New CN Seeds varieties finding favour with Spanish growers

CN Seeds, the UK-based vegetable seed specialist, will cap a highly successful 12 months in the Spanish market with an appearance at the country’s premier fresh produce trade exhibition Fruit Attraction, which takes place in Madrid from 18-20 October. The appearance follows a year in which the company has made strong gains in Spain, with new and recent product introductions finding favour with growers, thanks attributes such as high yields and extended shelf life.

CN Seeds will also be highlighting two important developments for its Coriander Cruiser variety: the granting of Plant Variety Rights to protect against illegal reproduction and a USA Utility Patent – a first for a coriander variety.

Fantastic yields

Babyleaf salads, aromatic herbs, microgreens and oriental vegetables are CN Seeds’ key products in Spain, but it has been some of the most recent additions to the range that have really caught the imagination of Spanish growers, said CN Seeds commercial manager Craig Thomas.

Coriander Cruiser is a dark green, high yielding variety, which has performed extremely well in Spain due to its extended shelf-life, strong coriander flavour and yields that far surpass other varieties. Thomas also reports growers find it well suited to conditions over a long production season in Spain where its slow bolting (flowering) has been a key attribute.

“Coriander Cruiser is an incredible variety, which has done very well in Spain for us,” he said. “The growers like it because it’s offering extended shelf-life and fantastic yields. Typically, it offers two-three days’ extra shelf-life due to the colour, which means a lot when you are transporting out of Spain. We’re also finding that it delivers at least 15-20% higher marketable yield per hectare than other varieties on the market.”

Oriental vegetables

Spain has seen a big increase in the production of oriental vegetables in the last three years with Pak Choi and Choysum becoming popular throughout Europe.

CN Seeds’ status as a leading provider of high quality Pak Choi seeds in Spain has recently been strengthened by the introduction of two varieties, Goku and Yoshi, both slow bolting Shanghai Green Pak Choi. “Goku has been quite an exceptional success in the last 12 months in Spain,” said Thomas. “It’s priced competitively for its marketplace, has incredibly slow bolting tolerance which is what growers need, a great shape and yield, and puts on good weight early. It’s been a very successful new variety for the producers.”

Yoshi, an even more recent introduction, boasts the same slow bolt characteristics as Goku, but with a shorter, squatter shape, which makes it a perfect fit for flow-wrap operations, added Thomas, who said the variety has also performed strongly in Spain.

Fruit Attraction

As well as talking with existing customers, Thomas says a key focus for CN Seeds at Fruit Attraction will be making more fresh produce companies aware of CN Seeds’ long-established presence in Spain.

“We have had a presence here for more than 20 years and yet I still don’t think some companies in Spain realise how well we are integrated with growers and producers in the fresh produce sector,” he explained.

“We are heavily committed to Spain, which is a really important market for us and we have representatives here on almost a weekly basis, so our aim at Fruit Attraction is not just to maintain relationships with existing clients, but also to introduce new ones to our complete product range.”

CN Seeds will be exhibiting at Fruit Attraction 2017 at in Hall 5, Stand 5F03C in Madrid, Spain’s Feria de Madrid Conference Centre from 18-20 October.