Cultivating Business Opportunities— Flower Breeders in Taiwan(a)|拈花惹草创商机──育种

Cultivating Business Opportunities—

Flower Breeders in Taiwan

拈花惹草创商机──育种

Do you know what flowers are popular this year? Can you predict which varieties will find favor in the market next season? "Whoever controls flower varieties can corner the market," says Chen Wen-huei, chairman of the Institute of Biotechnology at National University of Kaohsiung. Flower varieties and cultivars are valuable cores of the flower industry. If you don't own them, then producing plants and flowers is reduced to mere "industrial processing."

But how do you go about breeding new cultivars to capture the market? Apart from the use of professional techniques, breeders must also possess a keen sense of the winds of fashion to grab hold of sales opportunities. Flower markets offer an abundance of species and varieties and are the best places to enjoy flowers from countries all over the world, such as roses from France, chrysanthemums from Holland, African daisies from Italy, and baby's breath and petunias from Israel.

The flower industry is an aesthetic industry. Like fashion designers, those in the field aim to keep ahead of trends and are constantly looking to innovate. Take for instance last year's Chinese New Year season. In addition to moth orchids, which are traditional for Chinese New Year in Taiwan, the colorful double-petaled Kalanchoe blossfeldiana also made a big splash, and Foreport Enterprises introduced a new variety of chrysanthemum from Holland which combines a golden yellow outside with a dark red inside to create a splendid and luxurious effect. These are all regarded as outstanding varieties by importers and expert breeders from various nations. Yet fashion is fickle, and breeders must constantly innovate.

　　你知道今年花卉流行的基调吗？你能预测下一季什么花种会行情看俏吗？『谁掌握品种，谁就掌握市场！』高雄大学生物科技研究所所长陈文辉说，品种才是花卉产业的核心价值所在，没有品种，花卉生产充其量只是『加工业』而已。

　　如何创新品种、掌握市场？育种专家除了专业技术外，对于流行时尚还得要具备敏感度，才能在花花世界里创造商机。万紫千红的花卉市场，是欣赏全球各地花种的最佳所在，像是来自法国的玫瑰、荷兰的菊花、意大利的非洲菊，以色列的满天星和矮牵牛等等。

　　花卉是『美』的产业，它就像时装，也讲求流行性，也要不断推陈出新。就拿去年春节来说，除了应景的蝴蝶兰外，花团锦簇的重瓣长寿花也扑天盖地充斥市场，而福埠公司自荷兰引进栽植的新品种菊花『金莎』，外金黄、内暗红，贵气逼人、艳惊四座。这些打动人心的花卉，都是各国育种专家和进口商们万中选一的精心杰作。然而，流行不断更迭，育种专家也要不断创新花卉品种。