The greenhouses of Po di Tramontana, the experimental center for flowers and vegetable production in Veneto, Italy, are full of poinsettias. European breeders are happy to have their products tested in this center that has been doing research for more than thirty years to enhance the typicity of local production, improve inner products quality and decrease environmental impact of agriculture.
The floricultural activities take place in three seasons during the year. In spring they use their greenhouses to compare different flowering crops like Petunia, Calibrachoa, Begonia and Mandevilla from European breeders. In the summer months they take the plants outside to test their performance in the Italian climate. Finally, they carry on Poinsettias variety trials, as can be seen in this video that was shot during the conference on November the 29th.
“All the breeding companies give us their material for free so that it can be grown in the same conditions to make it possible a reliable comparison ”, Dr. Giovanna Pavarin, the floricultural technician, says. “We test growing techniques with a use of chemical as low as possible, and we compare varieties both at normal temperatures and at low temperatures to indicate which of them fit most for energy saving.”
For more information:
Veneto Agricultura
+39 0498293711
[email protected]
www.venetoagricoltura.org