The multinational Syngenta has the most extensive catalogue of California pepper varieties on the Spanish market. A portfolio that is mainly aimed at late cycles, the area that has seen most growth in recent years.
Alejandro Pascual, Product Development Specialist Pepper, details the new references from the range, all with resistance to TM3, spotted, powdery mildew, and (with the exception of one of them) nematodes.
Jason is its main new product in red California, for medium-late cycle. It is a very plastic, early variety. “It may be planted from the 15th-25th of July and it sets incredibly easily. Its production is two weeks earlier compared to other materials, but this earliness does not affect its preservation. It maintains its consistency, which is an important point.” Added to this is its uniformity of size throughout the cycle, with medium-sized fruit, of around 200 g and resistances to TM3, spotted and powdery mildew.
For plantations from the 20th of July, they have Hokkaido (red), with excellent fruit quality: very square-shaped and homogeneous, with good production and very little incidence of silvering. The business prospects for this variety are very good. “We expect the demand to shoot up in El Ejido.”
Another ‘monster’ in late cycles is Saitama (red), with a high demand in San Agustín and Roquetas de Mar. The variety follows Hokkaido’s line in quality and production and it behaves well against splitting.
Last year they also launched Akame (red), with a reasonably compact plant and GG-GGG fruit with good consistency.
Another material that is in great demand is Masami (red). Smaller in size (G) and with an important regrowth capacity.
In yellow peppers, Kaamos is the most popular variety from Syngenta. It has the four resistances, which makes it into an ideal option for ecological crops and it is also very productive.
In the orange pepper range, they have options to cover all dates, from the earliest to the latest (from the 10th of July to the 5th of August): Kaori, Nozomi, Gambito and Narvik.
Looking to the future, the R&D department is working to complete the early range with resistance to nematodes. They are doing the same in orange peppers. “We will start trials on orange California peppers with the four resistances next year. Keeping the restrictions coming from the EU in mind, genetic resistance is becoming an increasingly important bonus. It leaves more room to manoeuvre in the fields.”
