg: A 40 motorway, “Essen-Frohnhausen” or “Essen-Zentrum” exit, then follow the signs for “Messe/Gruga”.

How to get there by public transport U 11 underground railway route from “Essen-Hauptbahnhof” to “Messe West/Süd/Gruga” and “Messe Ost/Gruga”. Offer: To IPM ESSEN 2013 by train for as little as €99. On the occasion of IPM ESSEN, there will be a cooperation offer from Messe Essen and Deutsche Bahn (“German Railways”). The return ticket to IPM ESSEN will be valid all over Germany and will cost €99 in the second class and €159 in the first class. The ticket will be valid between January 20 and 27, 2013 and will be available from the service number: +49.

(0)1805.311153 (keyword: “IPM”).

How to get there by aeroplane Düsseldorf International Airport, IPM Airport Counter / Terminal B, Airport Express Bus to Messe Essen in 20 minutes, return ticket price: €20.

Hotel booking: Touristikzentrale Essen, +49.(0)201.8872046/ touristikzentrale@essen.de www.essen.de HRS - Hotel reservation http://partner.hrs.com/messe-essen.de For more information: www.ipm-essen.de |||

Country pavilions at IPM ESSEN 2013 France

IPM Essen is a truly international event, featuring exhibitors from over 40 nations who will present their products and services. This year’s edition will host a record number of country pavilions.

Under the French flag of Val’hor, around 20 firms will participate in IPM ESSEN 2013 in Halls 2 and 10. The cooperative booth will present a wideranging available spectrum of perennial plants, tubers and flower bulbs as well as plants and trees, starting with seeds and young plants right up to semifinished and finished plants. These will also include a large number of innovations, e.g. new breeds of alstroemerias and agapanthuses as well as hydrangea varieties which have been newly bred only recently.

Belgium

31 firms which will be specialised in ornamental plants, young plants and tree nurservy products will present themselves within the framework of the Belgian cooperative participation. There will once again be two Belgian cooperative booths: in Hall 2.0 and Hall 12.

The appearances will be organised

by VLAM (“Flanders Agricultural Marketing Office”) and by the “General Association of Belgian Ornamental Plant Cultivation”.

The exhibitors will travel to Essen with a large number of innovations, including guzmanias, vrieseas, pineberries, primulas, phalaenopsises and elms. Since 2010, the Ghent azalea has been acknowledged as a European regional product. It will occupy a particular place on the Belgian cooperative booth.

(Hall 2.0, Booth 2B25 / Hall 12, Booth 12C15)

Costa Rica

For the fourth time in succession, Costa Rica will be represented at IPM ESSEN with a cooperative booth. Twelve exporters of green and flowering plants will be exhibitors in 2013. They will display, amongst other items, ornamental plants such as dragon trees, bromeliads, rubber plants, palm trees or aglaonemas and tropical flowers such as heliconias and ginger. On the lavishly decorated cooperative booth, typically Costa Rican specialities will be offered for tasting.

The objective of the joint appearance will be to secure a stronger

(Hall 2.0, Booth 2B17 / Hall 10, Booth 10A17)

position for themselves in the market. For the companies, IPM ESSEN is the most significant fair in their sector.

United Kingdom

In the two British pavilions in Hall 3 and Hall 10 which will be organised by the Commercial Horticultural Association, leading suppliers will show their innovative new products and service solutions for the worldwide horticultural industry. The cooperative booth in Hall 3 will grow once more. The exhibits presented there will include pheromone traps for improved pest monitoring, professional fertilisers and high-quality coconut fibre products. The world’s largest breeder and distributor of English carnations, an internationally recognised rose breeder, a company

(Hall 1.0, Booth 1D21)

Denmark

Danish exhibitors will once more occupy the complete Fair Hall 5.

There, attention will primarily focus on new plants and concepts.

In this respect, the spotlight will be on the Floradania Innovation Award 2013 which will be conferred during IPM ESSEN in three categories: house plants, outdoor plants and concepts. On Floradania’s cooperative booth, there will be a special exhibition - the subject has not yet been announced. Speed dating sessions, press tours and other activities will await the international press.

(Hall 5.0)

>>>

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Germany for micropropagation, one of the world’s largest clematis breeders as well as a manufacturer of root control systems will be amongst the exhibitors in Hall 10.

(Hall 3.0, Booth 3B37 / Hall 10, Booth 10C13)

The Netherlands

The Dutch pavilion of Flora Holland will present itself in Hall 1.

Over 40 exhibitors will participate in the cooperative booth. They will display a wide spectrum of flowering and green house plants, garden plants, cut flowers, young plants, florists’ requisites and packaging.

(Hall 1.0, Booth 1B11)

Proba The “Foundation for the Proba Trade Fair for Tree Nurseries” (Stichting Vakbeurs voor de Boomkwekerij Proba) will have its cooperative booth in Hall 12.

44 Dutch exhibitors will present a wide selection of tree nursery inventory for the consumer market. Their items on display will include not only containers and plant pots for tree nurseries but also plants which grow directly in the substrate.

form the centrepiece. At this Info Point, exhibitors will be able to put their firms’ brochures on display.

Visitors will receive coupons for Italian espresso.

Moreover, Italian companies from the fields of greenhouse construction and agricultural technology will be exhibitors in Hall 3. In total, over 100 Italian exhibitors will be represented at IPM ESSEN 2013.

(Hall 6.0)

Japan

The Japanese cooperative booth will present itself in Hall 2 on an area of 100 square metres. In an ambience with Japanese flowers, the booth will simultaneously offer space for customer discussions and advice sessions.

(Hall 2.0, Booth 2A19)

(Hall 12, Booth 12A13)

Hungary

Tree nurseries and plant wholesalers will present themselves on the Hungarian cooperative booth in Hall 10, also including the two largest Hungarian producers of roses. In addition, the associations of tree nurseries will represent the entire Hungarian tree nursery sector. The participating companies will introduce the newest varieties of large trees and new gloriously colourful perennial plants as well as heat-resistant and frost-resistant quality plants.

(Hall 10 / Booths 10D10 and 10D11)

Italy

At IPM 2013, the whole of Hall 6 will once more be occupied by Italian exhibitors. The entire range of Italian production will be represented from producers of plants, trees and cut flowers right up to leading suppliers of plant pots. In this respect, the traditional Italian hall will present itself with a new concept: The Piazetta Italia will

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | January 2013

Poland

On the occasion of IPM ESSEN 2013, the Polish cooperative booth has doubled its booth area in comparison with the previous year.

Polish tree nurseries will be represented by 13 plant manufacturers from the entire Polish territory.

They all belong to Poland’s largest tree nursery organisation, “Polish Nurserymen Association”.

On the cooperative booth, the visitors will find a wide range of products which will be convincing due to a high quality. These will include trees, shrubs, perennial plants, climbing plants, plants produced in vitro as well as container and floor plants.

(Hall 9.0, Booths 9A65 and 9B59)

South Korea

The South Korean cooperative booth will be located in the Galeria.

As successful exhibitors at Flowers

IPM in Moscow, KAMICO (Korean Agricultural Machinery Industry Cooperative) will now take part in IPM ESSEN 2013 for the first time with twelve manufacturer firms. The range on offer will feature products for plant cultivation in the greenhouse, e.g. boxes, binders, strips, shears, aluminium screens, fabrics, binding machines, LED lamps, air circulation fans, air dehumidifiers, irrigation systems, geared motors and switchboxes. Visitors will have the possibilities of trying out the products directly on the booth and of obtaining advice.

