Together with his brother, Jan, pepper grower Ton Noorland started his business in 1985. In the meantime, a third business has been started in IJsselmuiden. On 7 ha, they grow green peppers. "Actually, we have always grown green peppers," says Ton. "We grow Viper here and on about 1/6 of the business, the new Enza Zaden variety Frazier (E20B.0055)."
Last season, Ton saw Frazier being tested by a colleague. "Actually, we agreed to try the new variety on a few rows first, but I was so taken by the new variety that we decided to introduce it immediately on a larger scale." The most important reason that the Noorland brothers chose Frazier is that it's a big pepper. Ton: "Our customers want large peppers. Just like other green pepper varieties, Viper has the tendency to be smaller in the summer. With Frazier, we wanted to close that gap."
Jan and Ton Noorland
Too early
Noorland grows on a 3 stem system. Sowing date was 5 November and plant date 18 December. Ton: "In retrospect, it was a little too early. It is a large plant that grows easily. Under the moveable screen and the plastic, there were damp problems in the beginning. Also, in the beginning, it was so large that my brother and I began to question whether we had made the right decision. But, meanwhile, the cultivation went successfully and we are happy with the choice of this variety. It is just a really beautiful pepper."
Variety of extremes
Frazier seems to be a variety of extremes, "The peaks and troughs in relation to production are higher and lower. But that is quite normal for a large variety. The difference in relation to Viper is large. We thought that this might be a replacement for Viper, but that is not the case. It is really a supplement." Due to the size of the plant, it appears as if there should be a lot more work involved, but according to Ton, this is not so. "In relation to labour, Frazier is comparable with Viper. In the beginning, it does need more crop work. But actually, you can't compare these crops with each other. They are too different."
For more information:
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