RZ-100-wt4-E-flipbook-240702 - Flipbook - Page 18
The company’s own breeding nurseries
A Remington Vertical Adder typewriter, one of the
in Enkhuizen, with Rijk’s brother
models used in Rijk Zwaan’s Rotterdam office.
Hendrik Zwaan on the right.
With this method, he starts with just one mother
Different soil types
plant each time. After the young plant has acquired
With the breeding nursery in Bergschenhoek since
the desired traits, its seed is further cultivated for
1929, Rijk Zwaan not only has land in Enkhuizen
seed extraction.
with his brother Hendrik where he can select and
breed, but he now also has sufficient land closer
Continuing on this basis, it is also possible to
to home for his breeding activities. The great
cross-reference the results obtained through
advantage of this is that he can breed plants on
strain selection – a method that was rarely used at
two different soil types and therefore produce for
the time. It is only after World War II that ‘cross-
a wider market. At the end of the 1920s, the future
breeding’ will become a widely used breeding
is looking very bright for Rijk Zwaan. The business
method. Cross-breeding is not easy: it requires
is doing well. The company’s annual turnover has
knowledge of the variety’s (floral) biology, and
now risen to more than 100,000 guilders , whereas
if not done properly, the offspring are the result
in 1926 it was just 40,000 guilders. However,
of undesirable spontaneous cross-breeding or
external circumstances would soon herald one of
inbreeding. Targeted cross-breeding requires a lot
the most difficult periods in Rijk Zwaan’s existence.
of labour and time and bears fruit only after many
years. However, Rijk Zwaan is convinced that this is
the only way to obtain the high-quality seeds that
most of his competitors cannot supply.
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Rijk Zwaan | Moving forward together
