Australia: These are Rijk Zwaan's highlights from the Werribee expo

If you are an iceberg grower in Werribee, chances are that you already know about the bumper crop performance of Toscanas RZ this Summer. ‘Toscanas RZ gives Werribee iceberg growers a head start as it is particularly suited to the heavier Werribee soils. It is strong against bolting, internal and external tipburn with good weight,' said Stephanie Knight, Rijk Zwaan’s Technical Representative in Victoria. Toscanas RZ was one of Rijk Zwaan’s varieties showcased at the Werribee Expo.

On display also was an extensive range of Rijk Zwaan’s new lettuce and brassica varieties.

Visitors expressed interest in many of Rijk Zwaan’s recent introductions especially the continued innovation in the Salanova® lettuce range and advancements in the baby cabbage segment.

Salanova® Telex RZ, a vigorous upright rich red sweet crispy variety, attracted a lot of favourable attention. ‘Telex RZ has a big frame with deeply incised leaves. With just one-cut Telex RZ separates into many sturdy uniform baby-sized leaves ideal for salad mix producers. It has more vigour than Duplex RZ in the winter segment and is best suited for year-round production in cooler areas, and autumn, Winter and Spring in warmer areas,’ said Harry Turna, Rijk Zwaan’s Leafy Crop Specialist.

Salanova® Expertise RZ proved another crowd-drawer with its numerous glossy dark green crispy leaves and larger frame size. Expertise RZ is suitable for whole head, including hydroponic production and mechanical year-round harvesting for salad mix in most areas. ‘The breeders have been working to shorten the leaves in this type and with Expertise RZ we offer growers a more consistent sized leaf, higher recovery and of course a sweet taste for the consumer,’ said Harry.

These new Salanova® Crispy varieties provide a contemporary approach to fresh salads. Telex RZ has a unique glossy red colour that provides a striking contrast with the dark green glossy colour of Expertise RZ.

In the Midi-Cos range, Patrona (41-123 RZ) was the standout variety for the cooler season and it complements Auvona RZ. ‘Both varieties are suitable for fresh market, food service and processing with excellent recovery due to their narrow leaves and strong mid rib. Patrona RZ is also very good against twisting and is vigorous in Winter – worth a trial,’ said Harry.

In the Brassica segment, Cercy RZ and Toughma RZ demonstrated potential. ‘Cercy RZ has been a real highlight in our brassica program due to its excellent self-cover and medium vigour. It has a smooth white curd and is weighty - well worth a look and perfect for any cauli dish,’ said Stephanie.

The baby round cabbage, Toughma RZ also drew a lot of interest. It can be harvested between 800grams to 2.5kgs depending on planting densities and the market requirements. Toughma RZ is sweet, crunchy and refreshingly crisp with a medium-green external colour and good internal colour. Toughma RZ can be grown year-round in the Southern States.

Rijk Zwaan has a wide range of varieties suitable for various growing environments and conditions.

Specialist team members were on hand to assist growers and key partners with information and advice for specific conditions or any other questions.

The Rijk Zwaan specialists are at your service! Contact: (03) 5348 9000. web: www.rijkzwaan.com.au