At Astengrow, cucumbers are grown in two traditional crop cycles each year. In one of the greenhouses, the second cycle is dedicated to the new trial variety NUN 62427 CUL from BASF | Nunhems. This is the first season the growers in Asten, in the Netherlands, are testing the variety on a dedicated one-hectare block.
"The crop really caught our attention last year with its open growth habit and strong tolerance to Mycosphaerella," explains crop manager Jac van den Broek on the choice. The variety had already been screened in smaller trials at Astengrow for two years before this larger-scale planting.
© BASF | NunhemsJaëlle Kuijpers (BASF | Nunhems) and Jac van den Broek (Astengrow)
Withstood heat well
NUN 62427 CUL was planted on June 27 on one hectare. In the other 1.7-hectare section, Astengrow continues with its main commercial variety. Shortly after planting, two heatwaves hit. "This new variety came through it very well," says Jac. At Astengrow, both sections are grown on perlite, a system they have been using successfully for years.
The grower focuses on keeping labor and energy costs as low as possible, without compromising quality. So far, NUN 62427 CUL seems to fit this strategy well, agrees Marcel Huibers, cucumber agrotechnologist at BASF | Nunhems. "It's a labor-friendly variety that has continued to produce short side shoots right through to the end of the season in past years."
Production advantage
This season, Astengrow plans to harvest through to the end of October. In terms of yield, the new variety is currently outperforming the standard variety grown at the nursery. Jac notes: "We're ahead by a few cucumbers per square meter compared to last year, with an average fruit weight of around 400 grams. It's a variety that produces numbers easily."
Across the industry, growers are increasingly harvesting cucumbers at 35 cm rather than 40 cm, observes Marcel. At Astengrow, however, the team tends to harvest at a slightly heavier weight. "Compared to Jac's main variety, the fruit weight of NUN 62427 CUL is just a little higher. This is a variety that can definitely carry fruit weight," the BASF | Nunhems cucumber specialist assures.
© BASF | Nunhems"With NUN 62427 CUL, you can accept a moisture percentage of 90 percent more quickly due to the resistance to Mycosphaerella," says Marcel.
Strong against Mycosphaerella
The main reason Astengrow decided to scale up to one hectare with the new variety this year is its strong resistance to Mycosphaerella. "Last year we had quite a few problems with it, just like many other growers," says Jac van den Broek. "In the screenings, this variety clearly showed much less sensitivity to the disease. And again this year, it's performing well."
That resilience is also key for BASF | Nunhems. "The fact that we've already taken the step to grow this variety on a full hectare with Astengrow is quite fast," explains cucumber specialist Marcel Huibers. "In our normal breeding program, this would usually take a few extra steps. But the market clearly needs a variety with strong resistance to Mycosphaerella."
Suitable for energy-efficient cultivation
Disease pressure, including Mycosphaerella, becomes more of a risk when growers reduce energy use in their greenhouses. Jac confirms this is also a focus at Astengrow. "That's another reason why we decided to scale up with this variety."
"Of the growers I know, Astengrow is already among the lowest in terms of energy consumption," adds Marcel. "That makes their greenhouse in Asten an excellent place to scale up and gain large-scale experience with NUN 62427 CUL."
© BASF | NunhemsNUN 62427 CUL is grown at Astengrow in a greenhouse without misting or dehumidification, but with a double screen and insect mesh in the windows.
New in traditional cultivation
With this new variety, BASF | Nunhems is targeting traditional cucumber cultivation. NUN 62427 CUL is particularly suited for summer and autumn cycles – a segment where the breeding company currently holds only a modest market share. For growers interested in the variety, Marcel Huibers recommends a planting date from March 1 onwards.
At Astengrow, the first of their two annual crops begins in early February, which makes the variety less suitable for that cycle. But for the second crop in 2026, the new BASF | Nunhems variety looks like a strong candidate – provided this year's crop continues to finish well.
The resistance package includes intermediate resistance to powdery mildew and strong resistance to cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV). "We no longer introduce varieties without these resistances," Marcel emphasizes. Seed production of the new variety is being scaled up. "Next year we hope to run the same type of trial we're doing with Jac here with around five other growers."
For more information:
Jaëlle Kuijpers
Rick Smulders
Marcel Huibers
BASF | Nunhems
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.nunhems.nl
