A new technology to encourage phalaenopsises, or butterfly orchids, to produce inflorescences, or flower spikes was developed by the Tainan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station in Tainan County’s Sinhua Township (新化).
The technology, which took more than four years to develop, could shorten the period it takes for the delicate orchid to spike to between 15 to 42 days, station director Dennis Wang (王仕賢) said.
Usually, butterfly orchids have to be kept in cold greenhouses or on high mountains before they will blossom.
The current practice is to sell potted orchids to foreign buyers, who then keep the orchids in greenhouses and wait for them to spike, which takes between 30 to 45 days.
However, orchids sold without flower spikes are usually priced lowered than those that have spikes.
The technology developed by the Tainan station keeps the orchids in ventilated dark houses, which cuts down on the days needed for spiking and synchronizes the size of the spikes they produce, Wang said.
“The new technology speeds up the spiking process and spares the trouble of keeping greenhouse temperatures down, while increasing sale prices by NT$15 per pot,” he said, adding that the station is ready to transfer the new technology to commercial orchid farmers.
Taiwan exported US$52 million of butterfly orchids in 2008, with potted orchids accounting for 71 percent. The US and Japan are the major markets, accounting for 46.9 percent and 30.1 percent of the exports, respectively.
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