Crops & Flowers
New Thinking
New Science
New Value
A first for organics
Organics and science: often seen as opposed are in fact bedfellows. Now Crop & Food Research has produced the nation's first science-based reference book for organics, in a bid to boost productivity and exports.
Blooming spectacular partnership with Hawaii University
Cymbidium orchids: while the name might not be pretty, the blooms are simply gorgeous. Cymbidiums are New Zealand’s top cut flower export, with over 3.7 million stems departing our shores annually. But with markets demanding continual novelty, Crop & Food Research, partnering the University of Hawaii, is keeping ahead of the game.
NZ horticulture quietly takes export spotlight
Apart from flagships Kiwifruit and wine, NZ horticulture exports are seldom high profile. But look closer: in the year to March 2006 horticulture exports quietly hit $2.3 billion. That’s 7% of all NZ exports and a huge $100 million gain on the previous year. Strong growth owes much to ground-breaking new products, where HortResearch takes a driving role.
Growing the $NZ80 million export spud
The humble spud no longer. Sequencing the potato genome will open the way to potatoes with better nutritional value, colour and flavour, powering New Zealand’s $80 million export market. Crop & Food Research scientists are part of a $36 million study involving 8 countries.
