Brassica Magazine 2009 - Rijk Zwaan

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Piet Baekelandt has not regretted choosing Dexter RZ ▲ Rijk Zwaan cauliflower takes up a permanent place at processors When it comes to cauliflower, the processing industry is one of the major buyers. It is not surprising, then, that Rijk Zwaan works hard on a range that meets the specific demands of this market, with suitable varieties for each region. As far as that is concerned, Casper RZ and Dexter RZ are top varieties and very versatile into the bargain. Rijk Zwaan works on varieties that meet the specific demands of the industry ▲ Johan Decroos is account manager industrial cropping for Rijk Zwaan ▲ Johan Decroos is account manager industrial cropping for Rijk Zwaan. He relates how, in the Benelux alone, about 4,000 ha of cauliflower are grown for industrial use. “So it’s only logical that Rijk Zwaan takes the demands of this market into account in its breeding programme. That is why we have selection trials, especially aimed at industrial cropping. The most successful varieties from these trials are then tried out further in a practical setting. In Spain that has been Casper for many years now and in the Benelux the industry is going for variety Dexter in a big way. In addition, our new variety Cercy RZ also performed very well for the industry in the new trials.” Pretty on a plate Dexter and Casper totally meet the wishes of the frozen-food industry in practice, Decroos continues. “The industry wants a solid, white cauliflower with a high specific gravity. Processors also like nice tight florets with a short stem. In short: the processed product needs to look good on the plate of the consumer. And these two varieties certainly do that! The florets are lovely and white, with short stems. A big advantage of Casper and Dexter is that both varieties can find their way to the consumer in different ways. They are also excellent for the fresh market and the convenience segment. The latter is especially important, as this market is experiencing enormous growth that is not going to stop soon.” Decroos: “Buyers are very happy and make permanent room for our varieties in their ranges. Due to the unique combination of traits I also expect that these varieties will retain their strong position well into the future.” 4 RZ brassica | 2009
Processors like nice tight florets with a short stem ▲ Dexter RZ: At the request of the buyer Dexter is becoming increasingly popular in big-production countries Belgium and Poland. One of the growers with experience of growing Dexter is Piet Baekelandt from Meulebeke (Belgium). “Last year we had a trial field with 15 cauliflower varieties, at the request of our buyer, Ardo. Dexter emerged as one of the best varieties, for us as growers and for our buyer. That decided us to grow 1 ha of it this year.” Baekelandt has not regretted his choice. “We noticed that Dexter has great wrapper leaves. It is a vigorous cauliflower that makes leaves very easily. We like that in a cauliflower, as it saves us a lot of work. It is also a good choice quality wise: it is a heavy cauliflower that keeps its dense structure and nice white colour. The head is also filled right down to the base and the harvest percentage is high. Ardo, our buyer, was also happy. We had no problems in supplying nice florets with short stems of AA quality, perfect for the industry.” Casper RZ: Strong in different climates Around 40% of the total cauliflower market in Spain is now taken up by Casper. The success story started about 10 years ago. “This variety soon showed itself to be a real eye-catcher,” says Rijk Zwaan crop specialist José Hernandez Torres. “Initially it was discovered by the fresh market in particular, but we now know that it also has the right characteristics for the industry. The variety has enormous advantages for growers as it performs well in many different climates. Here in Spain we get some extreme conditions and Casper is unique in that it feels at home in all these conditions. To give an example: the variety is grown all over Spain in spring and autumn at altitudes ranging from 0 – 1,000 metres. In summer, on the other hand, the variety does well at 500 – 1,000 m altitude. What is also important is that both drip and channel irrigation can be used when growing Casper, which also contributes to its all-round character.” Rijk Zwaan in Brassica 5
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Brassica Magazine 2009 - Rijk Zwaan

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