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Featuring delicate petals patterned in pink, red and white, the Phalaenopsis Kenneth Schubert Tari-12 orchid is found in only one place in the world. At least for now. The hybrid, which carries a light, sweet scent, is among several experimental strains growing at the Floriculture Research Center (FRC) in western Taiwan’s Yunlin County. With a further tweaking to ensure more blooms per stem, it could be a commercially produced strain in little more than three years.

Established by the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute under the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture (COA), the FRC opened its doors in 2001. The center houses laboratories, greenhouses and net houses—aviary-like plots of cultivated land protected by giant meshes—where new varieties of plants are developed and reproduced at scale through tissue culture.

The flower-in-progress already has one firm fan: Nuttha Potapohn, a member of a recent six-person study group to the center from Thailand. “I’m very impressed by this new hybrid,” she said. “It has clusters of smaller blooms and a very nice color and fragrance.”

Taipei City-headquartered International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF), Taiwan’s foremost foreign aid organization, and Thailand’s Royal Project Foundation based in Chiangmai city organized the group’s trip as part of a project to improve the livelihoods of Thai farmers. The visitors witnessed how the center is using plant tissue culture techniques to develop new varieties and were given a guided tour of the 21-hectare site.

 

Since the FRC opened its doors in 2001, researchers have developed more than 20 new flower varieties for commercial production. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling)

According to FRC Director Hsieh Ting-fang (謝廷芳), the research facility is experimenting with creating flowers—especially orchids—that demonstrate better disease resistance and drought tolerance, are easy to grow and have longer-lasting blooms in new colors, shapes and sizes. The center also cooperates closely with farmers and holds exchange activities, seminars and training programs.

“Our work addresses industry needs and problems through scientific and technological research,” Hsieh said. “We want to help Taiwan farmers consolidate their competitive position in the international market.”

Hothouse Horticulture

Rows of neatly labeled glassware, each one housing a tiny seedling, line benches in the FRC’s bright laboratories. Outside, in the green and net houses, flowers form blankets of color—yellow, blushing pink, cream and speckled purple. With the flower industry big business in Taiwan, the center takes its task to produce better and more beautiful blooms seriously.

According to COA statistics, the production value of the floriculture industry in 2017 was NT$17.7 billion (US$590 million), or 6 percent of all farm production that year. Flowers and ornamental plants can be sold for much higher prices than fruit, vegetables and grains, so it is important that the country stays ahead in terms of the latest technologies, Hsieh said.

 

The Tainung No. 4 Snow White orchid, created in 2011, is cultivated and sold by about 100 local farmers. It is popular in Japan, where white flowers are especially favored. (Photo courtesy of Floriculture Research Center)

R&D is being focused on species that are seeing stronger domestic and foreign demand. These are orchids, mainly moth orchids—named for their lepidopteran-shaped floral sprays—and Oncidium orchids, known as dancing ladies, as well as the shiny leaved anthuriums. Orchids are popular because they come in many different colors, are easy to care for and flower for several months at a time. The center is also researching new strains of amaryllis and calla lilies—simple to grow, both are popular among general consumers and hobbyists, the director said.

So far, the FRC has developed more than 20 new commercial varieties. One of the more successful is the Tainung No. 4 Snow White orchid, finalized in 2011, and now grown and sold by about 100 local farmers. The flower performs well in Japan, where white varieties are especially favored.

The FRC is helping growers improve their performance across the board from planting seeds to sending shipments overseas. They offer services to assist them in adopting better cultivation techniques, pest management protocols and post-harvest operational procedures. The center also helps farmers determine the optimal environment for a particular crop. Scientists research the best light and temperature conditions for seedlings raised in growth chambers and greenhouses.

Engineering Efficiency

Headquartered in southern Taiwan’s Chiayi County, I-Hsin Biotechnology Co. specializes in growing moth orchids. It operates about 20 greenhouses in Taiwan as well as two production and distribution centers in California to handle its exports to the U.S. Approximately 80 percent of the company’s plants are sold overseas, largely in Indonesia, South Africa, the U.S. and Vietnam.

“We need to continually improve our competitiveness by creating new varieties that reliably deliver premium quality and improve our production efficiency,” said Allen Wang (王炳勳), a manager at I-Hsin. “The FRC provides us with all kinds of assistance including information and technical guidance on cultivation, disease and pest control and how to improve the variety of our stock.”

 

A field of scarlet sage stretches into the distance at the 21-hectare FRC. The center helps farmers determine the optimal conditions for different crops. (Photo courtesy of FRC)

I-Hsin is one of Taiwan’s top five suppliers of moth orchids, with more than 150 varieties in commercial production and another 300 hybrids in the pipeline. It ships 600,000 flasks and 10 million seedlings a year.

To secure an edge over its main competitors—Dutch growers—the biotech company has been looking to streamline production processes and make them more cost-effective. That includes adopting automated and energy-saving devices, as well as building state-of-the-art greenhouses to safeguard supply and product quality. The center has been an invaluable part of this advancement drive, Wang said. For example, the FRC has advised them on how to improve the lighting and heating in their greenhouses by using different kinds of plastic film.

The facility’s researchers have also invented an innovative style of packaging that secures the plants in transit while providing good ventilation. Tiny holes on the top and bottom of boxes, rather than the more usual practice of piercing the sides, allow a better flow of air during transport thus keeping the plants fresh. “Advances in packaging, processes and systems that we’ve made with the assistance of the research center have been crucial to our business,” the manager said.

Floral Tribute

Lin Fang-zhu (林芳珠‬), chairperson of Taiwan Anthurium Industry Development Association based in the southern city of Tainan, said the FRC has also been a huge help to Taiwan growers of the heart-shaped flower. It has offered a wide range of advice and services on such topics as pest control, quarantine regulations and the best way to pack cut flowers for air and sea transport.

 

I-Hsin manager Allen Wang, right, and his colleagues examine moth orchid plants in one of the company’s greenhouses. (Photo by Chen Mei-ling)

“The FRC is usually the first organization that I go to for help,” she said. “Whenever there’s a disease or pest, I simply send photos of the affected plant or the insect to Hsieh’s cellphone and he can identify the problem and give me suggestions on how to treat it.” As well as holding the director’s post at the FRC, Hsieh is a plant pathologist who has invented natural, nontoxic ways—including using Chinese herbs—to control insects.

Lin, who founded the association in 2012, grows two anthurium cultivars developed by the FRC that do not fade easily in bright light and are more tolerant of heat. She also lends out her fields for experiments—another variety created by the center is being tested on her farm. Creating their own strains, the chairperson said, means they have lower production costs and are more competitive.

The FRC’s world-class facilities may soon be helping growers beyond Taiwan’s borders too. Potapohn, who works as coordinator for the Thai foundation’s flower farming projects, said she hoped they could come back to study some of the techniques on show in Yunlin.

“We need to learn about biotechnological applications to improve the quality of our stock and yields,” she said, perhaps dreaming of one day creating her own version of the Phalaenopsis Kenneth Schubert Tari-12.