NAKAMURA-NOEN CO.,LTD
Teru Nakamura

I visited the growers’ fields and the cut flowers’ show in Holland from 6th to 12th of September. It is reported below.

【In the Grower’s Field】
　The planting time in spring was so chilly in Holland. The average temperature was below normal year, for details, 3.5+ degrees lower in March and 1 degree lower in April. On the other hand, summer season had been hot and dry days, and the average temperature was above normal year. For details, 1.2 degrees higher in July and 0.6 degrees higher in August and then the amount of rain was less than half of usual year. According to growers and the exporters, some of growers irrigated 6 times what they did last year.

　At the time we visited, it had a heavy rain and it seemed a welcome rain temporarily. And the temperature fell like normal year, it had become quite autumnal.

　In Province Limburg and Brabant of southern parts of Holland, some of OR planting materials 10-12cm size enlarged 16-18cm size at the time we visited, so some growers finished splaying of preventing Botrytis for the purpose of making their field die. On the other hand, growers in the northern part kept splaying it in the fields. It has difference between areas. Exporters will check lack of enlargement again about LA/A which are early to harvest in the fields.

　The condition is widely different from varieties (OR, OT, LA, A) or production, therefore, to judge and comment “delay” or “abnormality” only by the spring cold is doubtful. We hope future enlargement and should watch weather since autumn.

　This time, we could check the growing test which is not well-known in Japan. For instance, they check how the crop is affected by quantity of fertilizer, the harvesting time and the depth of the planting etc. In addition, they test different temperature treatment for scale how the double noses can be reduced by condition before planting, and virus- resistant varieties etc. We were surprised by growers who research the planting management of suitable method for each variety by the test like this.

[Photo(left): Growing Research] 　 [Photo(right):Grower’s Field]

【At the Cut Flowers’ Show】
　There was a grand show about the cut flowers held in September in Holland. We visited “De Plasbokaal” and “Bolle Noord” this time.

　It is also held the contest about quality of cut flowers by young growers, not just breeding company’s show, at De Plasbokaal. In this contest, participants received bulbs in advance without variety name, then they compete to find out the variety as soon as possible, and also competition for the quality of the cut flowers.

　Originally, Mr. Joop Van Veen, the cut flower grower, began it with his playful mind for his employees to improve the quality or study. By the way, the contest bulb this year was Premium Blond.

　Many growers for the cut flowers and bulbs, breeding companies and exporters visited the show. This event is the place where many people who are related to this industry came together at the same time, so they exchange their information each other. We had a good chance to meet them we normally contact by e-mail. And then, many young people came there and we really felt their passion for growing bulbs.

[Photos: At De Plasbokaal and works at Bolle Noord]

【Closing Remarks】
　This is the first time I go to Holland in September and I really thought that it was so important to go there to research for the growers and the fields. This time, we could do a trial digging and measure the length around bulb which will be exported to Japan some months later. Recently, we can find more the naked scale fields there. This method which is no need to treat in the cooling storage makes production efficiency better and spreading rapidly. Especially plam-virus problem in recent years onward, this method is chose to the lot renewing and it seems they make an effort to reduce poor bulbs as soon as possible.

　Some of growers disposed plam-virus infected bulbs which were worth of several million Euro (several hundreds of millions of yen). We think their effort to reduce bad bulbs is same as our belief in supplying better bulbs. We will go to Holland to do 4th research in harvest season this year and try to keep making an effort. As a result, we would like to be customers’ useful expert in bulb industry.