Presenting

19 Ball SB's plant breeding program, which is based in Colombia, focuses on fi ve fl ower types: Alstroemeria, baby's breath (Gypsophila), statice (Limonium), Chrysanthemum and nonfl owering sweet-William (Dianthus). ese fi ve fl ower types represent three of the top four imported cut fl owers in the U.S. (Roses are No. 1.) If you've used 'Mirabella' baby's breath or 'Green Ball' Dianthus, you're benefi ting from Ball SB's innovations. e company's plant breeding team is dedicated to expanding the available color palette for designers, improving plant performance for growers and reducing agrochemical use for the environment. Plant breeding is the hidden science of selecting and combining plant traits to produce desirable characteristics. ink of the enormous variation of new fl owers in recent years, like the warm, earthy, muted tones of clay-colored roses or the spunky picotee-edged quill-petaled Dahlia. Plant breeding is a process that dates back to our earliest days of plant domestication thousands of years ago. It started with agricultural plants but evolved to benefi t ornamentals like cut fl owers, too. Plant breeders use variations in a plant's DNA to improve both the plant's performance and aesthetic value. Breeders work to enhance plant traits like fl ower size and color, stem length, stem yield (number of blooms produced) and vase life, in addition to enhancing the plant's stress tolerance to pests, temperature and pathogens. All of these traits—and more—are being improved to provide you and your customers the freshest rainbow of fl owers possible. In contrast to today's instant-messaging addiction, plant breeding is a marathon process. From start to release, most plant improvement takes about fi ve years. Five years to master every new color or form introduced! It's a selection process more stringent than a season of e Bachelorette. e breeding process starts with selecting the parent stock—a library of plants of the same genus and species, each possessing various pros and cons. Some varieties bloom prolifi cally but may have short, spindly stems not suited to fl oral work. Others may have a desirable fl ower color and long stems but produce only a few blooms. Plant breeders ask, "How can we combine these traits for a plant with the best of both worlds?" Plant breeders cross-pollinate multitudes of old and 19 Continued on page 20

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