A Breeding break-through

The Madiba development has taken four years, a relatively long period for a chrysanthemum, comments Niek Dekker of Dekker Breeding. The original crossing between two Santinis’ was extended to a complete new species through consistent selection. The special characteristics of the Madiba have only just come to light. Dekker: “At first, we didn’t see much. Market forces dictate: small flowers, low prices. But the further we came, the more we saw. When florists and traders also reacted very enthusiastically towards the first samples, we knew we were on the right track. However, what surprised me the most is the extremely long preservability. In such a process, this is a bit of luck because the original parents were actually relatively short-lived. In that respect, the Madiba is a breeding break-through.”

Meanwhile the first Madiba variety, the Madiba Lindi White, got company of other Madiba varieties. For an overview of the assortment  Madiba varities click here.