Country file

IAC: past and future of

Brazil’s floriculture
The Instituto Agronômico de Campinas has played a
major role in the advancement of Brazilian agriculture.
Located in the city of Campinas, it is renowned
throughout Brazil and overseas. Last year its discovery of
a near totally caffeine-free coffee species was depicted in
Nature magazine. However, its ornamental and flower
research programmes are not so well known, but things
may change as more varieties are about to be released.

By Mauricio C. Mathias

I
AC is an example of quali-
ty research made on a tight
budget and decreasing
staff. Presently with five
researchers dedicated to flori-
culture, the institute actively
seeks partnerships with grow-
ers and laboratories that can
bring synergy by cooperation,
with advantages to both sides.
When a more systematic
approach to floriculture
research was laid out in the
eighties, a choice was made to
avoid crops that private breed-
ing companies had traditional-
ly focused on. By emphasising
on native species, such as
amaryllis, alstroemeria and
anthurium, the IAC increased
the scope of options for com-
mercial growers.
Research for the improve-
ment of any species is three-
fold: the selection and breed-
ing itself, growth and flowering
physiological studies, and
post-harvest. Market success
depends on team work among
all areas so that any new
release has an overall good
performance, but attention to
post-production has been
heightened due to the export-
ing momentum of the sector.
Fernando Tombolato is in
charge of screening potential
species and the breeding pro-
gram. He points out that
some of the popular flower
crops in Brazil nowadays are
either European species that
are cultivated under complete-
ly different conditions here, or
native species bred overseas
for cultivation in their cli-
mate, whatever the case their
use now impose an extra agro-
nomic and post-harvest chal-
lenge.
New releases
Swift progress has been
achieved since the first IAC
anthurium cultivar was
released in 1997. The 2002 cat-
alogue included 24 cultivars,
and the newest one will have
more than 30; 15 of which are
already under commercial pro-
duction. “The best ones last up
to 30 days after harvest –
This red and white anthurium variety, bred by IAC, is called ‘Eidibel’.
including the time at the con-
sumer’s home,” Tombolato
says. “New releases have to
constantly follow new con-
sumer demands. Some 70% of
the world anthurium market
now is for red and white flow-
ers, which we focus on.
Novelties, however, are a must
to maintain interest. Our new
Prelúdio breed, for example,
has the shape of a ladle.”
Other new releases include
three ‘amaryllis’ cultivars,
based on the crossing of native
species. André Boersen, a part-
ner grower, now tries out 120
selections out of the 3,000
developed by the IAC in its
experimental fields since 1982.
“Nowadays what’s traded in
the world under the name of
amaryllis is actually our South
American Hyppeastrum genus,
not the true amaryllis from
Africa. We invested in a bio-
type other than the one stan-
dardised by European breeders
and intend to recover the
national identity of this plant
by selling it under its local
name – ‘Açucena’. More inno-
vations are coming up with
gladiolli and Hemerocallis,”
continues Tombolato.
Gláucia Tagliacozzo coordi-
nates the physiology studies in
the floriculture programme,
emphasising on post-harvest.
She believes that atoxic pulsing
solutions can replace toxic
ones and mentions a few of
her laboratory’s achievements:
“A known quality keeping
problem to lilies for example
is the early yellowing of its