(Galeria, Booth GA-2)

Spain

The 44 exhibitors in the Spanish cooperative appearance have specialised in ornamental plants.

The companies are members of the “Spanish Association of the Societies of Exporting Producers of Fruit, Vegetables, Flowers and Plants” (FEPEX). Its range on offer at IPM ESSEN will be multifaceted; the exhibits will include shrubs, bamboos, conifers and palm trees. A few producers will bring very large plants to the fair such as Washington palm trees, phoenix palm trees, olive trees or butia palm trees.

(Hall 9.0, Booth 9A11 / Hall 12, Booth 12D11)

USA

The USA will be represented at IPM ESSEN 2013 with two cooperative booths: In Hall 2, the Southern US Trade Association (SUSTA) will once again present itself with a newly designed modern and open booth.

In Hall 8, the second cooperative booth will be promoted by OFA (“Association of Horticulture Professionals”).

(Hall 2.0, Booth 2D13 / Hall 8.0, Booth 8B40) |||

World News Belgium

Israel

In a decision of 3 December, the Flemish plant grower Deroose Plants was convicted by the Ghent Commercial Court for infringement of the plant variety rights (PVR) of its competitor Exotic Plant.

Significant increase in patent fees in Israel came into effect on 1 January, 2013. These include a marked increase in patent filing fees (approx. two-fold) and in monthly extension fees (approx. three-fold). Significant increases will also apply to initial maintenance fees.

Court finds Deroose Plants guilty of infringing PVR

Significant increase in patent fees

Exotic Plant is a Belgian company established in Laarne and specialised in the breeding of bromeliads, a South American ornamental plant species. Exotic Plant protects its newest varieties through plant breeders’ rights, an intellectual property right especially for plants. One of these rights is for the variety ‘Calypso’, which is protected both in Belgium and the Netherlands.

After a long procedural battle, the Court has now decided that the bromeliads which Deroose commercialises in Belgium and the Netherlands under the names ’Starlight’ and ‘Catherine’, amount to an infringement of ‘Calypso’.

It was held that the plants cannot be distinguished from one another. Deroose immediately has to take its plants off the Belgian and Dutch markets and destroy all remaining propagating material.

Guzmania ‘Calypso’, a bred of Exotic Plant. Deroose has also been ordered to pay a provisional amount of damages. An expert has been appointed to determine the final amount due. Luc Pieters and Caroline De Meyer, the directors of Exotic Plant, are satisfied: “Except for the amount of damages, the judge has granted each and every of our claims.

We protect our finest varieties through plant breeders’ rights. This decision shows that, despite the difficulty in evidencing infringement, these rights are certainly not an empty box.” According to Philippe de Jong of the Altius law firm in Brussels who represents the interests of Exotic Plant in this case, the decision is noteworthy in more than one respect: “it is particularly interesting that the judge has granted our claim to have the decision published in specialised journals and that the decision was declared immediately enforceable.

That means that Deroose Plants, as soon as the decision is served upon it, will have to do what the Court has ordered it to do in the judgment, regardless of any appeal that would be filed. The judge did this because he felt that Deroose had already been aware of the infringing nature of its plants for a long time, but always refused to admit it, despite the existence of clear expert reports.” |||

A major portion of the new revisions to the Patent Regulations came into effect on 1 January, 2013. Among the most significant changes are marked increases in some of the Patent Office's fees. The basic patent filing fees have been almost doubled with an increase in the current fees from NIS 1,075 to NIS 2,000. There will be a marked increase also in the monthly extension fee from NIS 64 to NIS 200. Furthermore, there will also be a marked increase in the initial patent maintenance fees and a modest increase in renewal fees payable at the more advanced years of patent life. |||

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Middle East An overview of the Jordanian horticulture scene.

by Eyal Policar and Saleh Adwan

Jordan has key ingredients for a vibrant flower industry

I

t is 0900 Sunday morning, with cold and windy weather prevailing in Jordan’s capital city of Amman, one of the most amazing desert countries in the Middle East.

The winter season here is very short, most of the year it is hot and dry, but on this day rain, wind and cold

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | January 2013

greet us as we head down to the Bursa, the auction house and the hub of the Jordanian horticulture scene.

“Traffic in downtown Amman is always heavy”, explained, in an apologetic way, my good friend Saleh, a banana grower from the Beqa area, whom I have known for many years. As we stand in one of the traffic lights a vendor with a tray full of young bromeliads approaches us. As it turns out, throughout the year traffic light vendors will sell pot plants and cut flowers to customers on a regular basis. In the winter, these appears to be a feasible “marketing strategy”, but thinking of the heat, dust and pollution, that prevail throughout the summer months with no cooling facilities, one wonders what kind of image these products have in the minds of the local population. One thing is for sure, their shelf life cannot be very long.

Crossroad

Jordan is at a crossroads, and it seems they have been there for quite a while. However, the time for decision making cannot be too far down the road. On one hand there

are all the ingredients necessary for a strong and vibrant industry.

At this very moment, there are 40 active flower farms with an average size of 2.5 hectares. Many farms specialise in select crops, others grow seasonally.

Greenhouse technology is often up to date including cooling, heating and shading systems.

We saw crops grown on substrate with good computerised filtration systems.

Storage rooms boost an ample stock of fertilizers, chemicals fumigation and pesticide; there is no shortage of inputs as Jordan is an agricultural country. Refrigerated warehouses and packing/dispatch areas look clean and tidy. The country’s infrastructure, especially their roads, are in perfect condition making transportation easy and accessible. There is a major 4 lane highway going from north to south in, including to Queen Alia international airport which is going through a huge expansion stage.

Time is at a stand still

On the other hand it looks like time may be standing still. Many of the varieties grown here are outdated

Facts and figures

The Bursa wholesale market.

and a large number of farms don’t have any of the modern facilities required to reach a good quality flower. In the last years, quite a few farms have had to shutdown.

It seems unclear as to how knowledge is obtained, and preserved.

A farmer will buy seeds or cuttings, from a certain company and expect that they will give good growing and maintenance instructions, however there is such diversification and micro climate difference between farms that this system cannot be optimal.

It is also common practice that the owner isn’t really involved in the daily planning and organisation, but hired managers, and again this

The country’s official name is The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan while the conventional short form is: Jordan.

Jordan is a constitutional monarchy with a representative government. The National Assembly is bi-cameral; the Senate has 55 members and the House of Representatives has 110. The King, His Majesty King Abdullah II, has wide-ranging powers although his veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly.

Jordan is at a crossroads of the Middle East with Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south and Israel and the West Bank to the west. There are only 27km of coastline; Aqaba lies at the northern tip of the Red Sea; Aqaba is 330km south of Amman.

The population of Jordan is estimated to be 5.9 million; there is a current growth rate of 2.3%.

It has doubled since 1980 and 63.7% of the population is between 15-64 years of age.

The population increased significantly with Palestinian, Iraqi and Syrian refugees.

is a burden on top quality production.

Water is also a problem with interim periods of shortage especially in the summer. Transportation is not done by cooling trucks, (picture) which undermines the quality.

