According to Nick Bolton of Nickerson Zwaan, while there are slight reductions in traditional green and savoy cabbages, the spring greens market is more buoyant thanks to the growth in prepared products. With growing consumer trends towards convenience foods, he also predicts an increase in the processing of broccoli and cauliflower florets. Eye-catching Romanesco and new coloured curd cauliflowers must be strong contenders for this niche premium market. While broccoli remains popular with all age groups, could Marathon’s dominance be coming to an end?
Alongside plenty of new improved white curd varieties, several seed companies are looking to exploit the growing interest in novelty coloured cauliflowers including Romanesco.
The UK cauliflower acreage has declined over recent years, but John Ward of Clause Tezier is optimistic about the future of Romaneso and believes it offers all-round benefits to growers, supermarkets and consumers.
“With greater flexibility and holding properties, it can be stored longer than white cauliflowers,” he said.
Gitano (CLX33110) is the first of several new hybrid introductions and is the first variety offering good resistance to mildew. It is an attractive deep green variety producing a highly pointed curd with uniform sized florets.
Elsoms also has a new hybrid Bejo variety, White Gold, which is well suited to summer production with harvesting from July onwards.
Green, orange and purple curds are generating interest, particularly for mixed floret packs and several new varieties will be in limited commercial production this year.
Sakata has entered the sector with two striking Daehnfeldt niche market varieties: Graffiti with a purple curd and Collage with an orange curd, the colour of which intensifies when cooked. Clause also has a new deep orange-curd variety, CLX33226 F1.
In the green curd market, the first introduction Alverda, bred by Meo Voto, is an open pollinated variety. However, continuity and uniformity is set to improve with the introduction of two hybrids, Primaverde for early and Vitaverde for later production. Large-scale trials of Vitaverde are to take place this year.
While Marathon remains the number one global broccoli variety - accounting for an estimated 60 to 70 per cent of UK production - a host of new varieties are taking market share.
According to Sakata’s Stuart Cox, growers are increasingly looking to slot in other varieties, particularly for higher temperature summer production. He believes Parthenon F1 is a potential Marathon challenger.
“With very impressive yield potential, it is ideally suited to the prepared, fresh or frozen market. Maturing four to five days later than Marathon, it has shown global adaptability. Trial seed will be available this year, with a view to going commercial in 2006,” he said.
Taking just 65 days to mature, Green Magic F1 is a new adaptable Sakata variety, maturing seven days ahead of Marathon. The heads are dark green with fine beads and the variety has a long holding-ability.
“Parthenon F1 has a low anthocyanin content which helps give an excellent green head colour in both hot and cold conditions,” said Sakata technical manager, Kate Smart.
Elsoms’ John Constable believes the new summer/autumn Bejo broccoli variety Alborada F1 has a promising future. “Taking 10 weeks to mature it produces uniform heads, within the 350-400g weight range, and doesn’t suffer from hollow stem,” he said. “It also produces a finer stem, fitting in with the general trend to reduce stem length.”
Although the market is still relatively small, Elsoms is succeeding in injecting new life into the sprouting broccoli market. Traditionally a spring crop, thanks to a joint Elsoms/Bejo breeding programme this flavoursome vegetable can be grown year round widening its appeal with supermarkets. With similar health benefits to green broccoli, Constable believes it is a vegetable with plenty of mileage.
Flexibility of the crop was dramatically improved following the introduction of Bordeaux, a purple sprouting variety.
The joint breeding programme has recently produced another interesting introduction, (BE2645), which has distinctive creamy-coloured florets.
Cabbages no longer fall neatly into one of three groups - smooth round, white or red and savoy. Breeders have blurred the edges with different crosses.
“It’s been a difficult season for UK cabbage growers with poor weather and increasing imports,” said Keith Stephen of Rijk Zwaan. “There is growing interest in the novelty market, for products such as baby cabbage and the convenience sector. We are currently exploring the potential of varieties for high-density plantings for the baby market. In general, quick growing varieties, that do not produce too many leaves, such as the early Primo type Toughma RZ, are best.”
