Three unique hybrid orchids developed by the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station won four prizes at an international orchid show in Tainan for their exotic appearance and fragrance.
The three winners, hybrids of the foxtail orchid and the moth orchid, brought out the best of each flower using technology that Taiwan’s top competitor in the field, the Netherlands, does not have.
The moth orchid is treasured for its beauty and is Taiwan’s most exported orchid, but Weng I-szu (翁一司), an assistant research fellow at the research station, said that it generally lacks fragrance.
Photo: CNA, courtesty of the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station
The few breeds of moth orchid that are fragrant have small petals and cannot satisfy the commercial requirement of at least 10 flowers per stem, Weng said.
The research station decided to introduce the genes of the highly fragrant foxtail orchid into the moth orchid to develop the hybrids combining the best of each.
The results earned honors at the Taiwan International Orchid Show, which runs until Monday next week.
The Kdares Perfume Dancer, a crossbreed that can bear at least 10 flowers per stem, won an overall silver medal and the top prize in the “Other Orchids” category (Group D) because of its stunning appearance and strong fragrance.
The white-flowered Kdares Perfume Girl and the Kdares Perfume Ballet, with a yellow leaf and red spot, both won third prize in Group D for their beautiful colors, elegant look and fragrance.
Sung Pin-hui (宋品慧), another assistant research fellow at the station, said that some domestic orchid traders have confidence in the new species’ market potential, believing that they could sell for NT$10,000 per pot.
Exporters are looking forward to the station transferring the technology to private interests, seeing it as a way to enhance the international competitiveness of Taiwan’s orchids, she said.
The nation exports about US$100 million in orchids each year, mostly moth orchids, Sung said.
Half of the exports go to the US and about 20 to 30 percent go to Japan, while 10 percent go to Europe and Australia, Sung said.
The research station has developed almost 70 new species through hybridization and embryo rescue technologies, including the Kdares Orange Girl, Kdares Perfume Angel, Kdares Perfume Beauty and Amenopsis Kaohsiung Magic.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost