During the week of the open days at several leading greenhouse vegetable breeders, we were again surprised by the diversity of the trials we saw at Gautier. Their Discovery Days, held at the premises of Dutch tomato grower Zwinkels' Green Balance, showcased almost 140 commercial and development varieties. And none of them were large TOV varieties...
Gautier's Yvo Lens
Yvo Lens, Northern Europe Area Manager at Gautier, explained that the breeder is focusing more and more on the niche markets for specialty varieties. "For this reason we are no longer including commercial TOV varieties in our trials and breeding pipeline, simply because it is not our specialism. We are very good at developing special varieties with a focus not only on yield and resistance, but give priority to presentation, shelf life and above all, flavor. We truly believe that there is a growing market for this, and we'd love to be part of it."
That focus of Gautier on niche markets is definitely expressed in the line up of varieties at the demonstration greenhouse; on display were 8 cherry truss varieties of which 4 were commercial and 4 were new, still to be named, introduction varieties. We also saw many of the colorful heirloom varieties that the breeder is known for.
Also in the mini plum and marmande type tomatoes, Gautier is focusing on breeding varieties with as many shapes and colors as possible, but also with as many flavors as possible. Many of these can be found on the more exclusive markets and are sold at good prices. Yvo: "Every new variety is not only a new color, but also a new taste to us. Especially high end chefs and restaurants appreciate this as they have a big demand for extraordinary tastes, shapes and colors."
Together with Yvo, we took a stroll through the demonstration greenhouse to see five of the current most interesting varieties at Gautier:
Lemon cherry mini plum tomato C109; a grape shaped mini plum with a surprisingly fresh flavor that reminds you of a white grape. The variety has an average fruit weight of 15-18 grams and it has high resistance against ToMV/Vd/Fol:0 and an intermediate resistance against Oidium.
Razolo is Gautier's new orange cherry plum variety that has a very gentle but still extraordinary taste that sometimes reminds you of apricot or peach. The fruits have a very uniform color and shape, and provide a great presentation together with yellow cherry tomatoes. The fruit quality and taste remains very good throughout the season. Average fruit weight is 10-14 grams and built in resistance are Va/Fol:0 (HR) and Oidium (IR).
On the left: The C88, an eye-catching cherry on the vine. It is commercially available, and Yvo told us that Gautier received a lot of interest in this variety at the moment. The yellow round fruits have a softer and sweeter taste, with a good brix level and an average weight of 12-14 grams. The variety is vigorous and generative and therefore suitable for long crop production. On the right is another eye catcher: the DJ129, the yellow truss tomato with an intense and deep color. The presentation is very good and remains the same throughout the season. Average fruit weight is 120 grams, and the crop can be grown in heated and non-heated greenhouses. HR resistance to ToMV/Va/Vd/Fol:0/Ff:1-5.
And last, but absolutely not least: the K7, a finer cocktail tomato that has a surprising flavor which reminds you a bit of Gautier's success variety Piccolo. It's only a bit more fleshy and larger with an average fruit weight of 22-25 grams and between 10-12 fruits on a cluster. The variety is a smaller and softer version of the regular cocktail tomato, and Yvo expects a lot from it as it is quite a unique variety. "Especially not only due to its good and uniform presentation throughout the season, but also due to the sweet and smaller sour accents in its taste. It's a high yielding variety and especially suitable for hydroponic production. The plant is well balanced and easy to steer."
For more information:Gautier Semences
Yvo Lens
yvo.lens@gautiersemences.com
www.gautiersemences.com