RZ-100-wt4-E-flipbook-240702 - Flipbook - Page 62
Rijk Zwaan is finally also ‘changing course’ in terms
Farewell to Rijk Zwaan
of hybrid varieties. This is because Rijk Zwaan’s
After moving to De Lier, it is clear to founder
main objections had disappeared by the late
Rijk Zwaan that he can no longer do the work
1960s: he realises that these variety types are also
on his own, much as he would still like to. The
part of modern plant breeding.
aforementioned developments in seed cultivation
One consequence of this is that he hires his
mean that further specialisation in sub-areas is
first engineer from Wageningen, Henk Stolk.
required. And moreover, the organisation itself
Hybridisation becomes a full-time job for Henk.
has grown to such an extent that expansion of the
Going even further with the new developments,
managerial staff is desirable. Rijk Zwaan himself is
the company starts its first trials with tissue
well past the official retirement age by this time.
culture, a method of producing large numbers of
On 1 August 1971, he therefore bids farewell to his
plants from parental lines in sterile conditions.
company and hands over the management reins
to a triumvirate: Herman Beeftink, his son-in-law
Willem Tintel, and his son Jaap Zwaan. Jaap takes
Tissue culture
charge of the breeding company and becomes
chairman of the Board, Herman Beeftink takes
charge of commercial affairs and Willem Tintel
In the 1960s, a new method emerges: tissue culture. This involves growing plants in
becomes the man in charge of administration.
a laboratory on a nutrient medium in a sterile, conditioned environment. Plants are
In a closed session, Rijk Zwaan puts forward the
propagated in tissue culture by starting with a small and sterile piece of plant that
following arguments for leaving:
grows until it can be split into a number of new pieces that can then be used to start a
new propagation cycle. This is a type of ‘vegetative propagation’, in which each plant
‘The triumvirate Zwaan Jr, Tintel and Beeftink
is genetically identical. In the ornamental plant breeding sector, this method is widely
has now become so adept at tackling all the issues
used to produce starting material for varieties.
surrounding our business that I can hand over the
In vegetable breeding, where the starting material for cultivation normally consists of
management tasks to them with con昀椀dence and
complete peace of mind.’
seed, tissue culture can be used to create a large number of plants from one good parent
plant, with which hybrid seed production can be started. Later on, tissue culture will play
an even bigger role in modern plant breeding, as an aid when making difficult species
Moreover, he noticed that because of his age and
crosses (where the embryos of the species cross grow out on tissue culture) and as a
reduced mobility, some unrest could be detected
method of producing genetically completely uniform lines (called ‘doubled haploids’) in
among both the sales reps and staff members and
one step, from pollen or from the egg cells of a plant.
rightly concluded that any unrest should be
removed in order to guarantee a good working
atmosphere.
In the founder’s opinion, it is time for a new
generation. Not just does Rijk Zwaan organise
his succession in the company in his own very
capable way, he also makes the necessary legal
arrangements. This is how Stichting Administratiekantoor Directie Rijk Zwaan was founded on
his initiative. This acts as a safeguard for the continuity of the company, as the articles of association
do not allow shares to be easily sold by the various
family members.
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Rijk Zwaan | Moving forward together