Bursa

The Bursa is a wholesale market with each wholesaler doing a one hour auction a day and a very popular trading place for horticultural products. However, with these different wholesalers concentrating too much effort on competing with each other rather than concentrating their efforts towards the buyers, much credibility is lost. >>>

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Middle East Jordanian horticulture In Jordan, there is currently 250 hectares of horticulture production land in use. On this land there are 50 cut flower farms producing 50 million stems every year. The total value from this production has a net worth of approximately 5 million USD. Pot plants and green bouquet fillers are mostly imported by three major wholesalers, but no figures are readily available.

Jordan has easy access to export markets such as Syria, the gulf states and Lebanon, but exports account for only 5% of Jordan grown flowers and plants.

There are three major production areas in Jordan. North of Amman, the area of Al Baqa, rising around 300-600 meters above sea level, has very cold winters and hot summers. It is dubbed as the ‘Medium Altitude Area’ with Trachelium, Gypsophilia, Limonium, Chrysanthemum, Lisianthus and Rosa being the main ornamental crops.

The ‘High Altitude Area’, south of Amman in the Um Almad region is located 800-1000 meters above sea level and produces mainly Aster, Iris, Tulipa, Freesia, Liatris and Rosa.

The Jordan Valley, which finds itself 200-400 meters above sea level has quite moderate winters but very hot summers. It is often referred to as the country’s vegetable garden producing an abundance of fruits, vegetables and cut flowers such as Tulipa, Gypsophila, Gerbera, Helianthus, Freesia, Lilium, Lisianthus and Rosa.

Flower growing in Jordan can be done all year round and there is no income or sales tax for exporters. Jordan is a member of UPOV and the World Trade Organization. Standards and specifications are set by the Jordanian Institute of standards and there are 250 flower shops and vendors throughout the kingdom.

Traffic light vendors.

The Bursa market is opened 6 days a week and the flowers may vary from day to day. Some farms send products only two times a week, and flowers are usually seasonal, still on any given days there are more than 35 varieties available.

For the remainder of the day, the Bursa is a cash and carry store with no cooling facilities.

According to the Jordanian Association for cut flowers and ornamental Plants 90% of the business is done in the Bursa.

During auction time, flowers are bumped around from place to place, the auctioneer writes down all the transaction on pieces of paper. Later he will explain to me that it saves time.

The auction is the classical type auction with highest bidder winning (opposite of the Dutch auction system) The big advantage of the Bursa is they pay farmers within 20 days and if need be, they will give advanced payments. Wholesalers in general have a 2 week credit, and of course those wholesalers' who tag behind cannot purchase again until their tab has been paid.

Members of the particular auction pay less commission, however any grower can put his flowers for sale at any of the auctions.

5 million dollar industry

In order to fully understand why they do their business this way we have to understand how the industry evolved and who the people in the decision making capacities are.

Although the figures are a bit hazy

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | January 2013

it is approximately a 5 million dollar industry and around 50 million stems annually. Most of the market is Rosa, Lilium, Gerbera, Gypsophila and seasonal flowers such as Lisianthus, Matthiola and Helianthus. There is a bit of green fillers and pot plant is on the rise.

Many Jordanians especially in west Amman live in small houses and so landscaping is also popular. There are no statistics on this.

Most of the pot plants are imported by three main wholesalers' who do their business directly. Many of the products come from Italy. Overall, the market has been on a steady rise over the last three years and this is the reason for optimism among the growers and wholesalers'. The market is especially strong in the spring and summer which is the wedding season.

Import ban

Until the early 80's most of the flowers were imported however when the Jordanian government banned imports on flowers, it was considered a luxury and foreign currency was hard earned not to be spend on such things. So the local population would pick wild flowers and the flower shops were the first to get their hands on farms and began growing. Still today there is a direct link between flower shops owners and farm owners. It became evident that production was higher than any given shop could handle and thus the Bursa was formed.

Today there are approximately 200 flower shops most in the Amman area. There is virtually no export

JACFOP reflect the rich flora of Jordans The Jordanian Association for Cut Flower and Ornamental Plants, JACFOP was established in July 2005. JACFOP is a non profit organisation and aims to put Jordan on the world map of flower producing countries and to unite all Jordan greenhouse growers of cut flowers and indoor plants. JACFOP promotes the country’s exquisite flowers on the international market place by developing quality standards that can meet with international criteria.

Yousef Al-Khateeb, owner of Amina Plant & More flower shop.

since the prices locally are fair enough and overhead would be too high and quality control would remain a problem.

Good business environment

Having said this, a little bit of flowers goes to neighboring Syria, Lebanon and a bit to the Gulf States. There is a real lack of know­ ledge and the feeling of Mr.Ahmed Channam the head of the Jordanian Association for Cut Flowers and Ornamental Plants (JACFOP) is that there is a good business environment in Jordan for investors especially in the surrounding areas of Amman. There is no income tax on farming, however in the Bursa there is an 8% charge to the auc-

tioneer. There is also a 2% charge for sellers and 2% for buyers to the Amman municipality. There is also a sales tax if exceeding a certain limit which rarely happens. There is talk of finding a better location with parking space and cooling houses.

We had a nice discussion at the association with Ahmad, Mohammad and Yousef Al-Khateeb, Qasem Al-Humse and eng.Nada Al-Hamad who is the secretary of JACFOP. I was invited to Amina Plant & More flower shop owned and run

by Yousef Al-Khateeb. The family also has a farm not to far from Amman which is run by his father Abu Yousef Al-Khateeb nicknamed in the market as king of flowers and a younger brother.

When commenting on his plans for the future, Yousef said, "Today we can make a living both from the flower shop and the farm, however if all the brothers will want to join the business we may be in trouble.

Also we cover expenses and make a small profit but not enough for investments not to mention for savings for the future.”

If the trends of the last three years continue then the prospect for the local market is very good. If the quality of the flowers would improve and cold chain maintained and a stronger connection between the wholesalers or growers could be reached with Dubai and the Dubai hub, markets could easily open up. |||

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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World News United Kingdom

UK maintains strong presence at IPM Essen 2013 Meet leading suppliers from the UK horticulture industry by joining the British group for an informal reception from 5pm on Wednesday 23rd January or visit the UK pavilion A showcase of innovative new products and service solutions from leading British suppliers to the worldwide horticulture industry will be on display at IPM Essen 2013 from the UK Pavilions in Hall 10 (stand 10C13 and 10C17) and Hall 3 (stand 3B37).

Visitors and international buyers are able to see the latest offerings from leading suppliers in a variety of different categories.

Building on a growing presence in Hall 3, CHA has extended the Pavilion and will feature a number of novel products and services including a range of new pheromone traps to allow accurate monitoring and better control of pests, professional grower substrates and high quality coir (cocopeat) products from a leading manufacturer and supplier. Alongside this you will find a designer and manufacturer of high-specification glasshouses and glasshouse accessories, and a manufacturer of worldrenowned seeding machines.

In Hall 10 British exhibitors will include the world’s leading breeder and propagator of English Pinks, an internationally recognised English rose breeder, an expert micro-propagation company and one of the largest clematis nurseries in the world. They will be joined on the UK Pavilion by

the manufacturer of a specialist root control system.

The pavilion is organised by the Commercial Horticultural Association (CHA) who also operate an industry information stand (10C13) where visitors can obtain details of British group participants and their products via the UK Preview Guide, pick up a copy of the annual CHA Buyers’ Guide, conduct meetings or attend the informal reception held on the pavilion.

To make an appointment, register for the UK reception, or request your free copy of the UK Preview Guide or CHA Buyers’ Guide, please email stuart@cha-hort.com with your contact details, quoting reference FCI2.

