“Merlice off to a good start after initial meeting”

This year, De Ruiter (Monsanto's greenhouse vegetable-division), in cooperation with various growers, will intensively follow progress of its variety Merlice. The objective is to maximize the assets of this breed by sharing the experiences of growers.

Last month 25 grower from South-West Holland came together to discuss further propagation and development of Merlice. The kick-off was given at Verkade Zanddijk, where the variety is grown on 4.4 ha for the second year. The plants have a sowing date of 29 October 2012, are grafted on Maxifort and planted on 27 December. The stem density at the start is 2.3 stems/m2 and is increased to a final distance of 3.45 stems/m2.

In 2011, Verkade Zanddijk conducted a trial with the variety, using 600 plants, and ultimately opted for Merlice because the breed is largely resistant to Botrytis and therefore lends itself well to double-screen propagation. Additionally, Verkade Zanddijk valued the variety’s IR mildew resistance, its vigour in the summer and the high production potential. The uniformity of the bunches, fruit and the spacious circuit were also considered very significant assets, according to Fred Schape.