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THECOMMERCIAL GREENHOUSEGROWER • APRIL 2018
• HORTICONTACT
Many of the estimated16,000 visitors that attended this
year’s editionof thepopular horticultural showwere there
to catch upon all the latest indoor saladnews, writes
StevenVale.
Heading thedevelopments at theGorinchem exhibition
complexwasHazera, which has a strongbackground in
breeding tomato varieties for non-heatedgreenhouse and
open field crops for the freshmarket inCentral America
andSouthernEurope. In recent years, the company is
looking toget into the hi-tech and heatedgreenhouse
market andwas present for the first time at HortiContact
topromote some of its first varieties.
The search for newmaterial began8-9 years ago, and
right from the start the emphasis of thebreeding team,
was to combine taste andgoodgrowing characteristics.
Trialswith the first results started four years ago, and
today are ondisplay at Hazera’s TasteExperienceCentre
inBleiswijk (NL), where over 90newpotential varieties are
evaluated annually. Four of themwere ondisplay at the
Dutch show – twonamed and two numberedones, all of
which are currently in trialswithgrowers in theBenelux.
Startingwith the two numbered varieties, the first is an
egg-type variety producing+/-18-20g fruits. Presentation
is claimed as one of thebest, and the equal size and
weight will be interesting for retailers. and the second, a
large vine tomato, produces fruitswith an averageweight
of 140-150g, and as such ismore likely to appeal to
markets includingGermany andScandinavia.
Themost interestingof the two named varieties for
Britishgrowers isSensera, amid-sized truss type, which
produces nice greenparts and an average fruit weight
of just under 100g. Currently in its first year of semi-
commercial availability, Hazera freshproduce chain
manager Arjan vanSteekelenburg is confident that all
four are equal or better to existingones in their respective
segments. “Sensera is perfect for theBritishmarket in
terms of taste, size andpresentation,” he said.
The secondnamed variety is Flamantyno, which is
claimed as the first yellow cocktail variety suitable for
truss harvesting and is positioned at the top endof the
market.
Hazera is not just looking to comewith a full portfolioof
tomatoes for heated-crops as soon as possible, but is
also carefully testing some of its novelty cucumbers and
peppers in thismarket, like it has done in thepast with
tomatoes, whereHazera entered themarket withSummer
Sun (yellow cherry) andGoutine (large loose).
In themeantime, the company is keen to talk toBritish
growers interested to trial its new tomato varieties, and
welcomes them to the TasteExperienceCentrewhere
crop specialistsGeert vanderWel andMarcel vanKester
canprovidedetails on all the new tomato varieties.
Dutch-firmAxiaVegetableSeeds has teamed upwith
celebrity chef HermandenBlijker toproduce a new
book calledTomato Love.Main topics discussed include
the history of Axia andproductionof the crop in the
Netherlands, supportedwith25 recipes (withpictures),
basedonAxia varieties.
To support the hardback and 60-page full-colour
publication, therewas a live cookingdemonstration
at theDutch show. If youwould like a copy of the free
publication then themessage is tobequickbecause
the 2,500English-language copies are expected tobe
popular.
Theplans for a secondbook are currently beingdrawn
up, andmore could follow in the future.
Apromisingnewcomer on theNunhems (Bayer) stand
wasNUN09231, which is described as a high-tasting
12g cherry typewith a goodbite. Combining a uniform
INDOOR SALADNEWS FROM
PREMIERE DUTCH SHOW
NUN09231 is described as a high-tasting 12g cherry tomato,
whichoffers a uniform truss shape, a nicepresentation and an
interesting colour.
