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East-West Seed hosts International Field Day in Thailand - Showcasing new tropical seed technology and innovation to improve crops’ productivity and increase income of farmers


Chiang Mai, Thailand
4 February 2013

East-West Seed organized its International Field Day at the Simon Groot Research Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand to showcase the company’s seed technology and innovations in plant breeding to farmers and dealers from all over the world.

Primed and pelleted seeds, coated seeds, grafting technology and more than 200 improved varieties with stronger resistance against diseases, and better fruit quality are on display over a one-hectare land area. There are 114 varieties in the open field, including sweet corn, waxy corn, yard long bean, French bean, lettuce, kangkong, coriander, amaranth, basil, bunching onion and okra. Cucurbits like cucumber, bitter gourd, pumpkin, bottle gourd, zucchini, wax gourd and water melon were also showcased on the open field. Both indoor and outdoor varieties of solanaceae crops like tomato, eggplant, hot pepper and sweet pepper were displayed. Greenhouse varieties of cucumber, melon and bitter gourd were also highlighted, as indoor farming is becoming a growing trend in many parts of the world. A tasting booth lets guests try the new commercial varieties of corn, melon, and papaya.

Over 80 of East-West Seed’s dealers and farmers from 25 countries in Africa, Middle East, Latin America, South Asia and Southeast Asia participated in this event.

This year, East-West Seed celebrates its 30th year in Thailand as the market leader in tropical vegetable seeds.

“Farmers, not only in Thailand, but the rest of Asia have benefitted a great deal from seed technology and continued development of new varieties with higher productivity and better resistance to pests and diseases,” said Mr. Bert van der Feltz, Senior Vice President, East-West Seed Group.

An exhibit on the latest seed technology showed the advantages of primed and pelleted seeds from East-West Seed. Farmers observed clear differences in seedling uniformity and vigor with the use of primed and pelleted seed.

Coated seeds in a variety of colors were also on display at the field day. East-West Seed employs the process to create a healthy and protective environment for the germinating seed. This provides a "boost" for the seedling in its critical early stages of development.

Bitter gourd grafting was another highlight of the field day, showing the advantages of grafting technology in preventing bacterial diseases in bitter gourd using non-chemical methods. Grafting employs a different root stock from the scion, resulting in plants that are more robust and more tolerant to stresses, too much water or too dry conditions. The grafted seedlings have a much longer productive life.

Synonymous with Excellent Seedsmanship

East-West Seed is the market leader in tropical vegetable seeds. It produces vegetable seeds with higher yields, better tolerance to disease and pests, longer shelf life, extended growing seasons and better eating quality. These qualities have made vegetable farming a sustainable, high-value enterprise for thousands of farmers.

East-West Seed has served farmers in Asia for 30 years, with its facility in Chiang Mai as an important research and development base. It has consistently introduced innovations of different vegetable varieties in the Thai vegetable farming sector, including the widely successful Super Hot, a hot pepper variety that is consumed everyday in Thailand and the well-known ‘Violet-White’ waxy corn.

Another product innovation of East-West Seed is Big Green cucumber which is suitable for growing during the dry season. Big Green is a hybrid variety for its virus resistance, enabling farmers to get high yield, better fruit quality, and eventually better income.

A variety of rain-fed hot pepper is a brand new product of East-West Seed, suited for growing in areas where proper irrigation systems are not in place. Called Phet Mongkut, it has strong plant habit and provides high yield. The variety was bred in Thailand, and launched only last year. East-West Seed sees its unique quality being able to benefit farmers around the world whose land has limited access to irrigation.

“Our brand is known for superior quality and innovative products which are adapted to local conditions and market preferences, and which bring value to vegetable growers. Our seeds have contributed to making vegetable farming productive and profitable for farmers not only in Thailand but all countries we are in,” added Mr. van der Feltz.

East-West Seed responds to the needs of smallholder farmers all over the world by providing high-quality vegetable seeds that enable them to improve their productivity. Smallholder farmers, with an average farm size of 1.1 ha, compose the majority of farmers in the world and are a critical component in addressing the challenge of food security and better nutrition.

East-West Seed is the market leader for tropical vegetable seeds in Asia. Using the most advanced technologies in vegetable plant breeding, East-West Seed creates value for farmers by producing high quality seeds aiming for better productivity with a slogan, “Better Seeds for Better YieldTM. The company’s strategy is based on breeding suitable varieties that increase productivity of vegetable farming, contributing to agricultural sustainability.
East-West seeds are planted in the field of over 30 million farmers worldwide. The company is Asia based with over 2,000 employees and 12 R&D stations in 7 countries. We live and work in the markets we serve. To learn more about our business, please visit www.eastwestseed.com.



More news from: East-West Seed Group


Website: https://www.eastwestseed.com/

Published: February 19, 2013

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