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It is a bloody shame that the smear
campaign started against Alfredo Manrique in Peru in 2003 has now been expanded to the USA.
Alfredo is the owner of Centro de
Jardineria Manrique nursery in Lima Peru; he is a nice and totally honest man; liked instantly by everyone who meets
him.
In May 2002, after Kovach purchased his Big
Red at a roadside orchid kiosk in Peru, between Moyobamba and Chachapoyas,
the Pk rush started and resulted in all major habitats being quickly
depleted of all mature Pk and Pk seedlings.. The last big habitat had an
estimated 2000 mature Pk plants. Pictures of the Pk habitat
destruction in my possession will make you cry.
In May of 2003, one year after Kovach's purchase,
Alfredo Manrique was issued INRENA Permit
001 to collect five mature Pk plants and start Artificial Mass
Propagation. Knowing Alfredo from some
work I did in Peru, I knew INRENA had made an excellent
choice.
It did not surprise me that soon after this event,
Manuel Arias Silva obtained permit 002.
Alfredo, being the man of action and integrity he
is, immediately did all the necessary research in the Pk habitat
and started the difficult task of Pk culture, having no experience of any
kind to draw on.
The plants were moved from an elevation
of 1900 meters a.b.s.l. to Lima at 200 m.a.s.l. Alfredo, learned very
quickly how to grow his five plants, for he has studied botany and
has orchid nursery experience that allows him to quickly
spot problems and take appropriate actions. Many times in that first year he would write me of the changes in culture
he had made
One important finding in Alfredo's nursery was
that Pk seed production is extremely poor, severely limiting the number of
seedlings produced in one season. Alfredo never did purchase illegal seeds
offered for sale, and he never will. That is the kind of man I know he
is.
Arias also obtained five plants, and from the flask
sales that were published on the Peruflora website under the name Legal Pk
Owners, now removed from that website, it was clear
that Peruflora's five Pk plants produced many times the number of
seeds that Alfredo's five Pk plants produced.
The large quantity of flasks sold by Peruflora
was noted not just by myself, but by many, including an orchid
nursery owner in Moyobamba, who has collected orchids in the Pk habitat
area for more than 45 plus years; he knows the area like the back of his
hand and visited all the known Pk habitats from the day they were
discovered until none were left. He wrote me that miracles must be
happening at Peruflora, for in his experience, the 2000 plus Pk plants in the
habitat, together, could not produce that many seeds.
(Peter O'Byrne, you know it too! Thanks for
your post. )
see part 2 that follows
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