For many years Dutch strawberry growers have been pioneering advancements in strawberry production, harnessing the power of glasshouse cultivation to elevate the quality of their berries and extend the traditional growing season. Through innovative techniques and a commitment to excellence, these growers are meeting the rising demand for premium strawberries while offering consumers a longer window to enjoy their favorite seasonal fruit.
One such Business owner is Marc van Gennip, whose family has been growing strawberries in The Netherlands since the 1960s. Today, Genson Fresh Fruits and Vegetables produces around 5000 tons/year of strawberries and continues to supply the Netherlands' largest supermarket chain for more than 35 years. Together with business partner Bart Goorts, Marc ensures that this generation continues the theme of innovation initiated by their forefathers. This season will be no exception, with further expansion of the new everbearing variety Malling Ace from Bayer DeRuiter in their glasshouse, Marc comments "Integrating Malling Ace into our greenhouse has really been a game-changer."
The introduction of an everbearing-type strawberry into the glasshouse is a relatively new development in the Netherlands, but Marc believes that "Malling Ace fits us perfectly after the winter crop Sonata with lights, and we can harvest this variety for the rest of the year, from April until October, when we plant the new winter crop."
After several trials with a range of everbearing varieties, Genson chose to move forward with Malling Ace as they found it allows them to reduce their labor costs and offers high productivity, Marc continues "Last year with five plants per meter, we achieved close to 10kg of class 1 fruit."
One of the key factors to any grower's success with a strawberry crop is to start with strong and healthy plants. To keep their crop free from pests and diseases, and produce high-quality strawberries throughout the extended season, Genson has proactively invested in the latest innovations and technologies in crop production. Marc tells us that "…we have invested in a UVC lighting machine and we're using biological controls from Bayer throughout the crop, and in total it ends with a good result in the yield and the cost."
For more information:
Bayer
www.bayer.com