Throughout the years many different crops, varieties and clients (worldwide), have found their sweet spot in Oosterleek.
Hybrids-, straight lines- and population seeds are being produced on pot plants, cut flowers and summer plants, but also on vegetables crops like tomatoes and cucumber.
SeedCare BV has a number of crops that they qualify as their main crops. These crops are important to SeedCare BV because of their size in acreage, because of their financial benefits or their importance for the continuity of SeedCare BV.
In this section you can find more information on the main crops and their properties like growing conditions, pollination details or time periods.
Besides the main crops SeedCare BV grows a lot of other crops that are being used for producing seeds like:
Cyclamen
The Cyclamen, with its 2000m2 and long growing cycles of 1,5 year, is one of the more important crops at SeedCare BV. SeedCare BV often does the sowing and nursery, but sometimes the client sends young plants for nursery.
The seeds are generally being sown in February after which the plants are being grown to their flowering stage. At this point, oktober/november, the selection is being made for the parental lines. The selection is done on criteria like: color of the flower, color of the leafs, stem length and general plant form.
The selected plants are then being moved to their specialized climate controled sections, after which the pollination will start.
SeedCare BV has been involved in the origin of cyclamen hybrids since the beginning and therefore has a long history and experience in hybrid seed production.
There is currently seed production for hybrids, straight lines, big flowering types, the midi's and mini's as well as the wild garden Cyclamen varieties.
Viola
The cycle of viola is very short but very intense. The pollination starts in May and goes on till July/august. The viola plants are being grown from seeds but also from cuttings.
After selection in the beginning of May plants are being moved to their own sections. The pollination period is very labor intensive. Pollination is done on a daily base, inclusive weekend, to realize an optimal yield.
In this period SeedCare BV has about 35 extra employees, whom are being paid on the grams of seed they produce on their plants.
Because of the environment en growing benefits, chemicals are not being used in the viola's.
As a result SeedCare BV produces more seeds per plant with a higher vigor and germination.
By means of a complex Reldair fog unit the humidity and temperature are being controlled in this summer crop. SeedCare BV is able to lower the temperature in these sedtions by 4°C and keep the humidity on a constant 60% or higher. These options give SeedCare BV the edge to maintain a solid viola seedproduction in Europe.
Primula
The production of primula seed starts in December/January and ends in March. But the production really starts with the sowing of seeds in the year before.
For 1000 production plants there are generally 2000 plants sown and grown. This because with the selection of plants, usually half of them is flowering long stemmed and have is flowering short stemmed. This is called heterostyly, and it prevents the primula to self pollinate.
For optimal hybrid pollination we use the short stemmed plants as mail lines and the long stemmed as female lines. However at SeedCare BV all the possible crosses are being made on command; like long on long and short on short with variable results.
SeedCare BV has a wide experience in producing seeds in many different primula varieties, like acaulis, obconica and malacoides
Begonia
The last crop of the year is usually begonia. Pollination starts in August and ends in November, harvesting of the seeds is finished around Christmas.
Begonia has a double flowering form on one plant; the male flowers and the female flowers. Self pollination is therefore not common, but never the less is a possibility. Most of the time involved goes into the removal of the male flowers in their early stage.
The male flowers used for pollination are picked from the male lines which are being grown in a separate section. The seed of begonia is very, very small and expensive to buy per seed, therefore is sometimes referred to as 'brown gold'.
Senecio
This is a typical crop for SeedCare BV that goes from seed to seed within the company. And also in this crop a full biological pest control is being maintained throughout the crop. Mainly the aphids are a big problem in the senecio and take constant attention.
The senecio is almost always pollinated with bees. Therefore chemical pest control is impossible during the crop. Taking full advantage in the flexibility of the different insect proof sections, which can individually be segmented as well, SeedCare BV does a lot of small trail's and straight-line seed productions.
Tomato
This important vegetable crop is still grown in the soil at SeedCare BV. Because of the carefully preserved structure of the natural soil, SeedCare BV is able to produce high quality seed on a strong generative tomato plant. The sections available for soil productions vary from 1200m2 to 2000 m2, which of course are all insect proof, thus enabling SeedCare BV to produce multiple varieties in one section.
Young plant's are generally grown at special nursery, but are sometimes also grown at SeedCare BV. When the plant reaches about 30 to 40 cm height and have the first flower they are ready to be planted the production sections.
After planting, SeedCare BV starts collecting pollen from the male plants and starts pollinating the female lines. The pollen is collected with a specially developed and designed machine that vibrates the pollen out of the flowers and into a collection device.
This collected pollen is then stored or used rigth away for pollination.
Cucumber
The crop of cucumbers is grown in the same period as our tomato crops, starting in may.
The cucumbercrop however is a relative short crop with its pollination period of 3 weeks and harvest 2 to 3 months later in September
The pollination can be done by bees, but mostly is being done by hand with a flower to flower pollination methode. The flowers from the male line are a different type of flowers then the female flowers which grow on top of the cucumber fruit.
To get male flowers on the male lines, SeedCare BV has to spray them with argylene to get a switch from female to male flowers enabling a hybrid seed production
The fruits are generally being harvested in two lots and are then, depended on the client, being shipped as a whole for cleaning at the client or are being cleaned at SeedCare BV after which the seeds are being transported to the client.
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