Necessary considerations to introduce a new taxa

The appearance of a new genera and species for commercial floriculture production is rare. Introduction of new species within a common genera are more common and certainly the introduction of new cultivars are commonplace. Regardless, development and introduction of a commercially successful and profitable taxa are challenging. Three primary steps in the taxa introduction process are: 1) production development, 2) patent protection, and 3) marketing. Production development involves the collection, identification, selection and breeding of a crop under various environmental conditions. Production development also involves basic and applied research related to flowering physiology and cultural requirements necessary for growth (nutrition, light, temperature, water, pest and disease issues). Further, developing criteria to consistently and reliably propagate and ship an introduction are critical to the commercial success of that product. Patent protection is critical as it generates revenue to fund the product development process and future taxa commercialization. Market promotion is the responsibility of the producer, trade associations, and the retailer. Part of the market promotion process involves releasing and commercially evaluating an introduction in greenhouses and trial gardens in different geographic regions to insure that successful cultivation is possible in desired locations and to expose the producer, retailer and consumer to the product.