ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the use of genetic resources to develop new horticultural products. It proposes herbaceous ornamental horticulture and describes the major categories of horticultural product; the size and breakdown of the market, and the countries which are the leading producers and consumers for some of these categories. The chapter analyses the demand by the different actors in horticulture trade for access to genetic resources to develop new products. It examines the extent to which, and how, the horticulture industry obtains plant specimens collected from in situ conditions, and the extent to which ex situ collections, such as national collections and botanic gardens, are used as source of new materials for industry. Government agencies and agricultural, crop and horticultural research institutes are charged with the conservation of plant varieties and basic and applied research on plant health and crop development. Most horticulture companies are quite unaware of the implications of the Convention on Biodiversity with respect to access and benefit-sharing.
