Certain, indisputable. That’s how the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) defines the word “Impepinable”—a term that Rijk Zwaan has borrowed for its cucumber promotion campaign. And rightly so: its varieties are a sure bet for growers, as supported by the testimonials and experiences from farmers that will be shared throughout the campaign on social media. “Many producers back us because for them, these are the best varieties on the market,” says Armando Pérez, cucumber crop specialist at Rijk Zwaan. Their main strengths lie in plant resilience, resistance traits, and fruit quality.
Long types: Trueno RZ and Marítimo RZ
For Dutch cucumber in early cycles, the seed company introduced Trueno RZ last year. This variety “addresses the biggest current challenge in long cucumber: viruses and climate (abiotic) stress.” It’s a Bon Defense cucumber (resistant to CGMMV) and Blue Leaf (with dark bluish-green foliage that contains more chlorophyll than standard varieties, providing natural resistance and resulting in healthier plants with longer production cycles). Trueno RZ offers top-level resistance to powdery mildew, CGMMV, and New Delhi virus.
Highly vigorous, the variety performs well in a range of transplant dates (from August to mid-September) and adapts to various regions and growing methods. It also produces attractive fruit with good colour and no necking.
Another early option is Marítimo RZ, a well-established variety that remains popular among farmers thanks to its resilience, which allows for year-round cultivation—even in heated greenhouses.
“What growers value most is the vigour and resistance to CGMMV (Bon Defense), powdery mildew, and Blue Leaf,” explains Pérez.
Mini: Darksun RZ and Beautysun RZ
“The mini cucumber market is on the rise.” According to Pérez, it’s one of the fastest-growing segments due to increasing demand in Central and Northern Europe. “We expect it to continue expanding in early autumn and winter transplants in Spain.”
In this segment, Rijk Zwaan offers two early Blue Leaf materials that reduce labour costs by making fruit easier to harvest. This trait minimises crop loss and second-grade product, delivering high-quality fruit.
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The latest in this line is Darksun RZ (second commercial year). “It’s performing very well, with excellent behaviour against CGMMV.”
The other variety, Beautysun RZ, features a darker, more open plant architecture.
French: Koreman RZ
Excellent colour and high productivity in hot conditions. These are the key traits of Koreman RZ, now entering its second season. This early French cucumber features Blue Leaf, resistance to powdery mildew, and CMV/CVYV. It delivers outstanding fruit quality, with firm cucumbers and a uniform, dark blossom end with no star.
Short: Piquet RZ
This year, Rijk Zwaan introduces its first Spanish (short-type) cucumber for early production: Piquet RZ. Like the others, it features Blue Leaf, high resistance to powdery mildew and Cccu, and resistance to CMV/CVYV. It is very resilient, adapts well to different regions, and produces fruit with a high density of spines and a dark-coloured closure.