UK Exhibitors at IPM Essen 2013 include: • Agralan Ltd • Belstane Marketing Ltd • Botanicoir Ltd • Caledonian Tree Company • Cambridge HOK • Commercial Horticultural Association • David Austin Roses Ltd • The Guernsey Clematis Nursery Ltd • Hamilton Design Ltd • Hotbox International • HSK Gardening & Leisure • Joseph Noblett.com • Kernock Park Plants • Pennine Manufacturing Ltd • Plant Marketing International Ltd • PPC Labels • Sirane Ltd • Solufeed Ltd • Tyne Moulds & Machinery Co Ltd • VertiGarden • Whetman Pinks Ltd |||

World News

Happy Gardening

United States

A shoe stack

Will 2013 be a year of change for independent garden centers?

by Anthony Tesselaar

Have I mentioned that I happily spend time shopping with Sheryl, especially when we’re travelling? Apart from it being one of the best ways I know of settling into the culture of a place, it’s also entertaining because it lets you take part in that universal pastime - people watching.

There’s a huge amount to be gained from getting out amongst it all, because you can directly see how the locals operate. And if your business depends on marketing at some point, then it’s a brilliant way to keep refreshing your gut feeling about how people buy, what they buy and what they walk right past.

Independent garden centers must change and they need to do so quickly. This is the view of retail experts John Stanley and Sid Raisch who are joining forces for a two-day (January 30-31) New Vision Summit to share global ideas and national developments to help independent retailers determine their response to the future.

Stanley and Raisch believe this because the average sale per customer of a typical American garden center is lower than many countries with developed garden center industries. Furthermore, with the economy emerging from a recession, now is the time to ensure the future success of retailers. “This is a challenge and an opportunity. We can do better as an industry and we can start with an in-depth exploration of our business model,” said Raisch.

Raisch and Stanley are providing a unique opportunity for U.S. garden center retailers to further develop their business and set a new direction for the industry. These two leading industry consultants are joining forces for a two-day New Vision Summit to share global ideas and national developments to help independent retailers determine their response to the future. The event will be hosted by OFA – The Association of Horticulture Professionals.

The New Vision Summit is planned for January 3031, 2013, a day before the OFA/ANLA Next Level Conference in Nashville, TN. The focused business retreat is limited to 35 leading thinkers and noncompeting garden centers from Canada and the United States.

According to John Stanley this is a unique opportunity. “This is not a series of lectures by two consultants. Instead, the aim is for each of the presenters to bring forward their ideas and then allow the group to debate those ideas to come up with new strategies for their business and the industry.”

“Imagine being in an elite group of independent retailers taking the industry into the future,” said Raisch. This is an exciting opportunity when you imagine some of the top thinkers in the industry will be together for the purpose to develop new strategies. OFA and the presenters are hoping this will become a yearly event for the same group of delegates.

Retailers that want to participate in this event should visit the event web site at www.YourNextLevel.org/NVF. |||

So while the executive team were overseas recently I took some time out from business to go shopping with Sheryl... which is how I came across this (see photo) in a shoe department. To be honest, we’d been out for a few hours already and I was on the look-out for a place to sit down for a minute. And here was this slightly puzzling, and strangely unsettling moment.

I took a quick photo because Sheryl wasn’t shopping for shoes and wanted to move on. (I should mention here that while she enjoys shopping, she’s no spendthrift and the vast bulk of what she buys is for her family.) Anyway, I pondered why that bit of clutter in a corner of a department store was bothering me enough to bring it up with her later over dinner. And she helped me spot the issue. Actually two issues.

Firstly, take a look at that pile of shoes. Though they shriek of being discarded there’s nothing actually wrong with them, but they clearly didn’t fit someone’s feet or expectations. Carefully re-wrapped and returned to their boxes, it’s very likely that they will find their way out the door on another day, with someone whose feet do fit them and who likes the way they look and feel.

My feeling of discomfort came from the fact that the staff working in that department store didn’t respect those shoes (the product). They also didn’t respect the store itself. Even if they were overworked, that moment - in my opinion - should never be allowed to happen because those shoes were cheapened along with the image of the store. And that’s because the person who goes in to buy a pair of shoes wants more than just the shoes. They want to trust the store to sell them something of value, and the message being broadcast by that pile of shoes & boxes was that the store clearly didn’t value its products or the department was poorly run - or both.

Then there’s the second issue which is more subtle. Does this pile of shoes represent too much choice? Are there so many shoe options available that each one somehow diminishes the value of the other? In my imagination I wondered if this pile of shoes was created by a shoe-shopper who was simply overwhelmed by too much on offer, who ran away from the responsibility of having to make a choice?

What I decided to take from this moment of pondering was as follows: 1. don’t be fooled into offering choice for choice’s sake, but focus on the products you genuinely value, and 2. only deal in products which you value and treat them with the respect they deserve.

Anthony Tesselaar hails from Anthony Tesselaar International, an international project management company dealing in plants, horticultural research & development and strategic water management. www.tesselaar.com / ATesselaar@tesselaar.com

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Prices

World News Finland

Esa Tamsi Ltd installs Netled LED luminaires Esa Tamsi Ltd has installed Netled´s LED-luminaires for 500m2 area of salad production this autumn.

FloraHolland clock sales 2012

Category Cut Flowers

”We have followed with great interest the pilots of LED-luminaires in greenhouses and the field studies. We are convinced that LEDs represent the most important new technology that will improve the profitability of Finnish greenhouse companies and contribute to the survival of Finnish greenhouse production in the future. Energy is the most significant cost in our production. With LED-lighting we can reduce our energy consumption and improve the profitability of our business. We decided to choose Netled´s luminaires, because of the best energy efficiency and their minimum day light shading effect,” said Esa Tamsi, owner of Esa Tamsi Ltd. ”We have been working closely together with growers in our product development. We have listened to the experiences of the led light use in greenhouses and pursued to solve the problems in our own product development. LED chips have now developed, what comes to efficacy and prices, to the level, where LED-luminaires are genuinely profitable to invest in professional greenhouse production. Esa Tamsi´s investment is a remarkable opening of the usage of new technology in Finnish greenhouse sector,” said Niko Kivioja, managing director of Netled Ltd. Tamsi greenhouse group consists of 4 companies: Esa Tamsi Ltd, Matti Tamsi Ltd, Tamsin Vihannes Ltd and Tamsin Tarhat Ltd. Tamsi group produces salads, dill and parsnip over 10 million pieces annually on 3,2 hectare greenhouse area. The group is one of the largest salad production companies in Finnish market.

Netled Ltd´s product range consists of applications for interlighting (tomato, cucumber, bell pepper), top lighting (salads, herbs, flowers) and growth chambers lighting (breeding, micropropagation, research).

