Attila Németh completely switched to two new varieties
First powdery mildew-resistant Hungarian wax peppers
Attila Németh has been a customer of Rijk Zwaan Budapest for 15 years. This long-term relationship started with lettuce, which he used to cultivate both outdoors and indoors. After the indoor season for lettuce, he usually planted Hungarian wax peppers for a second growing cycle in his unheated plastic tunnels. A few years ago he changed his strategy and switched to a longer growing cycle with peppers, because it is more profitable. Nowadays, Attila has 6,000m2 of modern heated plastic greenhouses producing Hungarian wax peppers on cocopeat slabs.
Tibor Tornyai, Crop Specialist Pepper at Rijk Zwaan Budapest and Sales Representative for the south of Hungary, regularly visits Attila to discuss the development of the crops and the effects of the new Lt Defense resistance.
Breeding-based solution
Attila Németh: “In the past we usually encountered the first powdery mildew symptoms in the second half of the summer. We used to grow Bravia RZ, which is clearly less mildew sensitive than the varieties I had previously from other breeding companies. As a result, I was able to keep the outbreak under control with a few treatments. Nevertheless, I was happy to hear that Rijk Zwaan was coming with two resistant varieties. After all, every treatment costs time and money. You also have to take into account the waiting time before you can harvest and it makes biological protection less effective. It helps us growers enormously if we get a breeding-based solution against one or more diseases.”
Both varieties
The company from Csengele delivers the products to wholesale markets and exporters. Because different markets have different demands, Attila planted both new varieties. He chose Finalist RZ because this variety has an average fruit size that fits well in tray packaging. He also planted 35-1097 RZ because it has larger fruits, which are popular on the fresh market. “They have a similar plant habit, so I don’t foresee any problems with cultivation technology. We can irrigate them separately. The climate control is the same.” He expects to no longer have to use Leveillula treatments for Lt Defense varieties. “Thanks to spending less effort on crop protection we can save money and focus more on other cultivation-related aspects.”
Total surface from the start
Attila planted the new varieties in the second week of January. In February the light circumstances were extremely poor, but this improved in March and he harvested his first peppers just before Easter. Attila planted Lt Defense peppers on the total surface right from the start. “I heard back in 2017 that these mildew-resistant varieties were coming. I visited a number of growing companies that served as trial locations and the Rijk Zwaan pepper demo day where I could see how these varieties performed. Everything looked promising. In addition to the resistance, I expect from Finalist RZ and 35-1097 RZ very good results: a high yield and excellent quality. Needless to say, it is important that they perform at least as well as the varieties without resistance.”
Trust
“Another reason why I dared to switch to two new varieties for our entire company is the reliability of Rijk Zwaan. The seed company adds a lot to vegetable growing in Hungary. I already saw it with lettuce and now with peppers: Rijk Zwaan has a strong genetic pool. All the different varieties have one thing in common: a high resilience. That is very important to us.”
“I have been working with Rijk Zwaan for so many years, and the company and its employees have always proved to be reliable. That’s why I am convinced that applying the innovation directly to our entire company will not pose any problems. Reliability is a very important basis for long-term cooperation. What I also like is that not only the specialists and salespeople are available for discussions and visits, but I can also talk to the breeders when I visit the trial station in Felgyő during the Rijk Zwaan demo days. That direct contact between growers and the source of new varieties is useful, I think. All in all, Rijk Zwaan offers growers good varieties and a real partnership.”
For more information:
Rijk Zwaan
info@rijkzwaan.com
www.rijkzwaan.com