New open field varieties from Clause, Nickerson-Zwaan and Vilmorin
Netherlands: Open days to showcase new veg varieties
Crop specialists from all three companies will make visitors familiar with the latest improvements on characteristics like disease resistance, yield, quality, or labour friendliness. New varieties are on show in white cabbage, onion, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, squash, leek, radish, beans and chicory witloof. Visitors will also find our successful varieties of corn salad, red, savoy, and pointed cabbage, Brussels sprouts, beetroot, celery, celeriac, endive, pumpkin, fennel and sweet corn. Fruited crops (tomato, cucumber a.o.) will be shown in the pavilion. The demo field is designed to inform customers from all over Europe and also outside Europe about the latest trends and technologies in vegetable growing. A personal approach of visitors is guaranteed, including good possibilities to discuss with our specialists.
Nickerson-Zwaan is, beside its great classics, promoting a whole range of interesting innovations in Brassica (cabbage). In white cabbage our breeders have an important focus on disease resistance. Another focus in brassica has been improved tolerance to hot and cold conditions, and we can now show interesting innovations like red cabbage NiZ 13-900, multiple-quality white cabbage Taurus, and summer cauliflower NiZ 10-540.
Long storage and excellent processing qualities are also very important and we have several novelties, like Forza. In cauliflower the success story of variety Seoul is continued and enhanced by new Raoul, producing also very heavy and dense curds, but bringing even better vigour and disease resistance.
Nickerson-Zwaan’s breeders have been working hard on round red radish, and have generated a continuous stream of new varieties for indoor as well as outdoor growing. New star is Solito, featuring a very interesting combination of qualities.
Onion has become a privileged crop for Nickerson-Zwaan, who now offers onion varieties that suit the needs of growers worldwide. At this demo platform we focus on the Extra Long and Long day types. The latter is on show in a dedicated onion pavilion in the field. Breeders have been working especially on the perfect combination between high yield and long storage in both types, as we find in Centro and in our new Long day Spanish storage varieties Sergio and Adriano that also feature high resistance to Pink root.
Vilmorin’s main highlight are carrots. As a worldwide leader in the Nantes type (standard references Maestro and Bolero), Vilmorin is proud to show some of its novelties: VAC 62 and VAC 63 for the ground and cold storage, or early Musico featuring high root quality by combining smoothness, breakage resistance and attractive color. In the late autumn harvest slot, Volcano confirms its added value: vigour in the field from emergence, disease resistances and quality of the roots. New breeding material will be shown as well such as yellow hybrids.
Vilmorin has concentrated very much on lettuce breeding. The objective is to be active in all the types and main areas. In the field growers and plant raisers will see a selection of the material bred for Northern Europe with new Icebergs, Butterheads, Oak leaves, Batavia, Romaines, Lollo and Babyleaves. Among the varieties of Iceberg with full bremia and nasonovia resistances, new compact Skater (ICE 15241) really stands out.
Main highlight in cauliflower is Shakaris (EB 3103), a short cycle fresh market variety for end of spring and autumn harvests.
Vilmorin is pleased to show new beetroot BRM01: the first monogerm variety on the market with resistance to Rhizomania for the early slot, offering improved vigour and uniformity. With BRM01, Grenade and Redval, Vilmorin offers a full range of varieties to harvest beetroots from the early segment to the late storage season.
The presentation of some roots of Chicory Witloof collected in the area will interest chicory growers. Focus is on Topscore (harvest from mid November till March) and Flexine (harvest from March till November). Both varieties are very uniform in the field as in the trays after forcing. An assortment of the large renewed range of Processing beans will be presented to processors and growers: Flanker, announced as the successor of Polder, Jogger, a monosize very fine bean that can stand difficult conditions and Comper, a fine-mid fine bean with high potential.
Clause shows the new hybrid turnip range for both fresh market and industry. Carrot growers will be able to see the new early carrot Mercurio and the alternaria resistant variety Stromboli. In broccoli the focus is on Kuba, the new early summer variety. We’ll also show the new Calebrini type CLX 35984 with long tender florets. The full range of cauliflower for industry and fresh market is on site, including the new early Clipper and Littoral (summer).
Squash growers should absolutely get acquainted with the new virus resistant varieties CLX 29853 (fresh market) and CLX 29860 (industry) offering more value for growers. The large pumpkin range is now completed with Gladiator in the big sized segment. New celeriac hybrid CLX 4122 is offering good bolting resistance and more yield to fresh market growers.
Cabbage growers will see the benefits of Squadron, the long storage variety featuring high thrips tolerance and a nice green colour after storage. Worth to mention are also a very wide range of endive and frisée endive varieties with high bolting resistance, various types of lettuce, green celery, (baby)fennel and more. In the pavilion, where food and drinks will be readily available, all visitors can judge the latest corn salad varieties.
For more information:
Lando van Doorn
Nickerson-Zwaan
Tel: +31 (0)6 - 34 65 85 20
or
Mrs. Isabelle Dellis
Clause
Tel: +33 (0)4 - 75 57 57 57
or
Mrs. Charlotte Tavin
Vilmorin
Tel. +33 (0)2 - 41 79 41 43 .
or visit www.nickerson-zwaan.com