Bangkok--12 Feb--Penner Madison
Showcasing new tropical seed innovationand seed technology to improve crops’ productivity and increase income of farmers
East-West Seed, the world market leader in tropical vegetable seeds, recently showcased seed technology and innovations in plant breeding to farmers and dealers from all over the world at its International Field Day at the Simon Groot Research Center in Sansai , Chiang Mai, as part of the celebration of EWS 30th anniversary. Over 150 of East-West Seed’s dealers and farmers from 25 countries in Africa, Middle East, Latin America, South Asia and Southeast Asia participated in this event.
Primed and pelleted seeds, coated seeds, and grafting technology are among the innovative technologies presenting at theInternational Field Day. More than200 improved varieties with stronger resistance against diseases, and better fruit quality are on display over a combined 4 rai land area in Sansai, Chiengmai There are 114 varieties in the open field.
This year, East-West Seed celebrates its 30th year in Thailand as the market leader in tropical vegetable seeds.“It’s a great opportunity to host the International Field Day here in Thailand to showcase our long-standing expertise, innovation and leadership in vegetable seed technology. Thai farmers have benefitted a great deal from seed technology and continued development of new varieties with higher productivity and better resistance to pests and diseases,” said Mr. Bert van der Feltz, Senior Vice President, East-West Seed Group.
An exhibit on the latest seed technology showed the advantages of primed and pelleted seeds, another innovation from East-West Seed. Seed priming is a technique performed on seeds to increase uniformity of germination and to shorten the time it takes for seedlings to emerge from the soil. Pelleting is a creative technique to change their size and shape of seed for improved plantability, especially forsmall and irregularly shaped seeds, like chili. Farmers observed clear differences in seedling uniformity and vigor with the use of primed and pelleted seed.
Coated seeds in a variety of colors were also on display at the field day. Seed coating is a process designed to create a healthy and protective environment for the germinating seed. This provides a "boost" for the seedling in its critical early stages of development.
Bitter gourd grafting was another highlight of the field day, showing the advantages of grafting technology in preventing bacterial diseases in bitter gourd using non-chemical methods. Grafting employs a root stock of strong plant and a productive scion of the target plant, resulting in plants that are more robust and more tolerant to stresses, too much water or too dry conditions. The grafted seedlings have a much longer productive life.
Synonymous to Excellent Seedmanship
East-West Seed is the world market leader in tropical vegetable seeds. It produces vegetable seeds with higher yields, better tolerance to disease and pests, longer shelf life, extended growing seasons and better eating quality. These qualities have made vegetable farming a sustainable, high-value enterprise for thousands of Thai farms.
East-West Seedhas served Thai farmers for 30 years, with its facility in Chiang Mai as an important research and development base. It has consistently introduced innovations of different vegetable varieties in the Thai vegetable farming sector, including the widely successful Super Hot, a hot pepper variety that is consumed everyday in Thailand and the well-known ‘Violet-White’ waxy corn. Another product innovation of East-West Seed is Big Green cucumber which is suitable for growing during the dry season. A variety of rain-fed hot pepperis a brand new innovation of East-West Seed, suited for growing in areas where proper irrigation systemsare not in place. Called PhetMongut,it has strong plant habit and provides high yield. The variety was bred in Thailand, and launched last year.
“Our brand is known for superior quality and innovative products which are adapted to local conditions and market preferences, and which bring value to vegetable growers. Our seeds have contributed to making vegetable farming productive and profitable for farmers not only in Thailand but all countries we are in,” added Mr. van der Feltz.
East-West Seed responds to the needs of smallholder farmers all over the world by providing high-quality vegetable seeds that enablethem to improve the productivity of their land. Smallholder farmers, with an average farm size of 1.1 ha, compose the majority of farmers in the world and are a critical component in addressing the challenge of food security and better nutrition.
Photo 1-3 : Mr. Bert van der Feltz, Senior Vice President of East-West Seed Group, shows the crop from East-West seeds which are developed at Simon Groot Research Center in Chiang Mai
Mr. Bert van der Feltz Senior Vice President, East-West Seed Group gave a warm welcome to farmers and dealers of the company from international countries who visited East-West Seed’s field at Simon Groot Research Center in Sansai , Chiang Mai.
About East-West Seed
East-West Seed is the market leader for tropical vegetable seeds in Asia. Using the most advanced technologies in vegetable plant breeding, East-West Seed creates value for farmers by producing high quality seeds aiming for better productivity with a slogan, “Better Seeds for Better YieldTM. The company’s strategy is based on breeding suitable varieties that increase productivity of vegetable farming, contributing to agricultural sustainability.
East-West seeds are planted in the field of over 30 million farmers worldwide. The company is Asia based with 12 R&D stations in 7 countries and over 2,000 employees. We live and work in the markets we serve. To learn more about ourproducts, please visit www.eastwestseed.com.