News - 08-07-2025
Smart organic choices for southern European conditions
We offer organic lettuce growers more peace of mind with the new Rijk Zwaan lettuce varieties that stand out for their resistances to Bremia and Fusarium. Crop Coordinator Lettuce Jose Enrique Colomina shares four of his favourite varieties, which have already been trialed successfully in Spain, Italy and France. These and all our other organic lettuce varieties are described in more detail in a specially designed leaflet for the organic market.
Red oak leaf with full Bremia resistance
Dakarai RZ is our latest variety for organic growers who are facing challenges with Bremia and Fusarium. “Dakarai is a variety with medium to high vigour for outdoor cultivation. It’s ideal for spring and autumn production in France, and for winter cultivation in Spain or Italy,” Jose explains. “And we will soon introduce varieties that complement Dakarai in other seasons.”
New bright green outdoor butterhead
Sandeno RZ is our newest green outdoor butterhead variety offering official Bremia resistances. “It is a very promising alternative to Ulmo RZ,” Jose notes. “Sandeno stands out with its bright green colour, adaptability to various soil conditions and long growing window, making it suitable for a wide range of regions. The lettuce can be grown in winter in Spain, but also in spring and late autumn in France.”
Picture: Sandeno RZ
Red open batavia resistant to Fusarium
A very exciting new red open batavia is Trival RZ. “It is an updated Louxal type with an improved Bremia package,” says Jose. Another key benefit is the high resistance (HR) against Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lactucae (Fol:1). “This soilborne disease is spreading rapidly across southern European countries. Trival can help to reduce the risk of product losses for growers,” he adds. This easy-to-grow red batavia also boasts other positive characteristics, including holding out well against bolting and tipburn, and its long growing window from spring to autumn.
Picture: Trival RZ
A solution against Fusarium in iceberg lettuce
Antanas RZ is the fourth variety Jose recommends for organic growers. This new iceberg lettuce is ideal for fields facing high Fusarium pressure. “It’s unique in the market thanks to its high resistance to Fusarium (Fol:1), with its compact size allowing for higher planting densities. Antanas is an ideal choice for late spring and early autumn cultivation in southern Europe,” Jose concludes.
Availability in your area
Download our organic assortment leaflets and explore our complete range of lettuce varieties for the organic market – including details of their resistance profiles, characteristics and growing schedules.
Our seeds are sold through over 30 local subsidiaries. For the local seeds assortment in your country and availability of organic varieties, please visit your local Rijk Zwaan website.
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Organic growers can depend on Rijk Zwaan’s latest lettuce varieties that have a comprehensive package of Bremia resistances and are robust in stressful conditions. All the newcomers, along with the rest of the range for the organic market, are presented in a new leaflet. Client Manager David Pape highlights some of the most exciting new varieties for him and his customers in southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland.