March 2022
Hygrotech held their annual farmer’s day during the 10th and 12th March at their Stellenbosch trial farm. The format was different this year in that ‘outside’ businesses were invited to display their products like tractors, gin, wine and boutique beer. Clients and producers of various vegetable crops attended the two days to scrutinize the latest cultivars.
Various cultivars caught the eye, none more so than melon Flavor Time which is destined to bring a new dimension to the melon industry. Flavor Time is a yellow Eastern Shipper with a long shelf life. This cultivar is the first of its kind and will enter the market in the coming season to the benefit of the producer and end-user alike. A new summer broccoli Spectre withstood the very warm conditions extremely well and produced head sizes of 400 grams.
Other new materials / varieties to look-out for in the coming days are tomatoes, peppers, chili's, sweet corn and watermelons. Hygrotech will therefore continue the tradition next year and strive to improve even further on our already very successful and sought-after farmers days in the Western Cape.
Highlights
- Tomato HY2495 performed well enough to progress to phase two trials next season.
- HY243, a Bayer saladette tomato, caught the eye due to exceptional plant and fruit quality.
- Broccoli Spectre handled adverse heat conditions with ease.
(Compiled by Hugo Burger – Technical Manager, Western Cape)
