How we use new genetics to produce an award winning assortment

In cooperation with Ball Horticultural Company, last year we have acquired the Mandevilla breeding program from the French company D.H.M. Innovation (DHMI). Since many years, DHMI has been active in the breeding of Mandevilla and in recent years, ground-breaking innovations have been brought to the market under the Diamantina® brand name. Including the award winner Diamantina Opal 'Citrine'. Or as we love to say; the first Mandevilla with truly yellow flowers! Read on quickly because we are about to show you how we use our genetics to produce even more prize winners for you!

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Choose the best out of the best 
With the leading genetics of the successful Diamantina® and Sundaville® series within our Mandevilla range, you are able to meet the highest quality requirements of your customers. You basically only have to choose the best out of the best.

Of course, a breeding programme is not set up just like that and involves a number of steps. Alev Oder is one of the Mandevilla breeders of DHMI in collaboration with Florensis and Ball. We spoke to her between work. 

The organisation, tools and facilities of this project are different from what we are used to, but with the guidance and support of both Florensis and Ball, it is going way faster and easier than I thought” she tells us.  

“We also work at the adaptation of the varieties to the different applications that the end user could make with our products" - Alev Oder, Breeder Mandevilla

We work on the diversity and originality of the Mandevilla species. In doing so, we constantly check the most important cultural and aesthetic qualities demanded by producers and end users. We make hybridizations, proceed to sowing and then work with clonal populations to make aesthetic, technical and commercial selections. In doing so, we take into account a number of important characteristics that are checked at several trial stations with different technical and climatic conditions at different stages of the plant. We also work at the adaptation of the varieties to the different applications that the end user could make with our products. This is the only way to achieve an award-winning product rangeshe goes on. 

In addition, Mandevilla is a very special species. Alev explains:Mandevilla is a sustainable plant as it usually doesn’t need much water or chemical care. The theme that we were following in the previous years with the Diamantina range was mainly; One plant: pick the colour and chose how to use it. DHMI developed a large segmentation allowing us to be very creative and to offer many different options to the final consumer with only one genetic. Each collection was named by a precious or semi-precious stone because Mandevilla are jewels.”  

The next step in this whole process is of course our motherstock location, which is located in Kenya.