The Wilhelm Weyers company, based in Weeze, for the first time has decided to set up a potato trial field there. The site, which was planted on April 24, is currently growing a total of 12 new potato varieties from various seed suppliers. It is all about new varieties that are currently unknown in North Rhine-Westphalia, that should be distinguished by their robustness and their taste, says the management of the traditional wholesale company.
Niklas (l) and Reinhard Krebbers at the test field in Weeze
Due to the extreme temperatures during the planting and growth phase, the management of the wholesale business is currently assuming that the harvest will take place in early September, even that of the later varieties. However, this must be coordinated with the breeders involved and with contractor Schmitz. Here, too, the weather conditions play a decisive role, because the soil must not be allowed to dry up to much. If necessary, the individual potato lots have to be irrigated before clearing, says the management.
Due to the extreme temperatures during the planting and growth phase, the management of the wholesale business is currently assuming that the harvest will take place in early September, even that of the later varieties. However, this must be coordinated with the breeders involved and with contractor Schmitz. Here, too, the weather conditions play a decisive role, because the soil must not be allowed to dry up to much. If necessary, the individual potato lots have to be irrigated before clearing, says the management.
More stable varieties
In total, twelve new varieties which did not exist before in the North Rhine-Westphalian potato cultivation were planted on April 24 of this year. The test field was planned and planted by breeder Europlant, together with Niklas Krebbers, an employee of Straubinger Kartoffeln Vertrieb GmbH. In total there are eight varieties from the Europlant catalog (Julinka, Theresa, Ramona, Bernina, Otolia and Torenia), two from supplier Norika (Wendy and Wega) and two varieties from Solana GmbH (Peela and Baby Lou). The aim of the experimental area is to provide the local market with robust and tasty aromatic products and to expand the diversity of varieties accordingly. ''We were also looking for particularly hard cooking and storeable potato varieties'', says spokesman Niklas Krebbers.
In addition to this, today's requirements of food retailers (LEH) are becoming more and more numerous, while at the same time a continuously high yield is expected. This challenge should be met somewhat better with new, high-quality potato varieties. In the course of this, Weyers GmbH will continue to offer this service in the coming year in order to meet the high quality standards of food retailers and consumers in the future as well. "We want to present the farmers with stable, high-yielding varieties that we, as packers, will be able to pack to the best of our ability", concludes Krebbers.
Regional products
As a regional packaging company, the Wilhelm Weyers GmbH has already been successful for three generations. It is connected firmly to local agriculture. For over 50 years, the wholesaler has been responsible for the marketing of fresh potatoes and potatoes from regional fields. In the modern packing plants, potatoes and onions are sorted, washed, ventilated, stored, packaged and delivered to the food trade under the motto "Only the best quality will leave our site". A total of 32,500 square meters of total space are available, of which there are 15,000 square meters of hall space.
For more information:
Kartoffel- und Zwiebelgroßhandlung
Holtumsweg 16 b – 47652 Weeze
Tel. 0049 2837-571
Fax 0049 2837-6019
E-Mail: wilhelmweyers@wilhelmweyers.de
Web: www.wilhelmweyers.de