On Saturday morning, 31st of July, a new seed-propagated strawberry variety was baptized at breeder ABZ Seeds in Andijk. During a festive gathering, none other than handball international Estavana Polman poured champagne over strawberry F1 'Estavana'. This officially introduced the new F1 hybrid strawberry variety for outdoor gutter cultivation.
World champion
Estavana Polman was already named best player of the world handball tournament in Japan in November 2019, in which the Dutch team became champion. Unfortunately, Estavana was unable to compete with her team at the Olympics this summer due to a knee injury. That’s why she now had the time to come to Andijk and baptize her strawberry. The handball pro agreed with amazement that breeding is also a top sport with strict selections and high demands.
Crop structure
The ABZ Seeds strawberry range consists entirely of everbearing and seed propagated F1 hybrids. The characteristic of strawberry F1 'Estavana' is that the plant is quite compact so that the strawberries are clearly visible. Director-owner of ABZ Seeds, Gé Bentvelsen: "Because the strawberries stick out well from the crop, they are easy to pick and may also be suitable for picking-robots in the future."
Cultivation planning and sales
For production to start at the beginning of June, F1 'Estavana' is sown at the end of January. The mini tray plant can then be planted out between mid-March and mid-April. The variety has a regular production pattern throughout the summer season, without relapse. The good taste, in combination with a good shelf life, makes F1 'Estavana' an excellent strawberry for Retail.
This season the variety is growing in outdoor gutters at Delphy's Innovative Soft Fruit Center in Horst, the Netherlands.
For more information:
ABZ Seeds
Carmen Ampt, Commercial
E: carmen.ampt@abz-strawberry.nl
T: + 31 6- 284 908 46
www.abz-strawberry.nl