Bayer’s latest varieties continue growing commercially, particularly on the Galkia and Charentais lines
This year Bayer is consolidating the melon varieties that it has introduced in recent years and it has two lines that are making a strong placement: Galkia (with the flavour of the traditional Galia and a long shelf life) and Charentais for middle and late cycles. We interviewed Francisco Solera, Crop Sales Manager for Melons, who revealed one of the great advantages of the Galkia Kirene F1, Kinder F1 and Kinetic F1: their unmistakeable ripeness indicator. “When the melon reaches its perfect point, the skin colour turns from green to yellow. This guarantees the producers that the fruit has the necessary internal quality (flavour and aroma), and means a bonus in terms of confidence.”
In the Charentais range, Bayer offers a new catalogue for all the cycles (probably this year it will be the leader in middle and late cycle sales), completing the entire national production from May to mid July. 5 varieties have been consolidated: Kenobi F1 (early), Primabel F1 (middle), Arum F1 (late), Gustabel F1 and Delibel F1 (extra late).
In the case of the Cantaloupe melon, with a stable production for export to Northern Europe, this year Atomus F1 (extra late) has been launched, completing the production window.
On the other hand, Kubari F1 and Melizar F1 stand out in Piel de sapo. The first is small-sized for export and the second is an alternative to replace Medellin F1, since it has the same organoleptic quality and it is resistant to powdery mildew.
In watermelons, the company continues with the Dark Jubilee line, made up of Sun Gem F1 (Almeria) and Moon Gem F1 (open air), which bring better flavour and internal colour. According to Juan Sastre, Crop Sales Manager for Watermelons, “this year we are working on several pollinator options with improved size and darker outer appearance and also for the eco line, with a calibre of 2 to 3 kg.” On this point, Frilly F1 (on sale) stands out, and in a pre-sale phase, NUN 11501 WMW F1 (striped Premium type but larger) and NUN 11403 WMW F1 (black with micro-seeds from 2 to 3 kg) are showing promise.
