Ten days ago, Sakata Seed America hosted Field Days for its ‘warm’ crops in Woodland, CA. FreshPlaza had an opportunity to tour the field with the company’s melon breeder Angela Davis who trials more than 600 long-shelf life melon varieties at the Woodland location. “An extensively trialed variety has about 15 percent chance of making it into a commercial product,” says Davis.
Flavorful and long shelf-life
Key characteristics breeders look for in new melon varieties include flavor, aroma, yield, internal quality, plant health, and adaptability to different climates. About six years ago, Sakata Seed went to market with a melon variety that meets all of the above criteria: Infinite Gold. “This is our most successful melon variety and number one seller,” shared Davis. Most importantly, Infinite Gold has a long shelf-life and is also flavorful. “Many of the traditional western shippers (collective name for a type of short shelf-life melons) have a musky aroma, but Infinite Gold has a high sugar content, a long shelf-life, and is flavorful at the same time,” said Davis.
In addition, Infinite Gold meets the consumer preference of a melon with a deep orange flesh. “Consumers nowadays prefer a dark orange flesh and as a result, we are breeding away from melons with a light orange flesh,” said Davis.
Angela Davis, melon breeder with Sakata Seed America, in a melon trialing field.
Fewer harvest passes
The Infinite Gold variety also does well in different climates. “Some varieties perform well in dry climates like here in California, but not so well in other environments,” Davis said. “Infinite Gold does great in a lot of places, including the US, Mexico, Australia and Africa. Although the diversity of climates doesn’t impact the flavor, it does result in different size melons in different regions.“
Another significant benefit to growers is the fact that this variety sets all its fruit at once and requires just two or three harvest passes as opposed to seven or eight for a traditional western shipper. This results in a significant reduction of labor costs.
Infinite Gold melon variety with a deep orange flesh.
Continuing to develop new varieties
“Although it is our number one seller, this variety is not for everyone and we continue to develop other great varieties,” Davis mentioned. Infinite Gold stays relatively green while some customers prefer color and ask for a melon variety with a more distinct harvest indicator. The variety continues to be very popular on the US West Coast, in Mexico, South Africa, and Australia. It makes up about 60 percent of Australia’s melon consumption. On the US East Coast on the other hand, the traditional eastern shippers are still preferred.
For more information:
Alicia Suits
Sakata Seed America, Inc.
Tel: (+1) 408-782-5391