At Syngenta, Joop Hoof took care of most of the testing grounds for the open field demo days this year. His big passion is cauliflower ("I was born among them, they say"), so it's no surprise that he shows a couple of remarkable cauliflower novelties first. There's more to see in the field though: standing broccoli Monflor, sweet head cabbage Braxan, and various lettuce crops.
SGC3064
Cauliflower SGC3064 is suitable for harvesting in September and October. The variety is planted widely at growers, and reactions are positive. "It's a very labour-friendly variety. It's very self-covering, and because it is a rather erect crop, it's handy for the sewing machines," Joop explains. Next to the crop is a prototype of the new sewing machine. "Most sewing machines have 4 or 5 sewing units. This one has two, which is why it's also attractive for smaller companies."
SGC3062
Due to the weather conditions, the SGC3062 isn't doing well on the testing grounds. In six weeks' time, nearly 40 mm of rain fell, and this can be seen on the demo fields at all breeders. We still take a look at the variety though: this year, the SGC3062 is planted extensively at growers, with good responses.
SGC8201
The purple cauliflower is well-known in the market now. "In summer, the purple mainly goes to Italy. They don't have their own cultivation there, but they are much more advanced with coloured broccoli." Complementing it is the orange cauliflower SGC8201. "White remains the biggest, but in summer there is less demand for cauliflower. With the colours, you can expand your product range and gain access to Italy."
Monflor
On to the broccoli. Just like with cauliflowers, labour-friendliness is an important theme for Syngenta in this crop as well. Monflor is for the processing industry, and it's a very high-grade variety. "This means the broccoli can be harvested with a band saw. It falls apart easily after harvesting." An additional, important advantage is that the broccoli colours nicely thanks to its height. That was a request from the market. "With broccoli, you often see the inside is a bit lighter than the top, which has coloured thanks to the sun. Restaurants, for instance, prefer broccoli in 1 colour."
Braxan
After the cauliflowers, it's time to do some tasting in the field. Head cabbage Braxan is strong against Xanthomonas, and is more like a pointed cabbage than a head cabbage in use. The variety itself is really sweet, and when you eat it raw, you almost don't notice it's a head cabbage because of the taste. "Pointed cabbage has large veins, and some varieties of pointed cabbage are protected. This way, we provide an alternative for it. What's more, it quickly grows to 2 kilogrammes, so your return per hectare is higher," Joop says, explaining why the variety is an option for the cutting plants.
Julian
For the lettuce, Nicholas Benett joins in. He shows the Julian butterhead lettuce. "Suitable for spring and autumn," he says. "The variety is resistant up to 32, but is especially noticeably dark in colour, and very uniform." There are opportunities in the southern Netherlands, France and Germany.
Vignole
Batavia lettuce Vignole is the first batavia lettuce with full resistance for France. In addition, the quality at the bottom and top is remarkable. "Shelf life is good, but here on the field you also see that it holds up well under tough conditions," Benett says.
Bondena
The last one Benett shows in lettuce, is mini romaine Bondena. Not only because the variety is interesting with its uniform production and the resistance package, but also because it's growing. "In Germany, Bondena is big already, but it's still growing further. The mini romaine is doing well in twin packs, and thanks to the sizing this is a good choice for that."