The horticultural industry is an important economic sector in the Netherlands. Internationally, the sector has a leading position in vegetables, fruits, ornamentals, flower bulbs and trees. Within these product groups long-lasting experience in breeding and production is combined with extensive industrial activities in support, logistics and services. The strong position of the Dutch horticultu...

The relatively brief postharvest life of most cut flowers and potted flowering plants can be extended by a range of technologies. Studies have shown that vase life is negatively correlated with respiration after harvest, so prompt cooling to the lowest safe storage temperature is a key to long-distance transport of these perishable crops. Forced air cooling is the method of choice for cut flowe...

Growth characteristics and marketing of woody ornamentals prevent crop scheduling common in floriculture crops. However, many tasks in the production of woody ornamentals require coordination with the season and/or physiological state of the species. Since most woody ornamental nurseries produce many species or cultivars, a variety of tasks occur concurrently. This review highlights the major t...

Many cultivars of ornamental conifers are difficult to propagate. Cuttings may root poorly and graft success may be highly variable even in the hands of skilled, experienced propagators. Because of these problems, we conducted a detailed study of the physiology of graft formation in Picea pungens 'Hoopsi' scions grafted on Picea abies rootstocks with the purpose of identifying factors limiting ...

In the last decade plant biotechnologists and breeders have made several attempt to improve the antioxidant content of plant-derived food. Most efforts concentrated on increasing the synthesis of antioxidants, in particular anthocyanins, by inducing the transcription of genes encoding the synthesizing enzymes. We present here an overview of economically interesting plant species, both food crop...