Innovation, knowledge development and knowledge sharing are among our key concerns. Innovation is inherent to breeding. Teams formed for the purpose of tackling research questions also focus on issues relating to cultivation, propagation, quality and production methods. Innovation also characterises aspects outside our core business, for example a pioneering project involving the use of deep geothermal energy to heat our greenhouses in a more sustainable way.
We have several isolated testing areas for research in our greenhouses. The lighting, screening, relative humidity, heating and CO2 content of those areas can all be separately controlled, enabling us to carry out reliable trials that may comprise the entire process from propagation up to and including the flowering phase. Our laboratories also provide a sound infrastructure for laboratory tests.
We also perform research in response to questions from customers. This we do in internal research and/or cooperation projects. One of the partners in our research projects is Wageningen University & Research. We also participate in research in the context of the top sector policy. In these TKI (Top Consortium for Knowledge and Innovation) projects the Dutch government, industry and science together invest in our horticulture & propagating materials sector.