"I feel confident we can grow Gina consistently for many years"

Dutch bell pepper nursery Gemapa started growing the Gina variety this year. Liesbeth Lambrecht, involved in the company since 2004 and daughter of father Marc and mother Gerda, had a decisive role in the choice for the new breed. Liesbeth: "In 2016 we had a lot of problems with a virus, so we actually chose another main variety to grow in 2017, which was a gamble. We also started with a trial for Gina, and until the summer Gina and the main variety were equal in terms of quality and production. After the summer solstice, however, the main variety did not do well at all, while Gina kept up a constant growth and continued to produce good quality fruit."

Liesbeth is one of the few women who runs a company in the horticultural world. In 2004, after her horticultural education, she started working at her parents' company. Since then Liesbeth has been responsible for biology, internal transport and contact with customer Delhaize. Liesbeth: "In the beginning I was a bit ignored during meetings and tours, and people mainly asked questions about my father. That has changed and people see that I am no longer just 'that girl', but I also know about the business."

Boom or bust

Now Gina is the main red variety this year for the first time, being grown in the 3 ha greenhouse (next to the 2 hectares of yellow peppers) and it will be exciting to see if Gina will perform as well this year. Liesbeth is optimistic: "In August it is often boom or bust for bell pepper varieties. After the first heat waves it is always the question whether the quality of the harvested fruits remains good. Looking at how the plants are now, I have a positive feeling about it."

85-ers
The Gina peppers are sorted by size in the shed at Gemapa after harvest. Liesbeth: "Customer Delhaize wants 85-ers (peppers with a diameter of up to 85 mm) on the shelves. With Gina, an average of 64 percent of the harvest are 85-ers, ideal for Delhaize but also easy for us to sort. In spite of Gina's high fruit weight of 248 grams, the peppers aren't too big, and the shape is good with three to four lobes."

A brix score of 6
The fruits of Gina have a remarkably thick fruit wall, which makes the fruits extra resistant to being burned by strong light. Gina has an easy setting even during severe weather conditions, and the thick fruit wall makes it nice and juicy, according to Liesbeth: "The taste is good with a 6 on the brix scale."

For more information:

Bvba Gemapa
gemapa@skynet.be
www.paprikakwekerijgemapa.be

Syngenta

www.syngenta.nl

Peter Colbers
+31 6 12 70 93 64
peter.colbers@syngenta.com

Marcel Vis
+31 6 12 96 47 22
marcel.vis@syngenta.com