The lettuce team at Nunhems has managed to achieve what seemed to be impossible. The specialist in horticultural seeds at the BASF Group has managed to revamp the ‘trio of lettuces’ concept thanks to the development of new varieties that grow at the same rate, regardless of their colour or type. This achievement has been made possible through the research undertaken by Nunhems in conjunction with clients in the 'high tech' lettuce sector, which is very important in northern Europe where lettuce production in advanced greenhouses with artificial lighting and hydroponic systems is flourishing.
At Fruit Attraction, Nunhems unveiled the trio comprising Multiblond 3, Multired 4 and Multired 80 as an example of its innovations in the ‘Living Lettuce’ concept, whereby the lettuces are sold along with their roots for a ‘fresh cut’ consumer experience.
In the Romaine lettuce variety, the well-known Sideral is back, offering lettuce hearts of more than 500 grams. This lettuce is particularly suitable for autumn production in coastal areas, with harvesting in November and December, and for spring production in intermediate zones with harvesting between April and June. This is a very versatile variety whose production is targeted at the fresh, twin pack and processing markets, and also offers resistance to bolting, tip burn, twisting and mechanical damage.
Kisy, easy to eat
Another of the big novelties presented by Nunhems at Fruit Attraction was the Kisy, a watermelon for individual consumption. Weighing in at between 600 and 900 grams, the Kisy is a brand new concept that stands out because it is easy to peel and can be eaten in many different formats and situations.
The Kisy line aimed at the HoReCa sector is a seedless watermelon with a thin, dark green skin. The flesh is easy to eat with a deep pink colour and its Brix rating is between 9 and 11 degrees. The possibilities that Kisy offers to the cocktail sector have already borne fruit in a collaboration between Nunhems and Bidfood to come up with new cocktail recipes featuring this innovative watermelon.
Minigustos vegetable snacks
Still on the subject of healthy snacks, this year Nunhems revealed the growth it has experienced with the Minigustos baby cucumber line. After just two years on sale, the production area of Minigustos has been tripled, with a number of large companies coming on board this innovative project which already enjoys the support of retailers such as Indasol, Eco Inver, Perichan, Murgiverde, G’s España and Miguel García.
At present, the Minigustos range includes the Eqclusive F1 variety for warm season planting and the Equipe F1 for cool season planting. Both varieties are characterized by their sweetness and crispiness, with a length of around 10 centimetres and a weight of about 50 grams.