News section
home news forum careers events suppliers solutions markets resources directories advertise contacts search site plan
 
.
PlantSense, Zeraim Gedera's new watermelon plant program in the United States

.

Gedera, Israel
January 21, 2009

Source: Seasons & Tastes newsletter #12, Zeraim Gedera
by Woody Speir, Sales and Product Development Coordinator

Producers will no longer face the situation of having too many or too few plants at planting time. The producer simply orders the number of plants to be delivered on a date he specifies. He can be assured that this exact quantity of healthy, viable plants will be available at that time.

Zeraim Gedera is excited to announce its new watermelon plant program called PlantSense.

Last year, a pilot program was launched in Georgia, USA that proved to be a success among watermelon producers. This year, the program will be expanded to cover Florida as well as Georgia.

What is PlantSense?

PlantSense is a program that delivers plants instead of seeds to the producer. As producers face numerous unknowns related to their production, more and more are deciding to utilize plant programs in order to reduce their risk exposure and to simplify planting decisions.

For example, let’s say a grower produces 100 acres of watermelons and he would like to have a final field population of 2000 plants per acre. This producer would typically place an order with his dealer for 200,000 seed, plus an amount to cover germination variability, most commonly around 10%. In most cases, more plants than needed will be available; however, adverse weather conditions, low germination, or other factors could result in a population less than 200,000, leaving the producer in a situation of needing extra plants.

This is the primary reason why PlantSense is attractive to producers. Producers will no longer face the situation of having too many or too few plants at planting time. The producer simply orders the number of plants to be delivered on a date he specifies. He can be assured that this exact quantity of healthy, viable plants will be available at that time.

With PlantSense, the producer can choose from Zeraim Gedera’s leading commercial varieties such as Sugar Heart or Super Crisp 32 and have them bundled with a pollinator for a larger discount.

Who will grow the plants?

Transplant producers were selected in Georgia and Florida to be dedicated PlantSense producers. The dedicated
producers in Georgia are Lewis Taylor Greenhouses, managed by Neil Kicklighter, and Valdosta Plant Company, managed by Tom Daughtrey; and in Florida, Barnett and Partin Plants, managed by Jack Partin. These producers have a long track record of producing high quality transplants year after year.

To remain competitive in today’s business environment, producers need choices that will enable them to limit risk and capitalize on the expertise of others. PlantSense offers this choice and will be a valuable tool for watermelon producers during the coming season.

 

 

 

 

The news item on this page is copyright by the organization where it originated - Fair use notice

Other news from this source


Copyright © SeedQuest - All rights reserved