Equiflor is excited to introduce our tenth breeder Könst Alstroemeria

History:

More than 40 years ago the family Könst, based on the Netherlands and known primarily as a carnation grower, began breeding Alstroemeria. For the past 35 years, they have focused solely on Alstroemeria; these efforts have resulted in Könst Alstroemeria becoming one of the leading breeders of this flower, in an exciting assortment of varieties in a wide range of shapes and colors. Their Alstroemeria varieties can now be found in professional nurseries all over the globe, as they export to more than 30 countries. Some of their most famous varieties have been Rio, Wilhelmina, Napoli, and most recently Himalaya, Romance, Dubai, and Whistler.

Breeding:

Through hybridization, Könst Alstroemeria continuously seeks to improve the quality and productivity of their current varieties, as well as working to create new colors and shapes. The process of breeding takes between six and eight years, quite a long process compared to other floral products. The breeding process uses different techniques such as cross-pollination, embryo rescue, and induced mutation.

The breeding process can be summarized as follows:

Year 0: Breeding and initial selections.
Years 1-4: Evaluation of the selections from their farms in the Netherlands and Colombia. These evaluations focus on production, quality, and colors of the different varieties.
Years 4-6: Evaluations around the world, and propagation in their laboratory.
Years 6-8: Marketing of varieties around the world.

All varieties produced and sold by Könst Alstroemeria have their origin in laboratory plants. This is important as it makes it possible for those farms producing Alstroemeria to begin their production free of viruses and diseases.