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In
addition to grapevines, avocados, citrus, olives and a number
of minor fruit crops, Boulevarde Nurseries propagates a range
of ornamental and flowering plants of which Zantedeschia (Calla
Lilly) is the most important.
Increased worldwide interest in Zantedeschia can be largely attributed
to the activities of a New Zealand company - Bloomers Growers
& Exporters Ltd. Based at Tauranga on the North Island, the company
has trade-marked its expanding range of Calla Lilies under the
BLOOMZ label. Boulevarde Nurseries has an exclusive licence for
propagation, growing on and exporting of the material in Australia.
Bloomz Zantedeschias come to Boulevarde Nurseries in tissue culture
where they are bulked up rapidly with a five-fold multiplication
being possible each month. Material is indexed against five key
viruses by New Zealand government laboratories before being multiplied
in culture and sent to Australia.
At Boulevarde Nurseries, plantlets from tissue culture are grown
on for a 26-36 week period in order to produce first generation
(T1) tubers. The small, 1-3cm diameter tubers may be supplied
to Australian cut flower growers, to nurseries for flowering pot
plant production, retained by Boulevarde for pot culture or growing
on for another cycle to produce second generation (T2) tubers.
These tubers are 3-5cm in diameter. Boulevarde Nurseries has been
building up stocks of the new Zantedeschia hybrids over recent
years and took about 500,000 plantlets out of tissue culture last
year. About 200,000 tubers were sold in Australia this year and
nearly 50,000 have already been exported. |
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