HM.Clause is strengthening its brassica portfolio with the addition of two new broccoli varieties designed to cover strategic transplanting windows and meet the current demands of the field. According to Ricardo López, the company’s commercial delegate, “Pretorian and Legatus allow growers to work with more adapted materials, with better shelf life and greater stability in increasingly complex situations.”
Pretorian, now commercially available this season after a very successful first year of trials, has stood out especially for its performance against downy mildew, a differential trait compared with other materials on the market. It is recommended for transplants from September to December, with a 90–95-day cycle, and adapts very well to low-altitude areas of the Guadalentín Valley and Campo de Cartagena. It also improves on Trajano in colour (it does not tend to develop anthocyanin) and offers enhanced shelf life. “In post-harvest trials, it has reached up to 25 days in cold storage while maintaining head quality and colour.”
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The second new variety, Legatus, is designed for the most challenging months of the year: transplants from March to July. “It performs very well in May and June, in mid- to high-altitude areas, for full-summer harvests in July and August.” With a fast 70–75-day cycle, it enables reliable harvests in July and August. Compared with Hapa, Legatus improves post-harvest durability, maintaining a green bead for 20–25 days in cold storage.
Both varieties offer good compactness, firm heads and medium-sized, dark green beads—qualities that HM.Clause considers essential for ensuring stability in the field and shelf life throughout the commercial chain.
Consolidated varieties
Alongside these new introductions, the company maintains three established materials in its catalogue. Gladiador remains its most widely marketed winter variety, with transplants from 20 September to mid-November and 85-day cycles; in recent years it has also adapted to January transplants. Its quality stands out for its domed head shape and uniform maturity, allowing grouped harvests. Trajano continues to be recommended for November and December transplants, while Hapa maintains its position as the fastest summer option on the market, with 60-day cycles and good quality.
