Vigorous broccoli, resistant beets, and culinary white pumpkins

Growing beets with Rhizomania resistance, selecting broccoli varieties that thrive with fewer nutrients, or introducing an eye-catching white pumpkin to the market—these were just some of the highlights at the recent Sakata Field Days, held at the company's trial fields in Zwaagdijk. The event focused on the connection between plant breeding and practical application. Growers and traders had the opportunity to explore high-performing and promising new varieties, carefully selected for their relevance to the Northwest European region.

Some of those that were reviewed:

"A broccoli variety exactly as it should be—high yielding with a beautiful, well-formed head," says Linda as she introduces the new variety Nemesis. This variety was developed with sustainable cultivation in mind. It offers strong disease tolerance, an elevated head that makes harvesting easier, and excellent head quality," Linda explains.

© Marjet Lubbers-Bruijnse | FreshPlaza.comAfter several years of trials, Nemesis has proven to be highly resistant to downy mildew. It also requires less nitrogen during growth, perfectly aligning with the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) sustainability goals. In terms of head shape and structure, Nemesis carries the signature Sakata traits—just like the company's well-known bestsellers Parthenon and Triton, adds Michel.

© Marjet Lubbers-Bruijnse | FreshPlaza.com Ares is a fast-growing broccoli variety that quickly reaches an average weight of 500 grams. In summer conditions, it can even be ready for harvest in as little as 54 days. The variety forms a dark, compact head and has an upright growth habit. Although the head sits slightly lower on the plant, the leaves break off easily, making Ares very suitable for efficient harvesting.

© Marjet Lubbers-Bruijnse | FreshPlaza.com Sakata has high-performing spring onion varieties, with the new variety Token showing several strong characteristics. The spring onion has a good wax layer and high bolting tolerance. A significant advantage for processing is that the outer layer of the Token is easy to peel off.

© Marjet Lubbers-Bruijnse | FreshPlaza.com Another promising spring onion variety is Interstellar. It has the same characteristics as Token (wax layer, easy peel), plus mildew resistance, and is darker in color.

In pumpkins, Sakata also had some innovations. Pumpkins are becoming more popular and are a widely used ingredient in soups and baby food.

© Marjet Lubbers-Bruijnse | FreshPlaza.com With Mieluna, Sakata managed to breed a butternut squash suitable for cultivation in the relatively cooler Northwest Europe. With this new variety that Linda presents (SQ222055), this is also successful as it provides more uniform fruits of around 1 kilogram, the weight retailers prefer on the shelf. The internal quality is also nice, with a small, round seed section.

Spinach: The demand for spinach is very good, both for processing and the fresh market for stir-frying and salads. All new spinach varieties introduced by Sakata have the full resistance package against mildew (1-20).

© Marjet Lubbers-Bruijnse | FreshPlaza.comA similar variety in terms of properties is Turandot, slightly darker than Figaro, with softer leaves, suitable for salads. Just avoid the most bolt-sensitive period.

© Marjet Lubbers-Bruijnse | FreshPlaza.comThe market has had good experiences with Aurora, says Linda. "This is the first Rhizomania-resistant variety Sakata introduces, with the high brix, the beets have a long shelf life without loss of flavor." Aurora provides a uniform yield and is also resistant to Rhizoctonia and has a high tolerance to Cercospora.

© Marjet Lubbers-Bruijnse | FreshPlaza.com Asian vegetables can be perfectly grown in Northern Europe, both in the ground and in hydroponics. At the demo, a system is shown in which the plant plug does not touch the water, developing a strong root system that produces nicer and stronger pak choi plants.

© Marjet Lubbers-Bruijnse | FreshPlaza.com
Joi Choi F1 stands out for its dark green color and reported tolerance to bolting

For more information
SAKATA
Michel Zeelen
[email protected]
T: +31 (0) 6 27 57 45 58
Linda Ruiter
[email protected]
T: +31 (0) 6 20 80 58 21
www.sakata.eu

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