Development of integrated flower bulb production.

Abstract

The Dutch flower bulb market, the aims of the Dutch government to develop more environmentally friendly approaches to agriculture by reducing inputs and emissions, and the economic implications of such a shift in policy to the bulb market are discussed. Reducing pesticide inputs by rotating crops, selecting suitable cultivars and using pathogen-free planting material, reducing inorganic fertilizer inputs by properly assessing the needs of crops and using organically-based nutrient sources, and reducing emissions to the environment by using better application techniques are advocated. Progress in the development of integrated bulb production schemes at 3 experimental farms in the Netherlands (at Sint-Maartensbrug, Hillegon and Zwaagdijk) is discussed. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)