
Nursery stock sector in Germany - a strong community
Germany has managed to make "Made in Germany" a byword for quality and was long regarded as the "export world champion". Germany's most important trading partners are China and the USA, followed by the Netherlands. A look at some figures from the Federal Statistical Office from 3 November 2023 on German foreign trade is sobering. The statistics show declining export and import values for goods in the flower trade and for plants: Exports (in euros) fell by 10.2 per cent for the months from January to September 2023 - compared to 2022. Imports fell by 6.6 per cent in the same period.

Erik Stuurbrink (49) appointed board member of LTO Trees, Perennials and Summer Flowers.

GrootGroenPlus again at BCT site, registration opened for 2024

Tree growers in Belgium are also victims of extreme rainfall

IPM ESSEN and HortEx Vietnam enter into partnership
As of now, IPM ESSEN will exclusively take over the marketing of the Vietnamese horticultural trade fair HortEx in the DACH region and other nations. IPM Essen is thus expanding its international network to include another future market. Due to increasing urbanization, the demand for flowers and plants in Southeast Asia is also growing.

22-metre-high Christmas tree adorns Brussels' Grand Place
This week, as is tradition, the big Christmas tree was placed on Brussels' Grand Place. The tree was cut down in a garden in Lier (Belgium) on 15 November and was transported to Brussels early in the morning. There, it was straightened with the help of a crane.

Minister Adema moves fast for reduction in use of glyphosate
Following the European Commission's decision to extend the European authorisation of glyphosate as an active substance by 10 years, Dutch minister of Agriculture Adema will quickly map out how to further reduce the use of glyphosate in the Netherlands. The minister writes this to the House of Representatives.

Plant protects offspring through the soil
Plants infected with a water fungus influence the bacteria in the soil such that they in turn protect the next generation of plants from the same pathogen. Remarkably, the suppression of the disease by the bacteria seems to take place precisely on the plant's stem and leaves. This is what researchers from Utrecht University write in the scientific journal Nature Microbiology. The new knowledge offers the prospect of less dependence on plant protection products