March 2023 - 20

TECHNOLOGY
the years, there is always
pressure to come up with
something new and exciting,
says Pedersen.
" There is less breeding
happening at the university
level, and I do see this as a
potential challenge in the
future. Fewer doctoral
candidates are
working on
ornamental crops
and there is less
work being done
for some of the
issues that are
important to
our industry -
especially around
pest and disease
issues, " Pedersen says.
Fernandez agrees that
one of the biggest challenges
Dianthus
'Beauties Kaia'
stress factors. " HilverdaFlorist
is working on genetic
compactness, which can have
important implications for plant
growth and development, as
well as for the plant's ability to
adapt to different environmental
conditions. This is done without the
use of PGR treatments. To achieve
this, more outdoor trials are being set
up so robustness and resilience in the crops
can be better selected, " Zethof says.
TECHNOLOGY
Some breeders are using traditional
methods without gene insertion or extraction,
while others are working with more advanced
Salvia 'Salgoon
Lake Tahoe'
as a breeder is coming up with a
" game changer " variety that everyone is looking for. " It
is almost expected that breeders deliver a stunning 'new'
product every year, when in reality, those types of varieties
take multiple years - sometimes even longer - to
develop, " he says.
At HilverdaFlorist, sustainability is currently an important
topic, including improving genetic resilience - a sustainable
solution to deal with the increasing pressure of diseases
and pests. " HilverdaFlorist strives to develop robust plants
that can withstand various circumstances and survive even
longer with fewer resources. It is important to work more
from a sustainability and resilience perspective.
" When working toward more sustainable products, there
are of course challenges. Working on genetic resistance
takes a lot of time, and bioassays often are difficult, since
they can give a lot of variation. But, nonetheless, it is
something we focus on and strive to optimize, " Zethof says.
FUTURE PLANS
Breeding new varieties can take years from start to finish,
so it's crucial for breeders to continue to have plants in
the pipeline.
Danziger will continue to focus on improved shelf life,
drought tolerance and heat tolerance, as well as lower
chemical use in its breeding work, says Fernandez.
HilverdaFlorist plans to continue working on optimizing
outdoor growth for many of its series, including
improvements to resistance to diseases and pests, and
20
MARCH 2023 GPNMAG.COM
technologies.
" Technology is changing how breeding is
accomplished. It is having a large impact on our
industry and brings new and exciting genetics to
market more quickly than ever before, " Fernandez says.
Breeding new
varieties can take years
from start to finish, so
it's crucial for breeders to
continue to have plants
in the pipeline.
There are currently developments with marker-assisted
breeding, a technique that uses molecular markers to
identify and select plants with desirable characteristics.
HilverdaFlorist will use this technology to identify markers,
then use it to breed plants with the desired characteristics,
making it possible to produce plants with improved
characteristics - such as disease resistance - more
efficiently and effectively.
Genetics are constantly being improved with the goal
of increasing overall garden performance and uniformity.
Breeders will no doubt continue to provide new and
improved varieties year after year and work to develop
more promising varieties for the future of our industry.
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March 2023

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