Equiflor is excited to introduce our sixth breeder, Ball.

Equiflor is excited to introduce our sixth breeder, Ball.

History:

The Ball Horticultural Company or “Ball Hort”, as it is fondly known, is a multinational organization headquartered in West Chicago. Founded in 1905 by Mr. George J. Ball, the company remains a family business to this day. Ball Horticulture has a global family of breeders, research and development teams, seed and vegetative producers, and distribution companies with a strong presence across six continents and in 18 countries. Ball breeds for the professional growers of fresh cut, potted and bedding ornamental flowers. Ball SB represents the Ball Horticultural Company for vegetative material for fresh cut flowers in the highland tropics.

Breeding:

Ball continuously works to produce new flower forms by selection, crossing and hybridizing, applying genetic principles to improve desirable traits, like stem height, flower color, vase life, and more. Breeding a new variety takes time, patience and ingenuity; from start to finish it may very well take five to six years or longer. Whether using high-end technology at a molecular level or pollinating by hand with a paintbrush or by using bees, Ball takes great care with all breeding procedures. For them, breeding truly is an art.

These same techniques and criteria are used when it comes to improving varieties already on the market. Through its breeding company, Panamerican Seed (PAS), Ball has produced a taller-cut fresh-flower Anemone; an odorless Limonium Hybrid; many colorful Snapdragons; whiter and more resistant Gypsophila; Stocks in a rainbow of colors; programmable Delphiniums; more disease-resistant Lisianthus; and taller, self-cleaning, longer-vase-life Dianthus, among others. Just as importantly, Ball has always kept in mind that the ultimate goal is to produce varieties that are more sustainable for our planet.

At Ball, they know it is no accident that the flower industry is one of the most rapidly growing industries in the world: Flowers can bring wellness and positive emotions, something that is more important than ever in these hectic times.

Ball sources and promotes first-to-market and high-demand plants from independent suppliers around the world through Ball Ingenuity. The plants are then distributed exclusively through Ball companies.

Ball Helix

A multi-disciplinary team of experts in molecular biology, cell biology, analytical chemistry and intellectual property, Ball Helix works closely with Ball breeding and production units to develop innovative commercial horticulture products.