Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 11.12
Wooden flats typ-
ical of those used for sowing
seeds, rooting cuttings until
transplanting; such heavy
wooden flats were used until
the plastics plug revolution
of the 1980s. (Sheldrake and
Boodley
1965
; Rowley
1978
)
firms do more than one activity task, such as a breeder and producer company or
act as a distributor and broker. Prior to 1960, all marketing of floral products oc-
curred through full-service florist retail shops (Nelson
2003
). Sales then moved to
include groceries, discount stores and street corners followed by mass marketers
(Nelson
2003
). With global experience, a product could be grown in one country by
a producer, distributed to another to be grown, and then final sales could occur in
multiple countries.. For example, Easter lily bulbs for the USA market are grown in
Smith River, California and Brookings, Oregon (USA), and are sold to greenhouse
forcers and growers in Canada and then shipped back to the USA market. Cut flow-
ers may pass through several countries, originating in one country where the grower
is located, shipped and marketed through a large floral auction house (e.g. Aalsmeer
in The Netherlands), and then brokered and distributed to any country on the globe.
The marketing of flowers has become specialized with many products (cultivars,
series) having specific websites, e.g. 'Purple Wave™' petunia Anon (
2013k
, http://
www.wave-rave.com/), and Proven Winners branding Anon (
2013l
,
http://www.
provenwinners.com/)
. This creates consumer interest ascending back through the
distribution chain, where they ask retailers for a specific product by name ('Purple
Wave™' petunia) rather than simply a purple petunia type (Anderson et al.
2006a
,
b
; Drew et al.
2010
). Other forms of marketing, such as intellectual property (IP)
have specific rights and have created interest and product value, such as Plant Pat-
ents, Plant Variety Protection, or Utility Patents in the USA vs. Plant Breeder's
Rights in Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan. (Aguirre
2006
).
Environmental Aspects
As a commercial venture, flower production, or floriculture, is a highly developed
and specialized form of agriculture. For maximum value, a flower must be perfect,
without disease or insect infestation, be free of physiological or physical injury, and
possess maximal vase life or shelf life. The modern, global flower production in-
dustry has evolved over many decades to reflect these requirements. And in tandem,