Netled´s product range enables energy efficient lighting solutions for large areas. Now Netled offers luminaires for homegrowers, too. The first consumer product was brought into domestic market in November. |||

Product Rose large Chrysanthemum. Spray Tulipa single flowered Rosa sweetheart Gerbera mini Lilium oriental Chrysanthemum disbudded Gerbera large flowered Chrysanthemum santini Cymbidium large flowered per stem Freesia single flowered Hydrangea Rosa spray Tulipa double Alstroemeria

Total Top 15 Indoor Plants

Weeks 1 to 50 Quantity % 12:11 Price 2012 Price 2011 1,959,405,171 -7.5 0.25 0.25 704,116,048 -5.1 0.26 0.23 835,502,570 -3.2 0.12 0.12 172,987,164 -26.3 0.12 0.11 455,281,113 0.1 0.12 0.11 99,513,090 -2.9 0.60 0.64 147,954,861 -4.3 0.41 0.36 92,563,541 -10.9 0.22 0.21 140,099,533 -13.2 0.21 0.17 9,300,765 -15.0 3.44 2.97 116,400,134 -22.5 0.17 0.14 31,610,394 6.8 1.01 1.03 90,309,030 -2.8 0.33 0.29 177.911.299 4.0 0.15 0.13 141,259,144 -8.9 0.18 0.16 5,174,213,857 -6.7 0.23 0.22

Phalaenopsis

21,862,528

13.0

3.34

3.56

Kalanchoe

24,976,386

-6.7

0.64

0.58

6,527,588 11,267,139 14,435,169 11,904,356 5,188,655 5,135,033 7,178,317 22,538,685 131,013,856

-12.0 -12.5 12.9 -9.3 -9.3 -21.1 -12.2 -7.1 -4.4

2.68 1.25 0.90 0.68 2.10 1.88 1.25 0.40 1.38

2.61 1.23 0.90 0.65 2.03 1.77 1.25 0.43 1.34

14,274,468 1,961,147 3,679,056 18,450,354 1,309,921 39,674,946

3.1 2.4 -1.1 -19.8 34.8 -8.7

0.31 2.89 2.33 0.25 2.96 0.68

0.30 2.56 2.20 0.21 3.65 0.59

Anthurium Bromelia Potted rose Pot mums Hydrangea Ficus Dracaena Potted Hyacinthus Total Top 10 Garden Plants Miscellanous bedding plants Hydrangea Buxus Viola Misc.trees, shrubs & climbing plants Total Top 5 Source FloraHolland

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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Perfect quality Roses and clematis by Poulsen®

IPM ESSEN 2013 22 – 25 JANUARY

Young plants by Poulsen® ● Full range of products from indoor miniatures to outdoor climbing roses and clematis ● 30% lower energy input than other standard breeds ● Easy-to-grow manuals

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● The products are ready for ordering in plugs to make half-finished in 10 cm pots ● Exceptional keeping quality throughout production, transportation, at the retailer and with the end-user

Plants, technology, supplies and expertise in horticulture from the UK

Visit the UK Pavilion on stand 10C13 Join the British Exhibitors from 5pm on Wednesday 23 January for some light refreshments

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Crop protection Disinfestants are used to eliminate pathogens from areas where previous crops were grown or from tools that contact infected plant tissue or infested soil or organic media.

Like all disease control methods the purpose is to minimize the occurrence and severity of disease. This requires knowing the strengths and weaknesses of disinfestants and combining that with a knowledge about specific plant pathogens.

Reducing spread of plant pathogens with disinfestants

D

isinfestants generally are an effective way to eliminate pathogens from surfaces.

Unfortunately, use of disinfestants is not as straight forward as many people believe. Based on results from several studies on plant pathogens and other microorganisms, not every pathogen is inactivated equally, i.e. some pathogens are difficult to kill. As a result, the disinfestant will not always work. Companies provide the best information they have, but not enough research information is available to know the full scope of impact relative to every pathogen; however, disinfestants are a valuable disease control tool and following label instructions usually will provide control.

General safeguards

by Warren Copes

Some general safeguards can help assure product effectiveness. In

general, chemicals are more effective when applied when the pathogen population is low. Many pathogen propagules don’t survive well on bare surfaces. Some spores are easily killed with exposure to sunlight and some loss viability when exposed to alternating wet and dry conditions. Pathogen survival increases when the pathogen colonizes organic tissue, whether that tissue is a growing medium or plant tissue.

Many pathogen population levels can be reduced by removing the organic matter. If possible, leave the area bare for several days before applying disinfestant to the production surfaces.

Lethality of some pathogens requires a longer exposure to the disinfestant. If weather conditions promote rapid drying (e.g. in less than 10 minutes), efficacy may be improved by reapplying the

disinfestant a second time just before the surface dries. For surfaces susceptible to corrosion, some benefit may be gained by rinsing surfaces within ½ hour of applying the disinfestant.

Identifying pathogens

An additional key part of effectively using disinfestants is knowing which diseases can be a problem at your facility, and identifying the pathogens likely to carryover on surfaces and infect an incoming crop. If the pathogen is coming primarily from an outside source, such as on the incoming crop or from other sources on your facility, than only disinfesting a specific production area will not give the intended level of control.

If you feel a product isn’t eliminating a pathogen, contact an extension agent, crop consultant, or plant pathologist for assistance. Sometimes additional control approaches are needed.

To learn more about this topic from Dr. Copes, go to our online video presentation at www.watereducationalliance.org, then click on the ‘Workshops’ tab, and then click on ‘presentations’.

The presentation “Disinfestants for sanitizing production surface” is under the ‘Treatment technologies for irrigation water and surface sanitation’ category.

Source: Reducing spread of plant pathogens with disinfestants. ||| Warren Copes, warren.copes@ars.usda.gov

For surfaces susceptible to corrosion, some benefit may be gained by rinsing surfaces within ½ hour of applying the disinfestant. (Photo credits: Elianne van Winden).

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

39

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Container Centralen is the market leader within the European horticultural logistics industry, and has the right solutions to challenges encountered in the transportation of flowers and plants: the reliable carriers - CC Container, CC ½ Container, CC Eurocontainer, and CC Euro Trolley.

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The CC Euro container and CC Euro Trolley are both particularly suited for displaying goods.

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The CC Pool allows you to focus on your core business anywhere in Europe – and Container Centralen will ensure that you have functional carriers.

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World News

Certifiable in California

The Netherlands

Happy New Year?

Symposium on growing media and soilless cultivation The International Society for Horticultural Science, ISHS, has announced an international scientific symposium on growing media and soilless cultivation, which is set to take place at the Holiday Inn hotel in Leiden, the Netherlands from June 17 to 21, 2013.

by John Ingwersen

If you’re reading this column then we have proof the Mayan calendar was wrong. Evidently they weren’t predicting the end of the world on 12/21/12 after all. My own personal opinion is they either got bored of hacking symbols into stone and left to take a break at the beach, or a neighboring tribe came by and sacrificed our poor calendarists on the nearest altar, or (hehe) maybe they just couldn’t count any higher.

Either way, the calendar never got finished. So alas, we must continue to face the consequences of our actions…darn. I was planning on having so much fun those last few days. Instead, we’re once again back to business as usual. Another day, another dollar(or euro). Back to the grind. Hello 2013. Feel free to insert your own cliché here, I ran out…

No, no prognostications this year. I will only say I think it’s going to be a great (or at least an ‘ok’) year, and there will be some surprises, some good, some probably not so good, and some probably bad. In other words, an entirely normal year. After everything we’ve been through the past few years, a ‘normal’ year would be a treat indeed.

Endorsed by the International Society for Horticultural Science and the International Peat Society, the 2013 Grosci event will be organised by Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture.

The symposium aims to gather researchers and substrate and compost businesses and will focus on the use of soilless growing systems and recycling systems, aquaponics and microbiological processes in substrate and compost. The symposium aims to address world wide scientific and technological advances in growing media and growing media systems including water based rooting systems.

