ISHS Acta Horticulturae 177: IV International Symposium on Flower Bulbs
INNOVATION: A CHALLENGE TO FLOWER-BULB INDUSTRY AND RESEARCH |
| Author: | Robert J. Bogers |
| Abstract:
During the first flower-bulb symposium my predecessors at the Bulb Research Centre have given more or less comprehensive surveys of the development of the bulb industry, including important research topics and the ways these topics were dealt with (Schenk, 1971; Slootweg, 1971). As you have seen in today's programme, the next three speakers in this opening session will concentrate on one aspect of bulb research, viz., the possibilities and problems currently observed in the production of high-quality, disease-free material in an economical way. It is my intention to mention a few prospects for future developments in this direction, partly based upon developments in other research areas. The need to grow bulbs and flowers of high quality has become more urgent during the last decennium. Many years ago, growers produced their bulbs and flowers and then tried to sell them for the highest possible price. When the quality was poor, the price was low. Nowadays the Dutch flower auctions refuse flowers of insufficient quality; competition on existing markets has increased and customers, both professional and private ones, only buy bulbs and flowers if they have confidence in the quality. Moreover, the wish of the Dutch exporters to enter new markets with strict phytopathological regulations has forced the industry to pay even more attention to quality. Instead of 'trying to sell what has been grown' the industry is now facing the challenge of 'trying to grow what can be sold', and therefore: growing high-quality products. This is not a simple task. It will be obvious that, for instance, the production of disease-free material is not just a matter of using more pesticides: environmental regulations have been tightened and the care for the environmental among the growers has increased, while economic considerations and the possible occurrence of resistance of pathogens against pesticides ask for a different, innovative approach. These facts not only form a challenge to bulb industry, they have also brought about a shift in research programmes from problem-solving on a short term to creating new possibilities on a longer term. This requires a multidisciplinary approach by researchers who are capable of recognizing important developments in (fundamental and applied) research and in industry, and who can rate these developments at their value for application and incorporate them in their own work. Various lines can be discerned along which this challenge can be met:
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