In the greenhouse sector there is a strong connection between growers and the various knowledge institutes, but this is much less so in the ornamental horticulture. This is worrisome, because the social pressure to develop sustainable and chemical-free grown crops is increasing, and that endangers the licence to produce. At the same time the ornamental horticulture as a whole is an important export product for the Netherlands, and as the knowledge and skills are present in plenty it is high time to join forces.
Michel Haring speaking
Rather yesterday than today. That is the main idea of Next Level ornamental horticulture breeding, a joint call of Amsterdam Green Campus, the provinces North and South Holland, topsector Tuinbouw & Uitgangsmateriaal, Plantum and the Greenports Aalsmeer and Duin- en Bollen area. Initiator Michel Haring: "You should share company specific knowledge pre-competitively, because that is the only way to achieve progress."
Frans Bakker gives a tour around the garden
Haring, a professor of the University of Amsterdam, addresses a group of ornamental horticultural entrepreneurs of Blooming Breeders, who met yesterday at ficus nursery Mondo Verde, the company of Bakker family from Rijsenhout. The future of the Netherlands as an ornamental horticultural nation is not a given, as is the joint conviction of the ladies and (especially) gentlemen, and toying with Haring's ideas was fun.
New perspectives
There are a number of differences between vegetables and the ornamental horticulture. One difference is the difficulty in acquiring licences is much more complicated, if only because the diversity of crops is much larger. Another difference is the genetics of all those plants and flowers are much more complicated than of a tomato. Today's knowledge makes a lot possible - a lot more than ten years ago - and the potential advantages of cooperation have found a new perspective.
How is the second question. Haring explains that in a classical division so called bio-tests are conducted. You crossbreed two plants, look at their offspring, and then attempt to isolate those offspring which has the desired properties. To make this process even partially successful is per definition expensive and time consuming. But if for example a number of tulip growers would join their assortment on basis of trust, and a concrete search is formulated - we are looking for the piece of DNA that guarantees resistance to fungus X or disease Y, significant steps can be made.
How is the second question. Haring explains that in a classical division so called bio-tests are conducted. You crossbreed two plants, look at their offspring, and then attempt to isolate those offspring which has the desired properties. To make this process even partially successful is per definition expensive and time consuming. But if for example a number of tulip growers would join their assortment on basis of trust, and a concrete search is formulated - we are looking for the piece of DNA that guarantees resistance to fungus X or disease Y, significant steps can be made.
That process is in essence nothing different from existing cooperation projects, in which best practice is compared without requiring divulging company secrets. "Your tulip is your tulip and will remain your tulip. That makes it worthwhile, for the small companies as well as the big ones, to participate. It could very well be the argument: my neighbour is participating and if I don't, I will miss out."
The next important question is financing of course. The division is great and the margins are generally considered too small for substantial investments. That is why Haring is hard at work lobbying in The Hague, looking for support of entrepreneurs (the goal of the afternoon) and he is trying to initiate concrete projects and programs.