Topics are the worldwide impact of systems for soilless culture on growing media, the emission reduction of nutrients and plant protection products to the environment and efficient use of water, the combination of soilless plant production and aquaculture, sustainable production, application and development of (new) growing media, advances in composting, physical and chemical substrate properties, water and nutrient management, new analytical methods, measuring, control and automation, micro biological diversity, resilience and disease suppression and control of soil-borne pests and diseases.

Authors will be invited to submit their intended topics via the ISHS system.

PhD students are invited to present their research topics. Participation will be arranged at a reduced fee. |||

I have some personal reasons to be cautiously optimistic about the coming annum. I’ve received some preliminary bookings that are going to enable me to more than double my US-based Plumeria production this year ( happy face here Mr. Editor), and orders from my Plumeria customers in Europe are holding at least steady, and even giving indications that they’re going to increase a little.

I had been fairly concerned about that given all the doom and gloom type news out of the Eurozone. I’m not sure why this is the case, or if it’s possible to read the tea leaves from it. After all, the state of Plumeria cutting sales in Western Europe is about as far as one can get from a leading economic indicator.

On the other hand, it is a leading indicator for this columnists’ personal economy, and it’s pointing up. (more smiles here Mr. Editor). Along these lines (and in a completely tasteless example of crass self-promotion), if anyone reading this column would like to begin growing the finest Plumeria in the world, please contact yours truly at the e-mail address provided below.

This more or less concludes my columnar entry into 2013, with the aside that I managed to get through an entire column without a political insight, and I think I’ll leave it that way. Now please excuse me while I go and take a stroll off the fiscal cliff…

John Ingwersen graduated with a degree in marketing from Georgetown University in 1990, and founded Jungle Jack’s, Inc. in 1995. sales@junglejacksthailand.com

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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42

Lighting Europe’s biggest open horticultural research facility for LED lighting technology went into operation in England last year.

Sited at Stockbridge Technology Centre (STC Ltd.), it is co-sponsored by the Dutch company Philips Lighting and by CambridgeHOK. This leading glasshouse construction company is a certified Philips LED Horti Partner.

The facility, named LED4CROPS, has more than forty benches, each with an overhead array of LED lights.

Growers will be important users of LED4CROPS

T

by John Sutton

he facility, named LED4CROPS, has more than forty benches, each with an overhead array of LED lights. These arrays use a combination of Philips research (dimmable) and production modules. The facility also includes a tracked light system. There are 16 research module benches where the light spectrum for the plants on the bench can be adjusted to design specific light recipes for individual crop species. This is done

Left to right, Dr. Phillip Davies and Dr Martin McPherson.

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | January 2013

by changing the combination and intensity of the blue, deep red, and far-red light modules. The daily period of lighting is of course also adjustable, on both the research and production module benches.

means of assessing the quality and speed of growth achieved under LED lighting. There is also a further experimental area dedicated to looking at novel approaches to the use of LED lights for horticulture.

Fully environment controlled

HDC

The benches, in four tiers, are housed within a new and dedicated 200 sq m building. Fully environment controlled, it was designed and built by Cambridge HOK. The same company also undertook the installation of the lights and their control equipment.

Within the unit, in addition to the research benches, there is an area for small-scale pilot production projects. If successful, these could then be transferred to commercial nurseries. A third area is a semiflexible space, suitable both for some research work and for production testing.

Alongside the LED4CROPS facility there is a glasshouse for comparison trialling. This is to provide a standard plant performance as a

Grower groups will be important users of LED4CROPS. In the UK, much of the applied horticulture research and development for growers is commissioned by the HDC (Horticultural Development Company). This not-for-profit organisation is supported by a levy on growers’ turnover. The allocation of HDC income to projects is largely determined by panels of growers, representing the various sectors of the horticultural industry.

The HDC is currently part-funding a research fellowship for five years, to investigate the application of LED lighting technology. Dr. Phillip Davies took up the fellowship in October last year. He was previously research associate at Indiana University in the USA. Overseeing him are Dr Martin McPherson,

Science Director at the Stockbridge Technology Centre, and Professor Nigel Paul of Lancaster University There is provision within the new LED facility for private contract work. Individual LED racks equipped for up to four lighting regimes can be hired on a monthly basis. Various projects in both ornamental and edible crops are already under way, but because of client confidentiality details cannot be divulged, says Dr. McPherson. He will be pleased to provide information about private contract work to interested parties (e martinmcpherson@stc-nyorks.co.uk)

Stockbridge Technology Centre (STC) is in Yorkshire, in northern England, and was launched in 2001.

undertaken includes projects on substrates, integrated pest management for both protected and field crops, and disease control using conventional fungicides and biocontrol products. STC also has a well-used plant clinic.

Stockbridge Technology Centre has become one of a considerable number of organisations across the world that are tapping into the potential of LED technology. For example, at Purdue University, Indiana, work is in progress on the USA’s top ten bedding and pot plants. In China, staff at Shanghai Jiaotong University are working on vegetable young plant production.

STC

Stockbridge Technology Centre (STC) is in Yorkshire, in northern England, and was launched in 2001. It took over extensive facilities on the existing site of the former Stockbridge House Experimental Horticulture Station.

A financial support package was brought together for the Centre largely through the efforts of Graham Ward, a leading figure in the UK horticultural industry. He is the current chief executive officer of STC. STC currently has a staff of thirty.

Among facilities for the research and development work conducted at the Centre are forty modern glasshouses of all sizes up to 1,000sq.m. For field crop work, there is 70 ha. of good quality land available.

Research and development being

Large advantages

Bird’s eye view of STC

At the University of Warwick in the UK Dr Steve Jackson has worked on the replacement of tungsten lamps for the control of flower initiation in photoperiodic ornamentals. These included Chrysanthemum and Poinsettia. Promising results were achieved with Philips GreenPower lamps emitting red, far-red and ‘white’ light, and with red & far-red LED modules.

LED lamps have very large advantages over other light types with established uses in horticulture.

They are much more energy-efficient. There is minimal wastage due both to unwanted heat and to the emission of light wavelengths of low value for the horticultural purpose required.

Although LED lights are at present comparatively expensive, they are confidently expected to become much more competitively priced.

They may then replace the use of other lamp types for crops planted out in glasshouses in areas with poor natural light in the autumn and winter months. In flowering crops, Alstroemeria and Chrysanthemums are examples.

Enthusiasm is widespread

Enthusiasm is widespread for the potential of LED lighting technology in horticulture, and for the rôle of the research facility at STC in realising the potential. Graham Ward, chief executive officer at the Centre, says ‘This revolutionary way of growing plants year round is the most significant advance in my lifetime in horticulture’ Tim Howarth, general manager for CambridgeHOK, says the project is going to allow horticulture to make a very big step forward. Philips emphasizes the flexibility offered by LED lighting technology, putting together a customised lighting solution for every user. Currently producers of tulips, ferns, lettuce and tomatoes are among others making use of existing knowledge.

And Dr Martin McPherson, Science Director at STC, says that ‘In addition to the significant opportunities in the ornamental sector, in the very near future novel ways have to be found to feed the fast growing population of the world. Growing systems using LED technology may very well be part of that future.’

(The Stockbridge Technology Centre website address is stc-nyorks.co.uk) |||

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

43

There’s more to light Philips GreenPower LED interlighting is a great example of the new possibilities opened up by LED. Developed in intensive co-operation with researchers and growers, the system is already producing encouraging results.

With better light output and low energy consumption, it ticks two of the boxes that growers insist on.

