2014 CIOPORA Chronicle

Voices of the industry
CIOPORA unites
breeders of many
different plant
varieties, both in
ornamentals and
fruits. In order to
achieve a better
IP protection
for breeders’
innovations, it is
necessary to listen
out to all of the
voices among their
ranks. The CIOPORA
Crop Sections
are the groups of
like-minded plant
breeders who, in
spite of competition,
come together to
discuss the most
persisting problems
in their crops,
including cut roses,
Gypsophila, pot
plants, carnation and
fruits. It is hardly
surprising that the
Crop Sections form
the backbone of
CIOPORA.
Crop Sections as backbone
of the association
CIOPORA Crop Section Gypsophila
is going strong
Established at the association’s
AGM 2013 in Angers, France, the
Crop Section Gypsophila is the
newest addition to the Ciopora
family.
Gypsophila paniculata is a species
of flowering plant of the Caryophyllaceae
family, native to central and
Eastern Europe. It is a herbaceous
perennial with lots of branching
stems covered in clouds of tiny
white flowers in summer. Due to its
gentle and airy look the crop is commonly
referred to as ‘baby's breath’.
Thanks to the outstanding
performance of modern varieties,
Gypsophila is an important crop
for growers, wholesalers and florists
alike. It is impossible to imagine
contemporary floral designs and
bouquets without this marvellous
flower.
Key issues
The Ciopora Crop Section
Gypsophila represents six companies
from the Netherlands, Israel,
by Ingrid Slangen
Gypsophila flowers (Photo credits: Selecta Klemm).
Japan, Spain/Germany and the
USA/Colombia that are active in
breeding and worldwide distribution
of Gypsophila varieties. They
decided to join forces to discuss
and handle the topics of common
interest. Since the foundation of
the group a year ago, four meetings
have been held in France, Colombia
and in the Netherlands, which
shows the need within the industry
to exchange ideas and to discuss
key issues, such as the tremendous
increase of PBR fees in Ecuador or
the illegal propagation of Gypsophila
varieties in different countries.
Genetic database
As its first major project, the group
decided to set up a genetic database
for Gypsophila varieties. The core
purpose of such a database is to
have a tool to identify varieties and
thus to stop illegal production and
propagation of varieties owned or
sold by the group members. Five
of the six group members will
participate in the project and are
ready to hand in their varieties to be
analysed. After a detailed discussion
within the group, members chose
the Dutch institute Naktuinbouw
to carry out the genetic analysis.
16 www.FloraCulture.eu | CIOPORA Chronicle June 2014