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Royal Dutch decoration for dr. ir. O.M.B. (Orlando) de Ponti, retiring as Director of Research & Development at Nunhems BV.

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Haelen, The Netherlands
September 26, 2007

On Friday 14 September adjutant mayor H. Coolen conferred a royal decoration on dr.ir. O.M.B. de Ponti from Weert, on the occasion of his retirement as Director of Research & Development at Nunhems BV. Mr De Ponti received the insignia appointing him an Officer in the Order of Oranje Nassau.

Mr de Ponti was employed in various posts at the Wageningen University & Research Centre. Amongst other things, he demonstrated that breeding should take place under natural conditions, in order to avoid losing the genetic resistance to pathogens. These theories received national and international recognition and have been a major determining factor in the development of the seed branch.
Mr de Ponti is still actively involved as a member of the Advisory Board to the Plant Sciences Group (Wageningen University), a member of the Project Review Committee at GABI (Genomalyse im Biologischen System Pflanze) and a member of the Advisory Board / Supervisory Board of the Technological Top Institute Green Genetics.

For more than 30 years he has been committed to improving knowledge levels and developing modern seed breeding, increasing and transferring expertise relating to resistance management and communicating the concept of Integrated Pest Management (IPM, focussed on integrated pest and disease management in crops) with the aim of responsibly reducing the use of crop protection agents to a minimum.
His dedication to the sector is illustrated by his leading position as an initiator of revolutionary and often radically new ideas. He pays an active contribution to the debate surrounding the world food problem in relation to genetic modification.

From 1997 Mr De Ponti has also been active in a variety of board positions at the International Seed Federation ISF. He currently occupies the position of Vice-president and is the incoming President of the ISF.

Until 1 May 2007 Mr De Ponti was employed as the Director of Research & Development at Nunhems BV. Right from the beginning he firmly advocated resistance breeding and where possible the use of special seed coatings. Over the past 15 years he was also responsible for the worldwide growth of the Nunhems Research & Development organisation into a total of 20 breeding sites and three central laboratories in the United States of America, the Netherlands and India, employing 350 R&D staff.
Today, Orlando de Ponti continues his service to Nunhems in his role as Senior R&D advisor.

Nunhems® is the global specialist in vegetable seeds and sharing smart products, concepts and expertise with the professional horticultural production industry and supply chain. Its portfolio includes leading varieties and brands in crops such as leek, onion, carrot, melon, cucumber, tomato, watermelon, lettuce, pepper and chicory witloof. With annual sales of EUR 190 million in 2006, Nunhems is among the world´s four leading vegetable seed companies with an extensive range of 28 species and some 2,500 varieties. With more than 1,200 people Nunhems is present in all major vegetable production areas in the world.

 

 

 

 

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