Around 5000 square metres of rocket, lettuce, spinach, chard, brassicas and lamb's lettuce were the focus of the field days organised by Maraldi Sementi at the OP Italianleaf farm in Pontecagnano (Salerno).
"Over 200 technicians and operators attended," reports CEO Andrea Maraldi, "not only from Italy, but also from France, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States and Australia. They were able to see and assess a wide range of commercial and pre-commercial varieties."
The protagonists certainly featured the over 30 varieties of wild rocket obtained from innovative material tolerant to downy mildew and fusarium, which boast high agronomic characteristics (leaf quality, resistance to flowering, adaptability to multiple mowing).
"Particular attention was given to Yuma and Imperial, varieties that stand out for their high level of downy mildew tolerance. The former is suitable for autumn-winter sowing, from mid-October onwards, while Imperial, thanks to its excellent resistance to blight, can already be included in September."
Research continues for lettuce too, with a large package of full bremia varieties Bl:29-41. These include Lucilla, early-cycle green batavia and the dark red batavia MSX21440.
 |  |
"Great expectations for spinach, the latest addition to the Maraldi range. The wide experimental range presented generated a lot of interest among operators, thanks to the complete resistance to downy mildew and the exceptional quality of the products. The commercial varieties Parker F1 and MSX35077 F1, both with a good downy mildew resistance package and suitable agronomic characteristics, were highly appreciated.
 |  |
"The entire Maraldi team is strongly committed to maintaining a high level of quality, starting from research to the development and commercialization of its varieties."
"We must thank the OP Italianleaf team for hosting the event," he concludes.
For more information
Maraldi Sementi 
Via Ipazia 155
47521 Cesena (FC) Italy
+39 0547 303292
[email protected]
www.maraldisementi.it