Seedlings and patents
With only four participants, the participation of companies from the southeastern United States at the IPM International Plant Fair in Essen was quite weak. There is still too much anxiety about the pandemic at the moment, as Anouk Dijkgraaf explained, who represented the Susta association at the Susta joint stand at IPM. The state organization represents agriculture, food and horticulture companies in the southeastern United States. This includes Florida as one of the largest horticultural regions in the U.S. (www.susta.org).
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Puerto Rico-based Vista Farms (www.vistafarms.com) produces young plants of bougainvillea, hibiscus and ixoras. Customers are found on six continents, and distribution is through national and international plant dealers. Smaller quantities of the young plants are also shipped to Germany, Jerome J. O'Neill said.
Foremostco (www.foremostco.com), founded in Miami, Florida, in 1987, also produces young plants for domestic and international trade. On offer is a wide range of different species and varieties, with emphasis on new, innovative cultivars.
Liriope Factory (www.liriopefactory.com) is considered the largest producer and exporter of bare-root liriope (bunch lily) in the world, over 50 million per year.
Cassy Bright's company, Plant Patent Agent (www.plantpatentagent.com), has specialized in plant genetics protection since 1996. She assists plant breeders in applying for plant patent protection for their varieties, which in the U.S. replaces the plant variety protection offered in Europe. Plant patents are granted relatively quickly after application, as the whole process is merely in writing. There is no testing of the varieties in cultivation. The specialist makes about 100 applications a year, of which about 60 % are for customers outside the U.S. and 40 % are for customers within the U.S.