Key to its success is the unique Philips ‘light recipe’. Before implementing the system, our experts take time to gather information about you, your crops and the conditions in which you grow them. This allows us to create a tailor-made solution that optimizes light levels, spectrum and light uniformity to benefit you and your business.

To fifind nd out more about Philips LED lighting for Horticulture, please visit www.philips.com/horti or visit us at Horti Fair, stand IPM Essen 2013, 11.0907. stand GA.11.

International InternationalEvents Events January 2013 8 to 10. Canada Landscape Ontario Congress, Canada’s international horticultural lawn and garden trade show and conference at the Toronto Congress Centre. www.logcongress.com 9 to 11. United States MANTS (Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show) in Baltimore, USA. www.mants.com 11 to 13. India The 8th edition of FloraExpo, New Dehli, India’s largest horticultural trade show for floriculture, nursery stock, floristry and greenhouse technology at the NSIC Convention Centre.

T (91) 11 266 820 45/266 816 71 F (91) 11 266 816 71/266 801 53 ifloramtpl@gmail.com www.floraexpo.net 14 to 16. United States CENTS is the marketplace to increase your buying and selling power, attend educational seminars, and discover up-and-coming industry developments. As the third largest trade show of its kind, and the largest in the Midwest, CENTS is a 'must-attend' event for all green industry professionals. www.onla.org 22 to 25. Germany IPM Essen at the Messe Essen convention centre.

MESSE ESSEN GmbH Norbertstrasse D - 45131 Essen T (49) 201.7244.0 F (49) 201.7244.248 info@messe-essen.de www.ipm-essen.de 23 to 25. United States Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition (TPIE) at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale, USA. www.tpie.org February 2013 Holland Food & Flowers Holland Food & Flowers. 80th anniversary of the world’s largest indoor bulb flower exhibition at Bovenkarspel. This year’s time is Russia. www.hollandfoodandflowers.nl 5 to 7. Spain Viveralia, the 10th edition of the international plant fair, Viveralia at the IFA convention centre in Elche, Spain. www.feria.alicante.com

6 to 8. Germany 20th edition of Fruit Logistica, the leading world event for the international fresh produce industry.

It offers the sectors connected to the fresh fruit and vegetable business an ideal opportunity to present their products to a truly international audience. www.fruitlogistica.de 19 to 21. France Salon du Végétal at the Angers convention centre in Angers, France.

T (33) 241 7914 17 F (33) 241 4529 05 salon@bhr-vegetal.com www.salonduvegetal.com

9 to 11. Ukraine Flowers & Hortech, 8th international trade exhibition for the ornamental horticulture and gardening industry.

T (31) 55 534 1140 F (31) 55 534 0168 info@bto-exhibitions.nl www.flowers-hortech.com

30 May to 3 June. Ireland Bloom 2013 is Ireland’s most important flower show which will take place in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. www.bloominthepark.com

16 to 18. South Africa 2nd Cool Logistics Africa conference to focus on innovation, investment and efficiency. www.coollogisticsafrica.com

5 to 7. Kenya International Floriculture Trade Expo (IFEX) at the Oshwai convention centre, Nairobi. www.hpp.nl

17 to 20. China 15th Hortiflorexpo IPM Shanghai, organized by the China Flower Association, Intex Shanghai and China Great Wall 24 February to 3 March.

International Exhibition Co Ltd. The Netherlands Holland Food & Flowers. 80th anni- and to be held in the Shanghai World Exhibition Centre. versary of the world’s largest indoor bulb flower exhibition at Bovenwww.hortiflorexpo.com karspel. This year’s theme is Russia. www.hollandfoodandflowers.nl 22 to 25. France Annual General Meeting of CIOPORA in Angers, France.

March 2013 www.ciopora.org 5 to 6. Belgium Florall Spring Fair at the Flanders Convention Centre in Ghent.

T (32) 9 241 5091 F 932) 9 241 5095 info@florall.be www.florall.be 9 to 18. Taiwan Taiwan International Orchid Show info@tios.org.tw www.tios.org.tw 13 to 15. United States World Floral Expo 2013 at the Jakob K. Javits convention centre, New York. www.hpp.nl 20 to 22. Ethiopia Hortiflora at the Millenium Hall, Addis Abeba. www.hpp.nl 20 to 24. Australia Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show at the Royal Exhibition Building & Carlton Gardens. info@melbflowershow.com.au www.melbflowershow.com.au 21 March to 21 May 21.

The Netherlands Keukenhof, the world famous spring garden at Lisse. www.keukenhof.nl April 2013 6 to 11. United States California Spring Trials www.ofa.org/springtrials

week 17. the Netherlands 2013 European Spring Pack Trials in the Aalsmeer area and the province of North Holland. The open days will be held on various dates in week 17. Check the Fleuroselect website for more information. www.fleuroselect.com 24 to 25. Kazakhstan Astana Flora Expo 2013, at Astana’s international exhibition centre “Korme”.

T (7) 495 221 1251 M (8) 915 185 7903 mail@flowers-expo.ru www.flowers-expo.ru 27 April to 5 May. Korea International Horticulture Goyang Korea show 2013 in Goyang’s Ilsan Lake Park. sales@flower.com www.flower.or.kr May 2013 21 to 24. the Netherlands 2013 Spring Mechanisation Fair, the premier trade show for the bulb industry featuring the latest breeding breakthroughs in lilies and cutting edge machinery. www.springmechanisation.com 9 to 11. Thailand HortiAsia in Bangkok. Now in its second year, HortiAsia will focus on the entire supply chain of fruits, vegetables, flowers and plants.

Venue: Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC). hortiasia@vnuexhibitions.com www.hortiasia.net

June 2013

11 to 14. The Netherlands Flower Trials in the Aalsmeer, Westland and Rheinland Westfalen (Germany) areas. www.flowertrials.com 17 to 21. The Netherlands Grosci 2013, international symposium on growing media and soilless cultivation. growing media and soilless cultivation at the Holiday Inn in Leiden.

Grosci2013.symposium@wur.nl 18-21. United States International Floriculture Expo (IFE) at the Miami Beach Convention Centre.

19 to 21. Brazil 20th Hortitec at the Holambra Convention Centre, Holambra/SP. www.hortitec.com.br July 2013 13 to 16. United States 2013 OFA Short Course at the Columbus Convention Centre, Ohio, USA. www.ofa.org 14 to 16. Brazil 22nd Enflor + 10th Garden Fair at the Holambra Convention Centre, Holambra/SP – BRAZIL www.enflor.com.br 28 to 31. Australia Protected Cropping Australia; conference, trade expo and soilless farm tours. Sebel Citigate Albert Park, Melbourne. www.protectedcroppingaustralia.com August 2013 12 to 14. Canada After an eight year absence, AllAmerica Selections is returning to the Niagara Peninsula for the annual AAS Summer Summit.

This year’s event will be held from August 12-14, 2013 with The Waterfront Hotel in Burlington serving as the host hotel. www.ofa.org

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

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46

Automation Jonge Planten Grünewald in The Netherlands produces about 55 million plant plugs annually for Grünewald Group customers all over Europe. All the plugs are Ellepots and are made by one of the two Ellegaard substrate pot machines that have successfully operated in ’s-Gravenzande since 1999. Grunewald set an absolute record by producting 450 million Ellepots over the years.

by Harmen Kamminga

Reliable quality links Grünewald to the Ellepot System G

rünewald Group is an internationally active enterprise, specialising in breeding, production and sales of unrooted and rooted cuttings, liners of bedding and balcony plants, perennials, ornamental grasses, structural plants and herbs. The company started in Germany more than seventy years ago. Today, production is based in Germany, The Netherlands, France and Kenya.

