Seminis’ Dutch cucumber range minimises labour requirements for crops
The rising prices of inputs and the increased minimum wage represent a serious problem for producers. For this reason, having varieties that reduce labour requirements is a determining factor for obtaining greater profitability. In the case of cucumbers, the varieties from the ‘Super Root Non Stop’ range by Bayer’s brand, Seminis, bring added value due to the little work they require compared to other materials on the market, thanks to their open plant genetics and their excellent vegetative-productive balance.
The cucumber range included in the ‘Super Root Non Stop League’ stand out due to their important package of resistances to powdery mildew, yellowing, Vein Yellowing Virus and CGMMV. Amongst its leading varieties, the following stand out: Invictus for spring and summer; SV5047CE for autumn and spring and SV0091CE for long winter cycles. Added to them is Virgilius, adapted to Costa de Granada crops. This variety has a significant production and high quality, completing a catalogue that is already well-known and valued by producers in Almeria and Granada.
SV5047CE is aimed at spring planting from the 15th of December to the end of February and in the autumn, from the 20th of August to the 15th of September. This material stands out due to the balance of its plant throughout the cycle, a characteristic that allows reduced labour, also offering excellent quality fruit, with hardly any bottleneck, dark green in colour and grooved. Invictus, recommended for spring planting from February to May, and for summer planting, during the July-August period, has an extra feature added to those inherent to the Super Root Non Stop range: resistance to CGMMV. The variety also adapts easily to high temperature conditions, which turns it into a material that is ‘unbeatable for hot weather’, with high tolerance to burnt heads and it has the darkest, grooved fruit in its segment, according to the company.
In the case of SV0091CE (indicated for planting from the 5th of October to the end of November), Seminis offers a fast response to cold weather. A variety with good production, hardly any stops on the shank and regrowth, and with excellent quality fruit. The architecture of this open plant allows more light to enter and encourages aeration, minimising fungal problems such as mildew or ash.
New developments
Seminis will extend its catalogue with important new developments, as the team from Bayer advanced last summer at the virtual event ‘Liga Super Root Conecta 2021’ (Super Root League Connects 2021). And the fact is that the seed company has been working for some time now on the 2.0 version of the CGMMV, for resistance to the New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) and other developments such as snack cucumber varieties that they started working with in the Middle East, Turkey and Iran, the main producing countries and that they foresee adapting in Spain from their headquarters in Almeria. Another of their lines of work involves an R&D+I project aimed at finding a balance between a fruit that is attractive for consumers (thin-skinned) and that at the same time that has an extended shelf life.
