Ornamentals
Syngenta's commitment to the global ornamentals market
'Ornamentals' is frequently used to describe the flowers and plants that many of us see at some point, if not every day of our lives. They are all around us: at home, on the way to work and in the office. They contribute to our aesthetic surroundings and are thought to generate a sense of well-being. Ornamentals brighten up our urban environment throughout the different seasons in parks and along roads, whilst bringing color into our private homes and gardens. They are also an essential part of many social, family and sporting events.
Ornamentals plant definitions
(crops in order of importance)
Ornamentals are produced by professional growers, who are usually specialized in one or several of the crop categories listed below.
Key Brand List of Professional Products
| Crop category | Examples of crop |
|---|---|
| Cut flowers | Rose, chrysanthemum,Gerbera, carnation, Alstromeria. |
| Nursery stock - trees and shrubs | i) utilized for public landscaping along motorways, roads, in parks and around public and commercial buildings, and ii) purchased from garden centers or landscape gardeners for use in private gardens. |
| Pot plants | Begonia, Campanula, chrysanthemum, Cyclamen, heather, Kalanchoe,poinsettia, Primula,orchid, Dieffenbachia, Dracaena,ivy, fern, Ficus. |
| Bedding plants | Used in private and public gardens for decoration: geranium, begonia, petunia. |
| Bulbs | Daffodil, hyacinth, lily, tulip. |
World Production
The total ex-grower value of the ornamentals business is estimated at USD 50-60 billion.
The production, transportation and sale of ornamentals is an international business. The majority of cut flowers are produced in select countries with a dedicated infrastructure and airlifted to major distribution centers in Miami and the Netherlands. In 2001, the UN International Trade Centre estimated the area of cut flowers at 200,000 hectares with an ex-grower value of USD 27 billion.
The pot and bedding plant business is often initiated with the production of cuttings in some countries, the propagation of young plants in other countries and the final production closer to the consumer. This practice is obviously due to the high volume of these products. The value of the crop protection products required to secure this business is only a fraction - probably less than 1%.
Importers
The key markets for ornamentals are Western Europe, North America and Japan. The EU is the world's leading importer of flowers and foliage valued at USD 3 billion in 1999. The largest importers are Germany, US, UK, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland - accounting for nearly 80% of global imports.
The Netherlands is the world's largest producer of cut flowers and foliage valued at USD 3.6 billion, followed by Germany and Italy. In addition, Netherlands plays a pivotal role in setting the global standard for daily prices through its computerised clock auction system and being the logistical distribution hub for Europe.
Exporters
South American countries Colombia and Ecuador as well as Israel, are the major producers of carnations and roses. An increasing investment is also been seen in Kenya. Additional expansion exists in other African and Central America countries.
The key ornamentals-producing countries
| Latin America | |
|---|---|
| Columbia | Cut flowers: carnations, roses. |
| Ecuador | Cut flowers. |
| Europe and Middle East | |
|---|---|
| France | Nursery stock. |
| Germany | Nursery stock, pot plants. |
| Israel | Cut flowers: carnations, roses and other cut flowers. |
| Italy | Nursery stock, cut flowers. |
| Netherlands | Cut flowers, chrysanthemums, roses, pot plants, foliage plants, bulbs. |
| United Kingdom | Nursery stock. |
| Spain | Cut flowers. |
| Africa | |
|---|---|
| Kenya | Cut flowers. |
| Asia | |
|---|---|
| Japan | Cut flowers: roses, chrysanthemums. |
| North America | |
|---|---|
| United States | Cut flowers, pot plants, nursery stock. |
Crop Protection Products
Growers have to make a large financial investment in their crops - costs for labour, heating fuel in many cases, the glasshouse or tunnel structure, plant material (seeds, cuttings), fertilizer and crop protection products.
Crop protection is one of the means a grower has to protect his financial investment. Syngenta has an extensive range of products registered for use in ornamental crops to combat the key pests and diseases. It is essential for growers to ensure their crops appear perfect when reaching the market, as signs of spots or damage to flowers or foliage can drastically affect the quality of the produce and ultimately their market value. Any sign of imperfection caused by pests and diseases can mean a serious loss in their potential income in this very competitive market. This necessitates the need for regular inspections to check the extent of pest and disease presence and decide when a spray application may be necessary.
Syngenta in the United States has a dedicated range of products designed specifically with the needs of ornamentals growers in mind. Two key brands,AVID® and CITATION®, control spider mites and leafminers, both of which are serious pests for ornamental growers. For further information about these brands and many more ornamentals products please use this link: http://www.syngentaprofessionalproducts.com
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
The ultimate aim of Syngenta is to devise crop programs for Integrated Crop Production systems for the main ornamental crops grown in glasshouses or plastic tunnels. With this in mind, development work utilizing a combination of chemicals and beneficial insects is being undertaken. This type of crop protection program is indeed far more complicated than one just using regular pesticide applications. There is a training need for the technician to advise the growers, and the growers themselves, who must also adapt their own practices and crop management to meet the challenge of new skills demanded of them.
Syngenta BIOLINE
Syngenta is fortunate in being the only leading agribusiness company with its own subsidiary able to supply beneficial insects to growers as part of its crop protection portfolio. Syngenta BIOLINE, based in the United Kingdom, has supplied beneficial insects for over 20 years to vegetable and ornamental growers across Europe, and North America.
Syngenta BIOLINE provides growers with a range of beneficial insects to cater for different crops and different climates. To discover more about BIOLINE, please click on the following link: www.syngenta-bioline.co.uk.
Integrated Programs
Rose crops are under constant attack from thrips, whitefly, aphids, spider mites, leaf miners and Noctuid moths. Some feed on the leaves of the plant whilst others focus their damage on the rose head. A Syngenta program for a rose grower would combine beneficial insects such as predators of mites (Phytoseiulus), parasites of whiteflies (Encarsia formosa and Eretmocerus eremicus), different types of aphid parasites (Aphidius wasps) and thrips predators (Amblyseius cucumeris) with specified Syngenta insecticides.
| Plant-feeding insects | Beneficial |
|---|---|
| Aphids | Aphidius colemani, Aphidoletes aphidimyza, Aphelinus abdominalis |
| Leafminer | Dacnusa sibrica, Diglyphus isaea |
| Spider Mites - two spotted, Carmine mite | Phytoseiulus persimilis, Amblyseius californicus, Feltiella acarisuga |
| Whiteflies | Encarsa formosa, Eretmocerus eremicus |
| Thrips | Amblyseius cucumeris |
