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Royal Van Zanten

Dave Geerlings has been with Royal Van Zanten for over 18 years. Through pot Chrysanthemums, Statice and pot Alstroemeria, he is now breeder of the cut Alstroemeria. Charmelias are the favorite, a fantastic flower with unique characteristics.

Royal Van Zanten

  • 3.5 hectares of Alstroemerias in Rijsenhout, in addition to breeding locations in Colombia and Kenya

Tell us something about your background; how did you get into the field?

Born and raised in the bulb region, so of course I am familiar with flowers.

My father was a bulb grower and just about the whole family is in flowers. From an early age I was interested, but especially how flowers are put together. At laboratory school I trained and after this I worked in plant research laboratories. After a few years at Royal Van Zanten I started in the lab and there came into contact with breeding. I got the chance to retrain myself at WUR and then start as a breeder.

What makes this field so special for you?

It is heartening to see that you can create something that makes people happy!

Can you provide a description of your role or function and/or an outline of your involvement in the process?

I devise the crosses and make selections from the seedlings of those crosses.

Within Van Zanten I work with other breeders, phytopathology, laboratory, production, product management, sales, marketing. All these facets make being a breeder a very enjoyable profession!

What part in the breeding process do you find most fun/challenging?

Seeing seedlings in bloom and seeing if your prediction for a particular hybrid comes true. Sometimes you are surprised, which can be either positive or negative.

What are you most proud of?

It is always nice to see your "own" breed back in the store, but this is still a real team effort. All departments do their bit to achieve a successful variety in the end. The whole concept of Charmelia and also the introduction of the Astronova are very nice developments, which makes me proud to work at Royal Van Zanten.

What has changed or had the greatest impact in recent years?

Internationalization, the entire world is becoming increasingly accessible including through more possibilities with sea freight. Varieties must grow optimally under the conditions in production areas worldwide.

What does sustainable cultivation look like in your organisation?

Alstroemeria is fairly durable by itself. It is a perennial plant that does not require heat. We have invested in LED lighting and we grow as much as possible with the seasons. As a breeder, we don't need to have year-round production. In addition, we bet on biological control. We also look at disease resistance when breeding new varieties, which ultimately also results in more sustainable cultivation because fewer crop protection products are needed.

What do you think the process of growing or breeding will look like in 10 years?

Molecular breeding will become increasingly important, for example to determine which genes are involved in which process in the plant. Developments that are already known from vegetable breeding will also start to appear in ornamental plant cultivation.

Data analytics will also take off in a big way and we are already in the process of data-driven enrichment. Linking all the data already available definitely adds value and helps in making choices.

What do you think makes the Alstroemeria so special?

I find that an Alstroemeria has great ornamental value and a lot of diversity, both in color and flower shape. The amount of stripes can also vary a lot and gives the flower a very different look.

What would you tell a florist about the Alstroemeria?

Give the Alstroemeria plenty of attention and a starring role in bouquets, preferably in a beautiful monobos. Surely such an elegant flower is much more than filler.

What do you think most people (florists) do not know about the Alstroemeria?

The leaves of an Alstroemeria are inverted on the stem. If you look closely, you can see that the petioles are twisted. 

And another fun fact: Alstroemeria have lots of nectar and bees and bumblebees love it. In Colombia and Kenya, you also see many hummingbirds and bee-eaters getting nectar from the flowers.

What ambitions do you have for the Alstroemeria?

Creating robust varieties that delight the grower and trade as well as the consumer.

Expansion of Astronova range with more colors and patterns, is also my aspiration for the coming years.

Contact details Royal Van Zanten

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