At the 2024 edition of the Dutch Field Days, Sakata showed 14 new varieties and more than 100 varieties adapted to conditions in northern Europe. Besides the demo field, there was a hydroponics demonstration and an onion exhibition. Notable was the introduction of purple sprouting broccoli and a pink onion, both of which are free to grow. Linda Ruiter, Product Developer Benelux gave a field tour of several innovations and bestsellers.
Linda Ruiter, Product Developer Benelux shows off purple sprouting broccoli
The first stop is at the broccoli section. Linda presents Leonidas, a broccoli variety with excellent external and internal qualities. "Leonidas has a beautiful dark green head, a high, rounded shape, and a dense stalk. When broccoli grows quickly, a hollow can sometimes form in the stalk, which happens during sudden warm and rapid growing conditions. Even if the head looks perfect, a hollow stalk is often a reason for retailers to reject a batch."
Leonidas
Sakata owns Bimi®, a protected brand. For growers who want to operate in the open market, there's Tyrian, a purple-sprouting broccoli that can be grown from July to September. "It's delicious and looks stunning. The stems are very uniform, and not only are the florets purple, but the stem itself is as well."
Pointed cabbage is gaining popularity, both for its sweeter, milder flavor and its more tender leaves. The flat cabbage variety Sweety shares these qualities, Linda explains, noting that it's even sweeter than pointed cabbage, with tender leaves. In Germany, flat cabbage is a popular vegetable. It's also fairly well known in France, but still relatively unfamiliar in the Netherlands.
The new beet variety Aurora is a robust breed with a high Brix value, resistant to Rhizomania and Rhizoctonia. It is particularly suited for industrial processing and has excellent storage qualities.
Butternut squash can now be successfully grown in Northern Europe, including Scandinavia and the UK. "Mieluna has a high sugar content and an early ripening time, producing uniform fruits weighing between 1 and 1.3 kg with a high yield. Its long shelf life makes it a good alternative to imports from Spain and Brazil."
Aldente is a new variety of spaghetti squash. "The plant produces a large number of uniform fruits, and the taste is excellent. The fruits weigh between 1 and 1.3 kg, making them perfect for supermarket shelves as well as fresh meal kits or meal boxes."
Lucinda is a very sweet variety of pumpkin, but due to its dark skin, it isn't very popular on the shelf. It's primarily used in baby food production.
Pak choi grows well in hydroponic systems. Sakata showcases three varieties of hydroponically grown pak choi. For the Dutch market, pak choi with white stems is in demand. This includes the longer-stemmed Joi Choi and two shorter-stemmed white varieties, You Qing Choi. For UK consumers, the green-stemmed variety, Yang Qing Choi, was developed. These varieties form strong root systems in water (visible on the right in the photo) and are resistant to clubroot.
Sakata is actively developing onion varieties and offers a range of options, as Linda demonstrates.
In collaboration with the English partner company AlliumSeeds, Rosanna has been developed, a pink onion that can be grown freely. The pink onion features beautiful, shiny skin.
Voor meer informatie:
Linda Ruiter
[email protected]
Sakata Seeds
www.sakata.com