Family, staff, friends and relatives gathered at the Oserian Stadium in Naivasha on December 20, 2016 to celebrate the life of the pioneer of the Kenya flower industry Johannes Ewaldus Maria Zwager popularly known as Hans Zwager who has passed on at the age of 90. Hans Zwager founded leading flower export farm, Oserian Development Company in the early 80s marking the beginning of a business which would drive an industry to grow into one of the top export earners for Kenya – a key employer and driver of a major socialeconomic transformation in the region. An estimated two million people depend on the flower industry today through direct and indirect employment at both the farm and across the value chain.

To celebrate the legacy left behind by Hans Zwager, an afternoon and evening of entertainment was organized by the Oserian family to give their hero a befitting send off, said Kirimi Mpungu, the firm’s director of administration.

Read more: Celebration of the life of the pioneer of Kenya flowers Hans Zwager

REGIONAL BRIEFS
No Cause of Alarm

By the way, things have calmed down in Uganda. Things are now handled in the Netherlands; the Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation has requested the Embassy in Uganda to investigate the recent events.

Royal van Zanten employees entered a greenhouse that had just been disinfected and a week later, other employees entered a different Royal van Zanten greenhouse and came into contact with the remains of two eco-friendly products and a chemical agent.

Smit has been very disappointed about the way the two incidents were handled by all sorts of organisations and the media. The incidents got totally blown out of proportion - the Ugandan floricultural industry was accused of sexual harassment and slavery. Smit spoke with the union last week. “I asked them whether, during the 22 years that we have been here, there had ever been any reports of sexual harassment at our farms. And whether they had ever heard of us missing a single month’s payment. The union could only negate these things.”

Read more: Brief

The Netherlands are the Partner Country and the Innovation Showcase is Celebrating an Anniversar

From January 24 to 27, 2017, the international green sector will be guests at Messe Essen. IPM ESSEN will portray the entire value added chain of plant production: Around 1,600 exhibitors from 50 countries will show their innovations in the Plants, Technology, Floristry and Garden Features areas. The signs are on course for success: All the market leaders have confirmed their participations. In particular, the official national booths are registering growth. The Innovation Showcase will celebrate its tenth anniversary and will be one of the highlights of the extensive supporting programme. Furthermore, the 35th world’s leading fair for horticulture will have a partner country: the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

IPM ESSEN is well-known for its high internationality on both the exhibitor and visitor sides. In 2017, the international joint booths will be supplemented by another country, i.e. Japan. Bonsai will be on display. Belgium will occupy three exhibition areas for the first time. India has booked additional area. Other national participations will come from China, Costa Rica, Denmark, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, Hungary and the USA.

Read more: IPM ESSEN 2017: World’s Leading Fair for Horticulture

Before and during the fair, the trade visitors will be able to rely on a tested infrastructure and profit from new features on the occasion of next year’s event:

Structured Hall Allocation
Because of the comprehensive modernization of the fair site in Essen, Hall 9 and the upperstorey halls will be dispensed with on the occasion of IPM ESSEN 2017. The temporary Halls 13 and 14 as well as the Grugahalle directly connected to the East Fair Building will be available as replacements. This will result in new, clearly structured hall allocation for the Plants, Technology and Floristry exhibition areas.

Halls 13 and 14: Italy
The temporary Halls 13 and 14 as well as the Grugahalle will be occupied by the Italian plant exhibitors who could previously be found in the whole of Hall 6. Halls 4 and 6: Floristry

In 2017, the Floristry exhibitors from Hall 7 and the upperstorey halls will move into the former Italy hall (Hall 6) - directly connected to Hall 4. This will lead to a large, interconnected Floristry area at the heart of the fair site.

Hall 7: Plants Area / Joint Booths / Technology Area
The eastern part of Hall 7 will be assigned to the Plants area. In 2017, it will be possible to find here exhibitors from Hall 9, including the Spanish, Portuguese and Polish joint booths. Technology exhibitors will occupy the western half as an extension to the Galeria and Hall 3.

Galeria: Plants Area
At IPM ESSEN 2017, it will be possible to find plants, particularly flowering pot plants, flower bulbs and cut flowers, in the Galeria in addition. The exhibitors will also include the French joint booth which has presented itself in Hall 2 until now.

Access Routes into the Fair Halls
From the east, you will be able to enter the fair directly through the temporary foyer on Hall 14. All the visitors walking into the fair from the east will be guided through Halls 13 and 14 when entering and leaving IPM ESSEN. From there, the direct connection to the other fair halls, as accustomed via Hall 12, will also be guaranteed by clear path guidance. In addition, the South entrances at Halls 1 and 1A as well as the West entrance at Hall 3 will be open as accustomed.