26 FlowerTECH 2006, vol. 9/no. 2 www.HortiWorld.nl


IAC research shows that for at least one specific alstroemeria variety, flower induc-
tion is caused by day length.
leaves. The answer for that
came with a sucrose, citric and
giberellic acid solution that
also improved floral opening.
In alpineas the problem was
the yellowing and drooping of
its inflorescences: ten extra
days without loss of turgidity
were achieved with a citokinin
spray. For ornamental ginger
however, the best results came
with clear water only, replaced
every two days.”
The increased exports of trop-
ical plants has also been
reflected in other ongoing
projects. One of them is devel-
oping packaging specific to
tropical flowers in partnership
with neighbour research insti-
tute ITAL. Another solved a
grower’s problem with the
opening of the second flower
in strelitzias that were being
exported to the Netherlands.
Still another example of the
interaction between a native
species and European breeding
is alstroemeria. All of the 15
predominant varieties in Brazil
were bred there, with a climate
distinct from where it originat-
ed. It was believed that its flo-
ral induction was caused by
cold alone, IAC research still to
be published shows that for at
least one specific variety it
actually was day length.
www.HortiWorld.nl
Decades of work
The release of new flower vari-
eties may be something rela-
tively new in IAC’s history, but
senior researcher Hermes
Matthes, an ornamental tree
specialist, tells of the ground-
work laid out by his predeces-
sors. “The emphasis on plant
collection started in the fifties,
and from the sixties onwards
more specifically on trees and
palms. Decades of collecting
excursions, exchange with for-
eign institutes and private col-
lectors resulted in a very rich
living genome banks with
2,000 tree species and 700
palms.”
The impact of that work in
today’s plant sector is hard to
assess. Many of the major tree
nurseries in business today
started out with material cata-
logued or freely distributed by
the IAC at the time. This is
helping fuel today’s growing
interest in landscaping and
ornamental plants in general.
Other pioneer actions were the
use of in vitro techniques for
ornamentals, and the first the-
sis in Brazil about flower post-
harvest.
Last but not least, Dr Taís
Graziano reminds of how
recent the support to the sector
is. “Floriculture wasn’t taken
seriously as an economical sec-
tor, it was only in the early
eighties that we had the first
financed flower-specific
research project,” she says.
“Now we are living in a total-
ly different times. It’s time to
ponder again where the sector
is going, reassess its priorities
and then maybe change some
of our present policies. The
growth of the sector has not
caused an increase in research
financing, for example.”
There is good news though,
new research funds now
finance projects set up on
commercial sites. One such
example is a post-doctorate Dr
Graziano is currently supervis-
ing. Set up in partnership with
a grower, it tries out curcuma
as a vase plant, following the
trend to revisit known crops,
rekindling its appeal as they
are fashioned to new formats.
The Flora Project
IAC is also one of many
research institutions that
together with universities in
the state of São Paulo develop
what has been deemed “the
work of a generation” – the
Flora Project. A gigantic effort
to survey and catalogue the
state floral diversity with the
collaboration of federal insti-
tutions, out-of-state and even
foreign researchers. A total of
250 botanists are involved in
the identification and descrip-
tion of all flowering.
The project’s main objectives
are to survey the state’s biodi-
versity while helping preserve
its natural heritage. To that
Country file
In an attempt to recover some lost
territory, IAC developed this own
variety of amaryllis and named it
Açucena.
end, nursery cultivation of
threatened species has been
expanded to later replace
them in their original habitat.
Natural vegetation now covers
only 14% of the state’s sur-
face. The most economically
developed part of the country
started its economical boom
based on plantations, but it
still had some surprises left,
such as 40 new plant species,
now described for the first
time.
According to the project’s
most recent estimates there is a
total of 7,297 species in the
state of São Paulo alone,
already excluding previous
errors such as double-naming
of single species. This amount
corresponds to two thirds of
the whole plant diversity of
Europe for example, in an area
covering 3% of Brazil’s surface.
Flora Project’s fourth volume
came out last July and it
marked the end of the project
phase supported by São Paolo
state research support founda-
tion Fapesp. Work has been
going on for 12 years now but
it is far from over. Even though
the material for the next three
volumes is already in place, the
FlowerTECH 2006, vol. 9/no. 2 27
Country file

Mixed bag of results in fifth record year for flower exports

s in many other exporting sectors of the less Reais than in 2004.
A Brazilian economy, the yellow light is According to Hórtica, a
Figure 1. The last five years have been consecutive
records for the export of flowers and plants from
definitely on for the export of flower and Brazilian consulting compa-
Brazil. Currency valuation is now threatening the
plants. The sector has taken its foot off the ny that analysed the
speed of its growth.
gas pedal due to the continued valuation of Ministry of Commerce data,
the currency, the Real (R$). Even though this seedlings continues to be 28
valuation progressed along 2005, the the sector’s main item,
10%