Grünewald products can now be found throughout Europe, The Middle East, Russia, Taiwan and North America.

“Reliable product quality and long lasting partnerships are the key factor to Grünewald’s success,” states Nico Boers, manager at Jonge Planten Grünewald at ’s Gravenzande, the Netherlands. “Many of our customers have been with us for ten or fifteen years, some even longer.”

Innovative breeding

Grünewald’s Sjaak is highly satisfied with the performance of the Ellepot system.

Originally a supplier mainly of Chrysanthemum cuttings, Grünewald was among the first in Europe to specialise in the production of cuttings for bedding plants some forty-five years ago. Boers recalls, “Back then most bedding plants were still seed propagated.”

Because of the serious benefits for growers and consumers alike, bedding plants from cuttings proved to be a hit and the Grünewald companies experienced rapid growth.

According to Boers, the enterprise is still expanding its businesses today.

The new millennium saw a growing number of sales of very successful

www.FloraCultureInternational.com | January 2013

varieties from Grünewald’s own innovative breeding programmes.

“Since we started out as a young plant supplier, Grünewald has always been in close contact with its clients. Knowing our customers’ wishes and demands enables us to tailor our breeding exactly to their wishes,” He added, “And of course we also adapt our breeding according to how we envision future demand to look like.”

Paper plugs

All the paper plugs needed for the Dutch and German production facilities, about 50 to 55 million per annum, are produced at Jonge Planten Grünewald in ´s-Gravenzande. Here, Grünewald installed two Ellegaard substrate pot machines in 1999. One makes Ellepots with a diameter of 2,8 cm which are automatically placed in trays with 128 holes. The other originally made bigger pots of

4,4 cm for a 66 hole tray. Recently, this machine was adapted for production of 3,5 cm pots in 84 hole trays. It required a minor investment when compared to the benefits. The result is an ‘old’ machine which was completely rejuvenated allowing Grunewald to produce pots in smaller sizes. The machine looks brand new and is ready to serve for the coming decades.

“Demand for the really big plugs was dwindling,” explains general manager Boers. “At this point in time, the machine that makes the smaller pots still covers 70 to 80% of the total production, but we estimate that with the upgraded machine, production will eventually split fifty-fifty.”

For storage and transport Grünewald utilises Ellepot Propagation Trays, but according to Boers other trays developed for the Ellepot fit the machine perfectly well and are currently also in use.

NGL machine

The company’s show garden in ’s-Gravenzande, the Netherlands.

Boers remembers vividly how Jonge Planten Grünewald chose the Ellepot System in 1999. “Back then, we tested all the different kinds of pressed pots, glue pots and paper pots that were available on the market. Our demands were very specific. As we stand for the best quality in young plants, we needed a pot that facilitates root growth.

The glue pots we used previously to the Ellepot System did not meet our standards on that respect. And as our young plants are distributed all over Europe from Holland and Germany, we need pots that retain water long enough. Some young plants travel for about a week in a lorry before reaching their final destination. Of course they have to arrive there in peak condition.

Only some pressed pots will retain enough moisture to make such a long trip a success, but in those pots root growth will be impaired.”

substrate of our choice. The soil is sucked into the paper sleeve by applying a vacuum. The result is a loosely packed growth medium with a great air filled porosity.

Back in 1999, that was the huge advantage the Ellepot System had over all other potting systems and it still remains today. “Even though we produce over 50 million plugs we still experiment with pot systems and novel techniques from time to time,” admits Boers. “But the horticultural world has still not come up with a better system to make pots.”

In the last decade, Grünewald customers have grown familiar with the Ellepots. “For customers the paper lining of the Ellepots offers extra grip that makes for easier handling during the transplanting process", Boers knows. “At first, customers commented on that positively time and again. But now they have stopped talking about it. They have become accustomed to it.”

Ellepot System

Operation and service

Tried and tested

To date, the only pot that success­ fully meets these contrasting demands is the Ellepot System.

“Ellepots are made from an ecofriendly biodegradable paper sleeve, filled with fine fractions of the

To meet demand for young plants for the main gardening season, both Ellegaard machines at Jonge Planten Grünewald operate at full capacity between October and March. The rest of the year they

are still needed, but only operate at about 10% of their capacity.

Throughout the year, the Ellegaard machines need little maintenance.

Boers: “The machines are quite robust and straightforward. An experienced user can deal with most smaller scale failures by himself. And as there are a few users of Ellegaard machines in the vicinity, we swap spare parts on occasion.”

Boers cannot imagine Grünewald without its Ellepot System. “These pots have become vital to our logistics. Especially the delivery of our high-quality young plants to the upcoming markets in Eastern Europe would have been virtually impossible without the Ellepot System and its unique airy porosity guarantees a sufficient water buffer and good rooting alike.” |||

According to Grünewald, the only pot that successfully meets these contrasting demands is the Ellepot System.

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com

47

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Advertising Index Company

Page website

Althius................................................................................. 4,5.............................................. www.altius.com AMA Plastics.....................................................................34.........................................www.amaplas.com Armada Youngplants........................................................8.........................www.armadayoungplants.nl Brandkamp GmbH ...........................................................34....................................... www.brandkamp.de CHA (Commercial Horticulture Ass.)..........................38.........................................www.cha-hort.com Container Centralen.........................................................40...................www.container-centralen.com Danziger ‘Dan’ Flower Farm...........................................3...........................................www.danziger.co.il Dutch Lily Days...................................................................2...................................... www.dutchlilydays.nl Ellegaard A/S.....................................................................48.................................................www.ellepot.dk FCI India...............................................................................20.....................................................www.kisan.in Florasearch Inc.................................................................49................................... www.florasearch.com Floricultura B.V...................................................................8......................................www.floricultura.com Florist Holland....................................................................51.......................................... www.gerbera.com Flowers & Cents ...............................................................34...........................www.flowersandcents.org Graines Voltz......................................................................24.................................www.graines-voltz.com Greenex A/S.......................................................................38..........................................www.greenex.com

Company

Page website

HilverdaKooij......................................................................40......................................www.hilverdakooij.nl Jungle Jacks.......................................................................8.....................www.junglejacksthailand.com Messe Essen (IPM).......................................................25-28..........................www.messe-essen.de/en Philips Lighting..................................................................44...................................www.philips.com/horti Pindstrup Mosebrug A/S................................................52....................................... www.pindstrup.com Pöpplemann GmbH..........................................................50...............................www.poeppelmann.com Poulsen Roser A/S...........................................................38................................ www.poulsenroser.com Stal & Plast A/S.................................................................49......................................... www.staal-plast.dk Takii & Co., Ltd...................................................................24.................................................www.takii.co.jp TIOS (Taiwan International Orchid Show).................36.............................................www.tios.com.tw Trump Coir Products........................................................49....................................... www.trumpcoir.com Urbinati SRL.........................................................................8............................................www.urbinati.com Valoya Oy............................................................................14.............................................www.valoya.com Veiling Rhein Maas..........................................................14.........................www.veilingrheinmaas.com VWS Export-Import Flowerbulbs.................................49..............................www.vws-flowerbulbs.nl Williee Armellini................................................................49.....................................www.lost-harbor.com

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