Online Ticket Shop and Ticket Office
Purchasing an admission ticket in the online shop in advance as a print-at-home ticket will save time on the way into the fair halls. In the online shop, payments can be made by credit card (Visa, American Express and MasterCard), giropay or immediate transfer. Furthermore, the ticket office will be available to visitors.

Admission Prices
One-day ticket for adults: Euro 23 Two-day ticket: Euro 34 Fourday ticket: Euro 59 Groups of 20+ people: Euro 13 per person Trainees/schoolchildren/students: Euro 13

Free-of-Charge App as Support for Your Visit to the Fair
With a large number of functions, the free-of-charge app for IPM ESSEN 2017 will facilitate your visit to the fair. The app includes thorough directories of exhibitors and products as well as the representation of all the occupied halls and all the locations of the exhibitors. A personal visit planner can be compiled by selecting your favourites. The display of the exhibitor positions will serve to improve your orientation at the fair. The fair app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or the iTunes Store.

WLAN Access Free of Charge
Messe Essen will offer all the visitors free WLAN access in the fair halls. Exhibitors will find their access codes on the exhibitor passes. For visitors, hotspots in selected areas, e.g. the foyers and the congress centres, will also be available free of charge after registration.

Overnight Accommodation Possibilities in Essen
The city of Essen offers a wide diversity of overnight accommodation possibilities. The Atlantic Congress Hotel directly adjacent to the fair site will permit short paths. Furthermore, the Tourist Information Centre of the City of Essen will help you with advice in relation to the planning of your stay and will deal with any inquiries about offers and reservations.

Further info at https://www.essentourismus. de as well as http:// www.hrs.de/.

Visa Service
On behalf of Messe Essen, the external service provider “Intercultural Consulting” will support any visitors applying for visas. After receiving the order, Intercultural Consulting will assume responsibility for the processing of the invitation formalities. Online form as well as further information at www. ipm-essen.de. How to Get to IPM 2017 Arriving by Car By car, you can reach Messe Essen quickly and easily via the Rhine-Ruhr motorways A52, A3, A40 and A42. Address for navigation systems: Norbertstrasse 2, 45131 Essen.

Arriving by Train
The main railway station in Essen is the intersection for over 120 ICES, InterCity, EuroCity and InterRegio connections in all directions every day. From there, you can reach Messe Essen in just five minutes with the U11 underground railway route. Destination stops: “Messe Ost/ Grugahalle” (East entrance) as well as “Messe West-Süd/Gruga” (West entrance).

Arriving by Airplane
Düsseldorf Airport is just 20 minutes’ drive away from the fair site. With over 500 take-offs and landings every day, it offers flight connections to over 170 cities at home and abroad. Messe Essen’s own Info Counter is located in the centre of the Arrivals level in Terminal B.

Airport Express Between Düsseldorf Airport and the Fair
During the period, a shuttle express will alternate between Düsseldorf Airport and the fair site. On all the days of the fair, the Airport Express Bus will depart from Bus Platform 2 on the Arrivals level in front of the hall in Terminal A/B every 30 minutes. The travel time will be approx. 20 minutes. A one-way ticket will cost Euro 15 and a return ticket Euro 25.

Parking All Around the Fair Site
For guests with cars, Messe Essen will offer around 5,000 parking spaces close to the fair as well as another 7,000 parking spaces in the P+R system and a modern parking guidance system. For disabled people, sign posted parking areas will be available in the immediate area of the fair. These will be located in the close proximity of the East, South and West entrances. A detailed overview of the parking spaces and further travel information for disabled people are available online.

Further information relating to all aspects of your visit to the fair at: www.ipm-essen.de as well as www.messe-essen.de.

Introduction
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of fungi in the order Erysiphales. There are numerous fungi that fall under the general description of a powdery mildew. They will be treated together here since most of these have similar habits and similar management practices. Plants that are commonly infected by powdery mildew include African violet and begonia. Outdoors there are numerous plants that may be infected in any year, but lilac, phlox, some rose varieties and fruit trees seem to be infected most frequently.

The actual injury to the plant varies greatly with the species and even the variety attacked. For instance, lilacs are typically infected late in the growing season and this does not usually cause serious injury to the plants. Lilacs are able to survive year after year in spite of the disease. On the other hand, begonia may be seriously injured by even a mild infection. The tissue under the fungal growth dies soon after infection resulting in leaf drop and poor plant growth. Thorough management practices must be implemented in this case. Among roses there are varieties that are more seriously affected than others. If powdery mildew has been a problem in the past, choose a variety that has some resistance to the disease.

