Plant Raiser
Plant Raisers are an important part of the food chain, therefore Rijk Zwaan wanted to bring together many plant raisers from different parts of the world to join forces. On this Plant Raiser Portal, Rijk Zwaan will keep you up-to-date regarding the latest news in the world of plant raisers. A page, specifically created to provide plant raisers with essential information and inform them about the latest news within the industry.
Plant Raiser Summit 2023
Following the successful first edition of the Rijk Zwaan Rootstock Plant Raiser Summit on 24 and 25 October 2023, we thank all participants, partners and experts for their valuable contributions. Just some of the thought-provoking topics included extinction as a business model, viruses in dry powder soup, and automated grafting.
News and Presentations
You will find the latest plant raiser articles and presentations from the first Rootstock Plant Raiser Summit below.
“The summit gave us new ideas about how to control viruses”
“It was great to communicate with like-minded people”
“Super interesting that we all share similar pain points”
“Plant raisers can learn a lot from each other”
“Networks are key in biodiversity”
Koos Biesmeijer from Museum Naturalis taught us something new: extinction can be a business model. “We know about extinction. And that’s why we study life on Earth. Guess how many species there are in the world? 1 million, 5 million, who thinks more? It’s actually around 20 to 25 million; more than 50% are insects. But networks are the key. If those networks break down, we have a problem. That’s why we have to consume and produce in a different way.” “Our rootstock range is an answer to major issues”
- Rijk Zwaan offers a complete rootstock range for all major issues faced by growers, David Herzog explained. “Our tomato rootstock varieties can be a solution for Fusarium, bacterial wilt and ToBRFV.” His colleague José Jiménez Martínez showed both cucumber rootstocks that tackle Fusarium, CGMMV, Pythium and a hard or poor-quality soil and (water)melon rootstocks that are a solution for Fusarium and a poor and hard soil.
- José also introduced the ‘Easy to Graft’ concept. “We aim to select varieties that offer not only vigour and resistances for growers, but also important characteristics for plant raisers, like germination, usable percentage, plant uniformity and flexibility in grafting. We are running tests now.”
“Microbial products are newest tool in biocontrol”
At Koppert, a leading provider of natural solutions in pest and disease control, they believe in a holistic approach, with a strong plant as the basis for a successful crop. Roxina Soler and Paolo Banzato explained about the newest tool: microbial products. “Viruses are everywhere, even in instant soup and dust”
- The research results presented by Hans Linders, Quality Manager at Rijk Zwaan, were quite shocking: “A virus like ToBRFV is everywhere, even in instant soup, dust and air. Widespread around the world. Now we know our enemy, we have to be very careful about what we bring into our facilities. Water, people, hands, clothes, equipment and waste are all risk factors.”
- Hans explained that the Good Seed and Plant Practices (GSPP), which was established as a uniform system by seed companies and plant raisers in 2010, was a giant leap forwards for hygiene. “But we should also work closely together with growers to keep new viruses under control.”
“Lean is about less waste and more value”
“Kaizen is the Japanese word for changing for the better. Lean management is all about less waste and more value,” stated José Esteve Fernández de Córdova from SGS Leansis Productivity. It is quite common for lean management to achieve 30-50% more efficiency or better quality, both in labour and automated processes, according to José. But it takes time, commitment and communication: “The human factor is always the most challenging.” “Resilient growing is complex, but possible”
“By 2030, one third of the chemicals currently used in the European Union will be banned. That is why we need an alternative: resilient growing,” said Maarten Casteleijn from Royal Brinkman. The company advises growers and plant raisers on implementation approaches: “There is not just one way. It is a complex process that should be done step by step. But it is possible. I’ve seen growers that grow a robust crop and use no chemicals at all. When do you start?” “Developing the grafting machine took us thirteen years”
Beekenkamp Plants, that produces 600 million young vegetable plants a year, has invested heavily in automating the processes of sowing, selecting, grafting, potting and packing. Annieck Ruijgrok and Erik Heijs presented a couple of videos showing exactly how this is done. “We are super proud of the automated grafting line, which takes care of the cutting and clipping. It has increased the plant quality, because the rootstocks have the same height and same angle. And we need fewer workers, although placing the variety on the rootstock is still done by employees,” they explained. So what are the biggest challenges in automation? “The staff must be technical. And beware that innovation is a long and intensive process. Developing the grafting machine with builder ISO took us thirteen years.” Interested in the presentation of Beekenkamp? “Growers were more flexible than we expected”
Cindy van Rijswick from Rabobank outlined the trends in the fresh produce chain. “We have to face a lot of challenges. The labour market stays tight, the energy costs remain on a high level and consumers are impacted. Moreover, the EU rules are getting stricter and the weather will be more extreme. But I also see bright spots. In the energy crisis, growers were much more flexible than we expected. And since Covid, retailers take extra care of growers. Partnerships will become more important.” Interested to know more? “We only release seeds for sale when all quality standards are met”
Monique Compier is responsible for quality management at Rijk Zwaan: “Rootstock seed production is done at eight locations. The same strict hygiene procedures are followed at every location.” She explained how disease monitoring is done during seed production. After transportation to De Lier, the seeds are extensively quality-tested for health, germination, seed purity and genetic purity. “We only release them for sale when all quality standards are met.” Want to know more about this topic? Aftermovie
It's been a while since our first-ever Rootstock Plant Raiser Summit successfully concluded. Bringing together such a large number of key players in the plant raiser industry from different parts of the world has been a very valuable experience. With lots of interesting speakers and insightful discussions, we managed to organise an as complete and relevant programme as possible for all participants. Check out the short aftermovie and get a sneak peek of our event.