Brazilian exports of flower and plants still
managed to grow almost 10% (in US$) last
year, compared to 2004. Last year’s totals
were the sector’s fifth consecutive export
record (Figure 1), but celebrations were less-
ened by the fact that the value of the US dol-
lar decreased 13.8% along 2005, on top of a
previous 6.5% devaluation in 2004.
After years of a steadily devaluating exchange
rate to the dollar, the Real started to turn
around along the second half of 2004, but the
sector’s outlook for 2005 was still optimistic.
All along last year though, the export numbers
went down from initial projections of nearly
US$ 28 million to the actual US$ 25.75 mil-
lion. The average exchange rate of the US$ was
R$ 2.9 in 2004, but it went down to R$ 2.5 in
2005. The consequence is that international
sales and contracts are made in US$, but once
the exporter brings this currency home, it can
buy less of the local money. This means that
even though the sector’s total exports brought
more dollars home in 2005, they were worth
US $ Million FOB
responsible for 46.5% of 24
21%
total exports. It grew an 20
average of 5%, but more 30%
than doubled sales to coun- 16
*11% 13%
tries like Spain and
12
Belgium. Brazil’s main
buyer however remains the 8
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Netherlands. Bulbs and
* increase from previous year
such come in second, with
24% of the total exported.
Composed mostly of gladiolus and amaryllis, and foliage were the only items decreasing in
this item grew nearly 15% in 2005 compared value in 2005. They went down almost 14%,
to the year before. in spite of its recent entrance in the Far East
The growth in exports of Brazilian fresh cut market. Fresh foliage however, the smallest
flowers was a modest 3.3%, but highlighted item in the exports list, grew the most last
by its entrance in the German and Swiss mar- year, a whopping 394%.
kets, both of which imported above 1,000% Brazil’s greatest asset, when compared to
more than in 2004. This segment is closely other flower-exporting countries in the
monitored not only because it represents the southern hemisphere, is it has a home mar-
most of the world’s plant market, but also ket to explore. The new Ibraflor board
because it is demanding in quality and infra- (Brazilian Institute of Floriculture), elected
structure. The leading importer of this high last year, is expected to focus on increasing
added-value item was the US. Dried leaves per capita consumption.

end of the work is in sight for
2016 only, with the fifteenth
volume. The schedule is to
release one book per year, each
with detailed descriptions and
drawings of plants from differ-
ent habitats. The only group
not included in the most com-
prehensive mapping of native
vegetation to date is that of
non-flowering plants. These
are being investigated as well
by a parallel project.
Bad news
News is not always good
though, there are species previ-
ously described that have not
yet been found, at least in the
state. More than 500 collecting
expeditions however, brought
back species believed to be
extinct until some of the col-
lected 20,000 plant samples
were studied. One important
spin off from this same data
has been the updating of the
list of species on the brink of
extinction, which increased
from 200 six years ago to
1,020. The identification and
localisation of these species are
the basis for more effective
environmental conservation
policies.
From the scientific perspec-
tive the Flora Project has gen-
erated 20 Master’s theses, five
PhD dissertations and 30 sci-
entific articles so far. In practi-
cal terms, possible new crops
are likely to have been found
to create spices, ornamentals
or pharmaceutical drugs.
Few other states have similar
projects, the previous reference
work of such dimensions in
the country, Flora Brasiliensis,
was made by Bavarian botanist
Karl von Martius. Presenting
almost 23,000 plant species, it
started out to be published in
1840 and was only concluded
66 years later. ❙
mauriciomathias@hotmail.com

28 FlowerTECH 2006, vol. 9/no. 2 www.HortiWorld.nl