Symptoms
Powdery mildew appears as a dusty white to gray coating over leaf surfaces or other plant parts. In most cases this fungal growth can be partially removed by rubbing the leaves. It might be identified incorrectly as dust that has accumulated on the leaves. Powdery mildew, however, will begin as discrete, usually circular, powdery white spots. As these spots expand they will coalesce, producing a continuous matt of mildew (similar to dirt or dust). A plant pathologist using a microscope can determine whether a fungus is present anytime the whitish patches are present.

Symptoms usually appear late in the growing season on outdoor crops. The fungus is favored by periods of high relative humidity or site conditions that promote a more humid environment, such as close spacing of plants, densely growing plants, or shade. Indoors, symptoms may occur at any time of year, but the rate of spread and development will be affected by the relative humidity and temperature.

Injury due to powdery mildews includes stunting and distortion of leaves, buds, growing tips, and fruit. The fungus may cause death of invaded tissue (begonia, for example). Yellowing of leaves and death of tissue may result in premature leaf drop. Nutrients are removed from the plant by the fungus during infection and may result in a general decline in the growth and vigor of the plant. The seriousness of the disease will depend on the extent of the various types of injury.

Disease cycle
The fungi which cause powdery mildew are spread by spores produced in the white patches. These spores are blown in the wind to other parts of the plant or to other plants during the growing season. Generally each species of fungus will be limited in the number of plant species that can be attacked. For example the species of fungus infecting lilacs will not cause powdery mildew on apples.

During the winter the fungus survives on infected plant parts and in debris such as fallen leaves. It may produce resting structures known as cleistothecia, which resist harsh winter conditions. These will appear as small black dots within the white powdery patches. The next spring, sexual spores (ascospores) are released from the cleistothecia, shot up into the air, and carried by air currents to leaves of plants where new infections will begin.

During the growing season, the fungus produces asexual spores (conidia) that help the fungus to spread and infection to build. This is the general cycle for most powdery mildews of outdoor plants. With houseplants the overwintering stage is of little significance. Depending on the environmental conditions indoors, the fungus could continue to grow and spread during the entire year.

Damage
The severity of the disease depends on many factors which include: variety of the host plant, age and condition of the plant and weather conditions during the growing season. Powdery mildews are severe in warm, dry weather because, unlike most fungi, powdery mildew requires a wet leaf surface for infection to occur. However, the relative humidity of the air does need to be high for spore germination. Therefore, the disease is common in crowded plantings where air circulation is poor and in damp, shaded areas. Incidence of infection increases as relative humidity rises to 90 percent, but it does not occur when leaf surfaces are wet (e.g. in a rain shower).

Young, succulent growth is usually more susceptible than older plant tissues. Powdery mildew can seriously impact yield on flowering crops such as squash, pumpkins, cyclamen and reiger begonia, but on other plants such as lilac and oak, the mildew is unsightly but does not severely harm the plant.

Management Strategies
There are several effective fungicides available for different sites and plants, but use on plants varies with each product, and not all fungicides registered for use to treat powdery mildew may be used on all plants. Be certain the product you purchase is labeled for the intended use(s), and follow directions on that label.

For indoor plants, disease management includes gathering up and destroying fallen leaves, reducing relative humidity around plants, and spraying with a fungicide. For outdoor ornamental plants, gather up fallen leaves in autumn and destroy them. Where powdery mildew is a problem, resistant varieties (if available) should be grown. If needed during the growing season, begin fungicide applications when the first white patches are noticed. Repeat as indicated on the product label during cool humid weather. Some products with a broad range of applications for outdoor ornamentals include products containing: Bacillus subtilis, neem oil, potassium bicarbonate, sulfur or lime sulfur. Some of these products may also be used to treat powdery mildew infections in the vegetable garden.

Management of powdery mildew on fruit trees may be combined with the normal spray schedule and should begin at the green tip bud stage for apples.

Train workers and integrated pest management (IPM) scouts to recognize early symptoms and signs of powdery mildew. Early disease detection is important for successful powdery mildew control. Follow season-long monitoring for powdery mildew starting as soon as new plants are placed in the greenhouse.