In the red cabbage sector, Nickerson has introduced Roderick, an attractive new small heading variety which is ideally suited to the mini cabbage market.
The continuity of UK production of pointed cabbage is set to increase with the introduction of two new Nickerson varieties, maturing before and after Duchy - the market leader. In addition to the new weather resistant Niz 15-806, which could help extend the Cornish pointed cabbage season, Nickerson has another promising newcomer, Niz 15-826, which matures mid-May, several weeks ahead of Duchy.
The most promising of Rijk Zwaan’s new hybrid pointed varieties is Sonsma RZ. Believed to be one of the fastest growing varieties on the market it holds well and exhibits intermediate resistance to anthocyanin making it less prone to reddening.
According to Elsoms’ Constable, with the January King type Deadon F1, consumers can see and taste a difference as it is sweeter. While Celtic F1, a cross between a smooth white and a savoy, was the first major variety produced of that type, with many others following, little work has been done in the January King area. In the primo sector Clause has an attractive new introduction with good holding ability - CLX3921.
Four to five days earlier than Sir F1, it is very compact, grown at high density and produces uniform heads of high quality with a clean base.
Sakata also has a strong reputation for early season primo type cabbages. “Our Japanese bred cabbages have very good flavour,” said Stuart Cox. “Japanese consumers are very particular about the taste - something which is increasingly being appreciated by the European market.”
JEWEL IN THE CROWN FOR SEMINIS
SEMINIS Seeds has recently unveiled several new tomato varieties after extensive trials with various companies in the UK, under its trademark Bruinsma Seeds.
One global competitor, Amber Jewel, is a golden midi plum with an aromatic flavour. It is available on the vine or as a loose product and is being grown by Wight Salads, on the Isle of Wight, exclusively for Waitrose.
The strikingly mixed-colour Tigertomato is similarly exclusive to Wight. According to spokesman Joep van de Burgt, Wight conducts the majority of UK trials for Seminis, on areas of up to 2,000 square metres.
Meanwhile, in Holland, Seminis has increased the trial acreage of its Tasty Toms cocktail tomatoes from 20 to 80 hectares due to increasing retail demand.
He said Amber Jewel has a unique, almost liquorice kind of sweetness combined with a soft and juicy fruit flesh making it a favourable, vitamin-enhancing variety.
Following successful commercial production in Holland of more than 3.5ha, a cluster cherry tomato, BS 1015 is being trialled for the first time at several companies in the UK, including Wight Salads and Flavour Fresh.
Van de Burgt highlighted an excellent taste, open calyx and strong, long-lasting green parts of the vine among its appealing characteristics.
“There are an average of 12 to 15 fruits per cluster which is very compact but flat, making it firm and easy to handle,” he said.
“The shelf life of the green parts is excellent. Even after several days in the crate, the clusters remain green and fresh. The fruits remain firmly on the cluster and firm to the touch.”
Robino has also just entered several trials in the UK after commercial success in Holland.
“This is a completely new tomato, combining a fascinating deep ruby-red colour with a typical elongated plum shape,” said Van de Burgt.
Seminis is also proud of its reception among other members of the industry.
“In taste assessments by several trading companies it was graded as the best tasting variety. Its most important features are a long-lasting taste, crispy fruit skin and extremely long shelf life.”
In peppers, Seminis has been trialling its Sweet Bite crop in various colours for the past seven years, in the UK, Holland, Spain and Israel.
It is already available from Tesco and various retailers in Holland, and more widespread commercial production of yellow, orange and red Sweet Bite is expected for 2005.
According to Seminis its high brix levels of up to 11 and attractive colours make Sweet Bite an appealing, healthy and tasty fruit snack.
SAKATA EXPANDS OFFER
Sakata UK is expanding various lines this year. Cabbage is one of its key crops and a second early Savoy cabbage, Estoril F1, is set for commercial trials this year.
Technical manager Kate Smart said: “The variety had a very good performance in trials last year.”
Sakata is also extending its range of cauliflowers. Following the success of varieties such as Cool F1 and Avalanche F1, the company has introduced two new commercial varieties, Ice F1 and Alhambra F1.
