During the three days of the Brassicas Winter Days held in Murcia, 150 attendees, including farmers, field technicians, marketers, and the media, had the opportunity to learn about Sakata's latest innovations in broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, pak choi, and radish crops.
85 years ago, Sakata introduced its first broccoli variety onto the market. Sakata has "varieties with different cycles, sizes, and quality standards, which are intended for different cultivation areas to meet producers' needs," stated Antonio Ibarra, Sakata's head of brassicas development.
Regarding the new commercial varieties, Ibarra said the BRO03186 broccoli "is destined for the fresh market, both nationally and for export." Harvesting it is easy because it has a tall, compact, domed head. It also has a great shelf life and a wide range of resistances.
He also said the Ithaca variety was very flexible and had a harvesting window of around four months. It yields sizes ranging from 500 grams to one kilo, keeping its quality parameters intact.
Sakata has always stood out because of its innovation. An example of this is its first purple broccoli varieties on the market, Purple Magic and Tyrian, which provide high levels of anthocyanins and selenium. The company is also presenting Blue Ridge, its first kale variety that stands out for its dark green color with a never-before-seen curling of leaves on the market.
"Spain's cauliflower production is highly appreciated for its profitability, which has boosted its growth," Ibarra stated. This year, Sakata adds the Marseille variety to its renewed cauliflower portfolio made up of Stockholm, Berlin, and Denver, to cover the winter harvests. Marseille, a 130-day variety, is very vigorous and ideal for the fresh and processed market.
In oriental crops, Chinese cabbage and pak choi are increasingly popular in the consumer shopping basket and Sakata is giving them great prominence. According to Juan Andrés Calero, head of bulb, root, and leaf development, Sakata's upcoming PKC00005 pak choi commercial variety "is going to revolutionize the market because it can be grown in the middle of winter." In addition, it has the ideal format for packaging and "gives producers an extra yield because it is 10% heavier than other varieties." Another great novelty is Genki, which, together with the Cape Roca beaked cabbage, expands Sakata's cabbage portfolio. This variety yields cabbages of more than two kilos with great vigor and health.
In radish, Crunchy King stands out for its endurance in the field and internal quality.
For further information:
Sakata
Email: sara.guerrero@sakata.eu
https://sakataiberica.com/