Dutch-based vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan has officially opened a new facility designed to foster new research and development of better products.
Located close to its headquarters in De Lier, the Netherlands, the new Seed Quality Center (SQC) opened on 18 May and apparently enhances the company’s capacity for growth.
According to the group, it will also enable it to investigate the use of new, modern technologies, for example the application of new testing and research techniques related to seed quality.
The brand new facility consists of a laboratory building, a unit with climate-controlled cells and a greenhouse.
“All activities in the SQC are focused on quality control,” explained Hans Linder, quality manager at Rijk Zwaan.
“All Rijk Zwaan seeds need to meet high quality standards,” he added. “The departments that play a role in quality control will all be located in the SQC. The department for seed health, for example, checks whether seeds are free from diseases, and the molecular biology department assesses the authenticity of commercial varieties based on DNA.”