“Ice F1 has good heat tolerance with a well-protected dense curd, suitable for late-summer harvest,” said Smart. “Alhambra F1 is a vigorous variety that performs well in both hot and cold conditions, producing a heavy, dense curd in a cycle time of 90 days.”
According to Sakata, these cauliflower types have produced promising results over a wide geographical area including the UK.
“Spanish winter results have also been excellent under hot and cold conditions, confirming the flexibility of this new variety,” she said.
In addition, Sakata will be supplying two new lines to the baby leaf industry, Frilly Leaf Mustard and Spinach Bordeaux F1. Frilly Leaf Mustard has a strong green colour with a unique ruffled leaf and a mild flavour.
Bordeaux F1, a red-veined spinach with a mildew resistance level of one to four, is slower to bolt than Reddy F1.
Following success with Marita F1 and Tirza F1, the company has also launched three more spinach varieties. Bach F1, Verdi F1 and Bizet F1, with good mildew resistance, will be available for commercial trials in 2005.
Another commercial line for the baby leaf industry from Sakata UK is a hybrid Swiss Chard, Galaxy F1, suited to early spring and autumn production.
RESISTANCE IS THE KEY
SYNGENTA seeds has succeeded in developing several disease-resistant lines after nearly 18 years of research and breeding.
In the brassica range, it has introduced four white cabbage varieties with high club root resistance for commercial production, Tekila, Kilafur, Kilaton and Kilaxy.
Tekila is a cabbage for fresh market with long field-standing ability, a round shape and flexible size up to 2.5kg. Given its resistance to both Fusarium and club-root, Syngenta is confident of its growing reliability.
Kilafur, a short-storage fresh market variety is also resistant to the diseases and produces heads of 2.5 to 3kg.
Kilaton is a high-yielding long-storage variety with tolerance against internal black, and is suitable for both fresh market and processing with heads up to 4kg.
The fourth variety, Kilaxy is a fresh market cabbage, which is suitable for very long storage. It produces heads of 2 to 2.5kg.
Syngenta claimed that by choosing these disease-resistant varieties, growers would benefit economically.
The company is to introduce a similarly resistant summer cauliflower, Clapton, in the next few months and hopes to develop resistant sprouts in the next few years.
In salad leaves, Syngenta has developed two new additions to its Funtastica range - Redfun and Funtaste.
Both open heading Batavias are resistant to Downey mildew and Lettuce Mosaic virus and are suitable for sowings from early spring until mid-May and from early August to mid-September. With non-hearting characteristics and a sweet flavour, Syngenta claimed the leaves would make a good addition to salad bags.
TASTE AND QUALITY TOP FOR TOMATO
AS ONE of the key international figures in seed development, Rijk Zwaan is continually investigating new varieties to enter the global market.
At its Spanish division, Rijk Zwaan Iberica, three new disease-resistant tomatoes are being intensively trialled.
Vincky RZ is a dark beef-red coloured tomato and chain manager, Alberto Cuadrado said: “It stands out because of its superb taste and its internal quality which makes it ideal for either the fresh or slicing market.”
The fruits are resistant to various diseases, including tomato mosaic virus, tomato yellow leaf curl, root knot and spotted wilt.
Madyta RZ is equally disease-resistant and adapted to constant production in the Spanish climate. According to Cuadrado, the tomato has been received well throughout the supply chain.
“Traders and retailers like its uniformity, its colour, the absence of cracking or micro-cracking and the balance between shelf-life and flavour. Consumers are pleased to have a good ordinary round tomato.”
The third variety is a hybrid truss intermediate tomato. 74-203R2 is not yet available commercially but Rijk Zwaan is confident of its success.
“Traders and retailers like its single trusses of a consistent length, bearing six to eight fruits,” said Cuadrado.
“Its nice herringbone shape makes its easy to pack. And its high number of resistances against viruses and diseases reduce the risk of a non-constant supply and the need for chemical treatment.”
Rijk Zwaan insisted this new tomato has a far better taste than other truss tomatoes in winter supply.
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