•
SYNGENTADUTCH TRIALS
•
•
PARSNIP TRIALS
•
THE
VEGETABLE
FARMER •
JANUARY 2017
he said. “Maturing amonth after
Bielas, Tusk carries through to
February.“
In contrast, Bielas was bred in
the Czech Republic for the Polish
market. “In commercial trials for
two years, Bielas is an early
maincrop variety which bulks
quickly and has good fill down
the root,” said Barrie. “It
overwinters well and is a dual
purpose variety which can be
harvested through to January.”
Challenges ahead
As with all field crops, the
dwindling list of chemical actives
is impacting on crop agronomy.
The extended harvest interval of
the herbicide Defy (prosulfocarb),
for volunteer potato and cleaver
control, is proving a particular
challenge in parsnip crops.
“Growers need to take amore
integrated approach,” said James
Howell. “We recommend
manipulating rotations carefully
and selecting sites to complement
requirements.
“For weed control there are
other technologies such as brush
hoes for inter row cultivations,
while application of existing
agrochemicals can be improved
using band and spot spraying. In
addition, seed quality needs to be
optimal – excellent hygiene and
germination together with
pelleted and primed seed to
optimise drilling precision and
establishment.
“This year we’re seeing
increased Carrot Root Fly damage
in commercial parsnip crops. We
are also seeing some Cavity Spot
and Canker starting to develop.
However, overall the quality of
this years parsnip crop looks
good, although yields may prove
to be rather average.”
T
his year’s round-up of new
developments at Syngenta’s
‘Fields of Innovation’ begins
with flower sprouts, which is the
result of crossing a curly kale with
a Brussels sprout. Labelled as
Frivole on the trial field, but
actually re-named as Frivoletta,
the buttons were not ready.
Visitors were however able to see
green, red and purple varieties,
each of whichwe are informed
has its own distinct flavour.
Harvested fromNovember to
February, and described as a
useful additional product for the
Christmas period, Frivoletta can be
used in amixed pack or as part of
a salad. Seeds are available for the
first UK trials next season.
Syngenta is also looking to
come upwith amultitude of
different colours for a wide range
of existing crops, including
cauliflowers and Brussels Sprouts,
and although it is still at the early
stage is also developing coloured
curly kale.
There were certainly plenty of
colourful cauliflowers on display,
and the company is working hard
to develop new orange, purple
and even green varieties. Flame
Star (SGC8201) is a new high-
yielding orange cauliflower for
summer production. A cross
between a white and an orange
type, the company is currently
crossing orange parent lines, and
says to expect much brighter
orange cauliflowers in the future.
“We are currently trialling a
pure orange cauliflower but it
could be 1-2 years before we can
show something,” says Syngenta
cauliflower and Brussels sprouts
crop specialist Oliver Watts.
Depurple is the name of another
new summer cauliflower. Suitable
for longer growing days, the
variety produces healthy leaves
andwhole heads suitable for both
processing and freshmarkets.
Labelled for now as SGC8001,
while purple and orange
cauliflowers have been seen in UK
trials, green is a brand new colour
for Syngenta. Early work with the
newcomer shows it is a high-
yielding variety which produces a
good clean crop even in a high
virus pressure environment. British
growers keen to try it might like
to know limited quantities of seed
are available for next season.
Winnetou is the standard kale
variety for Syngenta in the UK,
but lacks club root resistance. The
company is looking to change this
with SGZ0004, which has the
same plant structure and habit as
Winnetou, but with club root
resistance. “0004will be useful
for growers in Scotlandwhere
club root is a problem,” says Mr
Watts. Offering good field
standing ability andwinter
hardiness, the newcomer has a
nice blue leaf tinge.
25
40Y
MAN
OVER
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EARS
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ERIEN
SAW HA
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!
AKE IT
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UFAC AN
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German parsnip grower, Reinhardt
Carsten.
SYNGENTA SHOW
COLOURFUL ‘FIELDS
OF INNOVATION’
Colourful cauliflowers, flower sprouts and a club root
resistant kale were just some of the highlights at
Syngenta’s Dutch Open Field Days, writes
Steven Vale
.
Available in three colours and
marketed as Frivoletta, flower
sprouts are the result of crossing a
curly kalewith a Brussels sprout.
The three cauliflower colours
complement one another in a salad.
