Hygrotech’s brassica offering to the South African market is expanding into a serious contender for market share. The return of Seminis as a supplier to Hygrotech, brought with it the return of familiar ‘’friends’’, namely Broccoli Ironman F1 and Cabbage Menzania F1. The return of these two iconic varieties to the fold is being welcomed by growers and combined with the new broccoli material from Seminis, Hygrotech can field a strong team to contend with any other genetics in the market.
Cabbage Defender F1
Defender F1, of Eastern origin, complements the Menzania in many aspects and can be planted from spring, through summer into autumn. Defender F1, with its large frame and flat round heads is an ideal partner for Menzania F1. Heads are quick to maturity with good field tolerance to black rot and can easily reach between 4-5 kg in size under optimal circumstances.
Broccoli Ironman F1
Broccoli Ironman F1 (Seminis) lives up to the first segment of its name as it is very adaptable under adverse weather conditions that adversely affect other competitive varieties. In addition, Ironman F1 performs especially well in the coastal regions, handling the threat of Alternaria very well. Ironman F1 is thus ideally suited for production in the shoulder months of the year – Autumn and Spring. Variety security = Ironman!
Broccoli Abrams F1
Broccoli Abrams F1 (Seminis) is in many aspects like a US tank with the same name. It is a new generation variety that supplies high quality dark green heads, ably supported by a strong plant. The medium bead structure is suitable to all market demands and under optimum conditions the heads average between 350g-450g.
Hygrotech has sourced an excellent range of cauliflower varieties from a European source that specializes in cauliflower breeding. The introduction of this material to the South African market fully complements the broccoli and cabbage ranges.
Cauliflower Coburg F1
Coburg F1 can be used for fresh and processed markets alike. The pedigree of this variety was confirmed in trial results by one of the largest processors in South Africa when it topped the yield charts! Its attributes include an upright leaf structure that offers protection from the sun and supplies a white dome shaped head with well rounded curds. This variety is suited to cooler weather conditions and is recommended for mainly autumn productions. Under optimum conditions very uniform heads of 400-450g are harvested.
Cauliflower Bergen F1
Cauliflower Bergen F1 is slightly smaller than Coburg F1, and is suited for Autumn productions, supplying uniform heads of an average of between 350-450g.
Written by Christo La Grange
