As well as hand-outs of all presentations, the book “Plant Physiology in Greenhouses” by Ep Heuvelink and Tijs Kierkels is handed to trainees as back ground information (value € 75,00)
Latest insights from the current trial inside the Improvement Centre will be used as reference and practice examples.
Focus group: Growers starting with rose production (either from different cultivation or starting up from scratch) and rose growers upgrading from less developed cultivation systems.
Time & Duration: 5 consecutive days (9am - 5pm)
Course Dates:
Round 1:
Day 1: Monday the 26th of October 2015
Day 2: Tuesday the 27th of October 2015
Day 3: Wednesday the 28th of October 2015
Day 4: Thursday the 29th of October 2015
Day 5: Friday the 30th of October 2015
Location: Violierenweg 3, 2665 MV (Improvement Centre & Training facility of DLV GreenQ)
Price per person: € 3.000,00 (Excl. VAT) (Incl. Lunch)
Course Subscription: Yes, I would like to register for this course
Closure date for Subscription: 15th of September 2015
Course Program: (changes may occur for organisational reasons)
Day 1: Introduction in worldwide rose production and plant physiology
- Introduction of program, participants and DLV GreenQ
- Overview rose business worldwide and the Netherlands; status quo, trends and developments.
- Field visit: Visit to Improvement Centre, explanation of state-of-the-art greenhouse system and different cultivation systems our Improvement Centre as in introduction to what is to come. Apart from our ‘Perfect Rose’ research other crops and cultivation systems will be shown and discussed.
- Vase life test with roses is set up
- Plant = factory; how does the plant function and what parts does a plant have? What is the difference between growth and development? The basis of all production is the process of photosynthesis. To have a good understanding more basics of plant physiology are discussed, including the difference between respiration and transpiration.
Day 2: Start of cultivation: propagation, climate, substrate and nutrients
- Plant material; the life of a crop starts with the young plants. In roses many ways of propagation are possible. During this lecture most used methods of propagation are discussed, including advantages and disadvantages. Methods discussed include propagation by cutting, stenting and grafting as well as the necessary conditions during propagation.
- Greenhouse climate; reason for placing a greenhouse or other protective structure is to be able to control the climate. But what is an optimal climate for a rose and how to achieve this? This is explained in the lecture Introduction to Greenhouse Climate. The optimal conditions for rose cultivation in relation to temperature, Relativ Humidity (RH), Humidity Deficit (HD) and CO2 are discussed.
- Substrates; a crop needs a substrate for anchorage and supply of water and nutrients. The choices of substrates are many, the main being soil, coco peat, rockwool and perlite. What requirements should the substrate meet to have a successful cultivation of roses? What characteristics do the different substrates have that make them useful or require special attention?
- Nutrients; in order to have optimal growth the plant requires water and nutrients. In this lecture the function of different nutrients is explained, including symptoms of deficiency and toxicity in the rose crop. Water quality requirements are discussed and the step to nutrient solutions and recipes is taken if time allows.
Day 3: Crop protection and field visit
- Crop protection; during the cultivation pests and diseases will appear in the crop. During this lecture the biology of various pests and diseases in roses is explained and methods for control discussed. In Integrated Pest Management (IPM) both biologic and chemical control are used with a focus on as low amount of chemical application as possible.
- Field visit: In the afternoon two companies will be visited. One visit is to a commercial rose grower in the area of Bleiswijk or Aalsmeer. At this nursery high tech rose cultivation can be observed, which may inspire you to have improvements in your own nursery. The second company is one of the major breeding companies in roses. Here you will learn about characteristics that breeding companies look for, variety testing for various climate zones as well as requirements for plant material and seeds for a good start of the cultivation.
Day 4: Crop- and Chain management
- Field visit: Once the produce is harvested it should reach the consumer in good condition. Also the product has to meet the demands of the market in size, packaging and harvesting stage. During a visit to the flower auction FloraHolland the marketing of floricultural produce is explained. A visit to an exporting trader is an option depending on time and interest of the group.
- Crop management; during the cultivation the crop has to be taken well care of. What kind of labour is required and how often? Aspects of crop management are discussed in respect to pruning, bending, disbudding, harvesting and others.
- Postharvest; this is a topic that is especially important for warm climates for perishable crops like roses. After the harvest of your beautiful produce you will want to keep the quality well until delivery at the final customer. The lecture postharvest will offer information on the reasons of perishing and how vase life can be improved so customers will be satisfied with the produce you delivered. Specific requirements for roses after harvest are given, e.g. temperatures and RH in cold store, use of preservatives, packaging and transport.
Day 5: Optimizing greenhouse management
- Vase life test: the results of the vase life test started on Monday are evaluated and discussed.
- Company organisation; The final session will address company organisation, production planning and greenhouse labour management. How do you keep your workers motivated, how can you monitor and optimize the labour?
- Option: Field visit: depending on topics left and interest of the group we may visit another breeder or commercial rose company in the morning.
- Option: Lecture (content to be determined with participants); Based on topics raised during day 1 – 4 lectures may be included today depending on the interest and importance for participants. Examples are the New Way of Cultivation for advanced growers, Mollier Diagram for greenhouse growers or more on marketing and chain management.
- To finalize the intensive course a round table is organised for final discussion and evaluation. During the closure session the certificates are handed and drinks offered.
Trainers: Our education team consists of dedicated passionate staff consisting of international consultant/trainers and senior lecturers.
More information
GreenQ
Steven Madern
Email: sales@greenq.nl
www.greenq.nl