An exciting year
lies ahead for the ambitious management team at Bad Essen-based seed supplier agri-Saaten Ltd. That's because, thanks to a new partnership, the company's range could be expanded, even in times of Corona. We spoke to Hendrik Müller (pictured right), member of the management board, about this year's new registrations and the current needs and wants of vegetable growers.
The core competence of the company, which was founded in 1998, is still the development of new vegetable varieties, he said. Brand new in the portfolio are the two carrot varieties Cariana F1 (120 days) and Calindor F1 (140 days), Hendrik Müller reported. "In both cases, it is a Nantes/Berlikum mix for both the fresh market and the industry. Specifically for organic cultivation, there is now Bengala F1 and, starting next year, Caravel F1, two Nantaisers with a cultivation time of 120-130 days and circa 105 days respectively."
Left: parsnips of the Countess variety - right: Sprinter sweet corn.
Partnership with Maraldi Sementi
Furthermore, Agri-Saaten recently became the exclusive partner of Maraldi Sementi from Italy for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This is an important milestone for the Lower Saxony-based company, Müller stresses. "Thanks to this partnership, we have now been able to expand our portfolio to include several open field lettuces, such as babyleaf, lamb's lettuce and arugula. In addition, we now have access to American and Italian onion varieties."
Asian greens are new to agri-Saaten's range. Carrots, onions and sweet corn characterize its core assortment. Salsify, legumes, chicory, pumpkins, root parsley, and green onions round out the range.
Parsnips are still very popular with Agri-Saaten. Hazera has taken over the distribution of the varieties Victor F1 (early), Vulcan F1 and Viper F1. Müller: "However, our main products continue to be summer onion seed and sweet corn. In sweet corn, we have a new early variety called Sprinter F1, a very compact breed compared to Sweet Nugget F1, our previous top seller in the early segment. In addition, in the tender segment, there is a new variety called Takeoff F1."
Potential in open field herbs
"Furthermore, we have the Forono beet, which is very suitable for industrial purposes due to its great coloration and high yield. in future, we want to specialize in the herb sector as well. Particularly regarding parsley, dill, cress and basil, we see a lot of potential for new breeds for local cultivation," Müller concludes.
For more information:
Hendrik Müller
Agri-Saaten GmbH
Tel: +49 (5472) 97700-12
Fax: +49 (5472) 97700-29
E-Mail: h.mueller@agri-saaten.de
www.agri-saaten.de