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 George Bush Snr famously announced his
dislike of Broccoli and banned it from the White House –
perhaps one of the biggest mistakes of his Presidency
Broccoli, a member of the Brassica family, is more than just a
vegetable. It’s environmentally friendly, a rich source of
antioxidants and can contribute to the future of our energy needs.
All in all it seems like the answer to a President’s
prayers!
No wonder, then, that Super Broccoli is set to star at this
year’s Chelsea Flower Show.
The horticultural research arm of the University of Warwick, in
the West Midlands, has created a special show garden for this
year’s world famous Chelsea Flower show in London. However
the star exhibit in their garden won’t be multicoloured
flowers or a soothing water feature. The Warwick stand will show
how far researchers have come in breeding a 21st century
super broccoli which will: help us live longer, last longer on our
shelves, be easier on the environment and greatly increase the
range of biodegradable materials available to manufacturers.
The stand will have a range of plants from the Brassica family
of which broccoli is one of the most important commercial
crops.
Warwick HRI has the largest gene bank of vegetable Brassica
plants in the world, containing over 6000 plants and the Warwick
research teams have mounted a number of cross breeding projects to
transform it into a super plant in a variety of ways.
The Warwick HRI garden at Chelsea will even include a surf board
constructed by the Eden centre, in part from plant oils, to
demonstrate just one product that could owe much to the humble
broccoli plant in future.
Perhaps George Bush Jnr will be watching with interest!!
Expected Footage
- GVs Chelsea Flower Show
- GVs Warwick HRI stand at the Chelsea Flower Show
- GVs Marshalls Broccoli Fields in Lincolnshire (Largest Brassica
Grower/Packer in Europe)
- GVs Polytunnels and greenhouses, Westhorpe Flowers & Plants,
Lincs (supplier of organic Brassica plants)
Interviewees:
- Dr. Graham Teakle, Research Scientist, Warwick HRI, University of
Warwick
- Roger White, Director, Westhorpe Flowers & Plants
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