From wild to cultivated plant

In Finland, the cultivation of sea buckthorn has been developed by focusing on the perceptible and nutritional quality of the berries.

The northernmost sea buckthorn plantation in the world can be found in Kittilä, Finland. The plantation is a part of a research project which studies the factors affecting the crop and quality of sea buckthorn and compares and contrasts the effects of growth conditions in northern and southern Finland on these factors.

In Finland, the cultivation of sea buckthorn has been developed by focusing on the perceptible and nutritional quality of the berries. Sea buckthorn is cultivated in private and commercial gardens. It only grows wild on the coast. Sea buckthorn growing in Finland generates a sugar derivative which provides protection against subzero temperatures; this derivative is believed to be the key to the health effects of sea buckthorn.

In addition to its health effects, sea buckthorn has many other good qualities; for example, the plant is considered an excellent controller of soil erosion. In China, for example, sea buckthorn is used to forest dry areas, and over 300 000 square kilometers of the plant has been planted close to the Himalayas.

Sea buckthorn promotes sustainable development in areas threatened by erosion. The majority of raw materials used by Aromtech were planted to prevent erosion. Nevertheless, the plants are allowed to grow without fertilization. This way the sea buckthorn plantations fit right in the nature without causing any harm.

The largest wild sea buckthorn plantations in the world can be found in China. The biggest growers of sea buckthorn are China and India.