Recognizing Powdery
Mildew As the name implies, powdery mildew looks like powdery splotches of white or gray, on the leaves and stems of plants. There are actually several types of powdery mildew fungi, but they all look basically the same. You may not notice a problem until the top surfaces of the leaves turn powdery, but powdery mildew can also affect the lower leaf surface, stems, flowers, buds and even the fruit. Although powdery mildew is unattractive, it is rarely fatal. However it does stress the plant and severe or repetitive infections will weaken the plant. If enough of the leaf surface becomes covered with powdery mildew, photosynthesis is impaired. Infected leaves often fall prematurely. This can be a particular problem on edible crops, since insufficient photosynthesis can diminish the flavor of the fruit or vegetable. If buds become infected, they may not open and mature at all. Powdery mildew fungi are host specific, meaning the different powdery mildew fungi infect different plants. The powdery mildew on your lilacs will not spread to your grapes or your roses. However all powdery mildews favor the same conditions.

Causes of Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew fungi seem to be everywhere. They overwinter in plant debris begin producing spores in the spring. These spores are carried to your plants by wind, insects and splashing water. Conditions that encourage the growth and spread of powdery mildew include: dampness or high humidity (Not common during rainy seasons or in extreme heat), crowded plantings and poor air circulation

Environment Favoring Powdery Mildews
Most powdery mildew fungi produce airborne spores and infect plants when temperatures are moderate (60 to 80 degrees F) and will not be present during the hottest days of the summer. Unlike most other fungi that infect plants, powdery mildew fungi do not require free water on the plant surface in order to germinate and infect. Some powdery mildew fungi, especially those on rose, apple, and cherry are favored by high humidity. Overcrowding and shading will keep plants cool and promote higher humidity. These conditions are highly conducive to powdery mildew development.

Controlling Powdery Mildew
Before using fungicides you should attempt to limit powdery mildews by other means. The following cultural practices should be beneficial for controlling powdery mildews. Purchase only top-quality, disease-free plants of resistant cultivars and species from a reputable nursery, greenhouse or garden center. Horticulturists in the green industry and Extension offices should be consulted concerning the availability and performance of resistant varieties.

Prune out diseased terminals of woody plants, such as rose and crabapple, during the normal pruning period. All dead wood should be removed and destroyed (preferably by burning). Rake up and destroy all dead leaves that might harbor the fungus.

Once your plants are infected:

• Avoid late-summer applications of nitrogen fertilizer to limit the production of succulent tissue (which is more susceptible to infection).
• Avoid overhead watering to help reduce the relative humidity or water in the early morning to let the tissue dry as soon as possible.
• Remove and destroy all infected plant parts (leaves, etc.). For infected vegetables and other annuals, remove as much of the plant and its debris in the fall. This decreases the ability of the fungus to survive the winter. Do not compost infected plant debris. Temperatures often are not hot enough to kill the fungus.
• Selectively prune overcrowded plant material to help increase air circulation. This helps reduce relative humidity and infection.
• An alternative nontoxic control for mildew is baking soda combined with lightweight horticultural oil. Researchers at the University of Rhode Island have confirmed that a combination of 1 tablespoon baking soda plus 2.5 tablespoons oil in 1 gallon of water is effective against powdery mildew on roses. Use of this combination on other crops is still experimental.
• Apply a fungicide: There are many fungicides available. Check the label to be sure they are safe and effective on the type of plant that is infected. Look for ingredients such as: potassium bicarbonate, neem oil, sulfur or copper. There are also chemical fungicides, that can be used on ornamental plants. There is also a home remedy made from baking soda that is effective.

2016 has been a very tough year for Esmeralda Farms. Last June, Peter Ullrich, founder and driving force behind one of the largest floricultural companies in the world, passed away. In August, their farm in Ethiopia was attacked by rebels. Present owner Clarisse Ullrich decided subsequently that Esmeralda would cease their activities in Africa. And the office in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands, was shut down as well. In the beginning of December, Clarisse Ullrich tells her story.

“For many years, Clarisse Ullrich supported her husband Peter Ullrich with his business and since he passed away, she’s taken over the leadership of what might be the largest flower company in the world: Esmeralda Farms. She had only assumed her new position for two months, when Esmeralda’s farm in Ethiopia was raided by rebels. Following the events, Clarisse Ullrich was faced with having to make hard decisions.

This meant that Esmeralda’s African adventure, which had started a year and a half earlier, was over. They had initially started supplying their European customers (through Esmeralda’s Dutch branch in Aalsmeer) gypsophila and spray roses from Ethiopia, because it was cheaper than from Latin America. But this strategy was suddenly abandoned last September after several Ethiopian flower companies, including Esmeralda, had become a target of tribal fights, despite the fact that Ethiopia had been such a stable place for floricultural companies before.

Read more: It Would be Much Too Risky to Continue our Activities in Ethiopia