The cucumber variety Georgia from Bayer CropScience Deutschland GmbH was launched on the German market in 2020/2021 and is one of three summer varieties in Bayer's range that stand out for their resistance to CGMMV, also known as Bont Virus. "If you prefer cucumbers weighing 400 to 500 g, you go for the Georgia. Especially for wholesale markets and direct marketers, who especially market cucumbers from 400 g+, the Georgia is perfect. For customers in the retail sector, on the other hand, the sister variety Gideon is very popular, which usually carries a weight of 380 g+," says Grit Vogt, Market Developer at Bayer CropScience Deutschland GmbH.
High resistance to mildew
"However, it is also important that the varieties have very good mildew resistance, which is particularly important in summer and autumn planting." Bayer CropScience recommends planting Georgia from mid-April. "It features excellent qualities with a beautiful color and good yields, has a very high yield potential and low maintenance requirements."
Cucumber prices in the food retail sector have recently been unsatisfactory. "You sometimes see imported cucumbers with less than optimal quality in food retail, even though German cucumbers are available." In principle, all varieties are also suitable for the organic sector because they are highly resistant. The variety Garpo with its strong resistance package, is also available as organic seed in addition to conventional seed. Georgia, Gideon, and Garpo are becoming increasingly popular, especially in the DACH region. In the south, more Georgia and Garpo are grown. In the Benelux region and one finds more Gideon because cucumbers with 350 to 400 g are preferably marketed there.
"As heat waves appear earlier and earlier, varieties also inevitably have to be adapted. High resistances, such as against powdery mildew, are becoming more and more important; in general, resistance breeding is becoming more and more important in view of the consequences of climate change," says Vogt. In spring 2024, he said, the company will launch a new variety for spring cultivation that has powdery mildew resistance and offers growers more security. "Climate change is causing diseases and other problems to appear earlier and earlier," Vogt concludes.
For more information:
Grit Vogt
Bayer CropScience Deutschland GmbH
Alfred-Nobel-Str. 50
D - 40789 Monheim
[email protected]
https://www.bayer.com
