These are two brand new hybrids which you will shortly have the chance to see directly on fields in Sicily by booking an appointment with the technical staff of Cora Seeds.
The demonstrative field was set up by the Occhipinti commercial farm from Santa Croce Camerina, near Vittoria. FreshPlaza interviewed Guglielmo Occhipinti for a comment.
"We have been harvesting peppers for 15 years and we have 4 hectares of greenhouses. We produce on average 240 tons of yellow and red peppers a year. In addition, we also cultivate tomatoes and round and long aubergines."
The company transplanted peppers between 15th October and 10th November, and the new varieties were transplanted at the beginning of November: "Transplanting peppers in January for a demonstrative greenhouse was easy, but doing it in winter it's a totally different matter, though it's the perfect way to assess the plant and see how it deals with difficult weather."
Especially since, this year, winter in Sicily was rather harsh, despite the fact that there were no sudden drops in temperatures: "When the temperature of the soil is cold for a long time, plants suffer from a physiological imbalance, as the development of the root system slows down."
Guglielmo Occhipinti also explained the reasons behind the choice of yellow CRX 60030F1 and red Buffalo F1 peppers: "Buffalo fruits are compact, with a bright colour, they are heavy and uniform. The product will definitely be popular. Plants of yellow peppers are compact but really productive. Fruits are excellent. It is anyway up to us producers to draw the best from these varieties: crops need TLC, passion and dedication. We talk to our plants as if they were people! And results show!"
The marketing season
The company started harvesting in March. "Initial prices were rather profitable, as they hovered around €1.50/kg; subsequently they stabilised at around €1.00-1.30/kg. Peppers are expensive to cultivate and are much lighter than tomatoes, cucumbers or aubergines therefore, production must be abundant to be profitable. Luckily we haven't been affected by the Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) as other areas have."
The company started harvesting in March. "Initial prices were rather profitable, as they hovered around €1.50/kg; subsequently they stabilised at around €1.00-1.30/kg. Peppers are expensive to cultivate and are much lighter than tomatoes, cucumbers or aubergines therefore, production must be abundant to be profitable. Luckily we haven't been affected by the Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) as other areas have."
Technical characteristics of Cora Seeds peppers:
PHANTOM F1 (CRX 60030)
Type: 1/2 long yellow Plant: good size and vigour, covering
Cycle: medium
Fruit: 9x15 cm, heavy
Note: very productive, ideal for greenhouses, exceptional in the Sicily area
Resistance: HR TMV-0, IR Tswv
Buffalo F1
Type: 3/4 long
Plant: good size and vigour, covering and compact
Cycle: medium
Fruit: 11x15 cm, very heavy Note: very productive, ideal for greenhouses, exceptional in the Sicily area
Resistance: HR PMMV-1-2-3, IR Tswv
Interested producers please contact:
Andrea Casadei
Technical manager Italy
Mob.: (+39) 331 6088896
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.coraseeds.com
Maurizio Bacchi
General Manager
Email: [email protected]
