Processing perfection; spinach that stays strong

Timed to perfection

Plannability is the top priority for vegetable processing companies, explains Filip. He has been Crop Coordinator and Account Manager Industry since late 2024 and is in daily contact with his customers throughout Europe. “Spinach is an important crop for the processors, who are primarily active in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy. They want to be able to harvest it on schedule and process it into bags, boxes or jars. That’s why dependable varieties such as Boa RZ, Puma RZ, Eagle RZ and Kangaroo RZ have been firm favourites in the market for many years.”

Adapting to extremes

However, the changing climate is a shared concern for these companies and Rijk Zwaan because it brings unpredictability. “Our customers often feel as if they are a canary in a coal mine. Because of the scale of their vegetable-processing activities, they are directly impacted by the effects of climate change. In recent years, there have been strong fluctuations in the harvests of not only spinach, but also peas and beans in Europe. This disrupts the smooth-running of the entire supply chain,” Filip states.

“The extreme weather conditions also put pressure on our spinach-seed agreements with processors,” he continues. “Due to heavy rains and the late arrival of spring, for example, the quality of seeds produced in Denmark was disappointing last year. We are working together with customers to find solutions for the current supply situation. And looking to the future, we will increase our focus on spreading risk.”

Tougher spinach for tougher seasons

The climate factor is gaining importance in the development of new spinach varieties too. In terms of traits, this means a variety must be strong against abiotic stress, i.e. all non-living factors that negatively affect cultivation. Examples include flooding, drought, frost, extreme soil salinity and other environmental influences. Leonie, who within the four-strong breeding team focuses entirely on spinach for processing, has some good news. “Some of the genes in the Rijk Zwaan gene pool have proven particularly strong against abiotic stress. That’s why we’re making increasing use of these genetics,” she says.

Always-good hybrids

In the trial fields, varieties containing these genetics have shown they can cope much more effectively with difficult conditions. “I call them the ‘always-good hybrids’. I saw the effects in practice last November, when I went to Germany to sow a trial. The crop had been sprayed with a herbicide, but then the temperature dropped to below freezing. Everything in the whole field was ruined, except for hybrids featuring these genetics. We’d previously seen something similar happen in Spain; it’s super interesting,” says Leonie enthusiastically. “We’ve bred these genetics into winter varieties, such as Shearwater RZ, Baboon RZ and Blobfisch RZ, and we’ve got some new varieties in the pipeline. As an added advantage, these varieties seem to be more resistant to leaf spot diseases, among other things.”

Built-in protection, built for industry

This brings us on to an even more important trait of spinach varieties for the processing industry: broad resistances to diseases. The main ones are downy mildew (Peronospora effuse or Pe), white rust (Albugo occidentalis) and Stemphylium (Stemphylium vesicarium or Sv). Resistances are highly valued by processing companies, according to Filip. “Partly influenced by European rules and regulations, our customers strive for ‘green and clean’ cultivation using fewer inputs and crop protection agents. This is driving demand for varieties with a complete package of resistances against downy mildew and other diseases. As a breeding company, we are responding to this need by developing such resistance packages for all segments.”

Cracking nature’s code

Leonie and her colleagues are responsible for breeding the resistances into the whole spinach range. “I see that as a fascinating puzzle to solve. For example, we have already found varieties that are more resistant against white rust – which has reared its head in southern Europe – but we don’t yet know precisely how the resistance works. That means lots of screening, testing and analysis,” she comments.

“In contrast, we do know there are resistances for downy mildew, so we’re constantly searching for new ones in gene banks. Additionally, our colleagues go on missions to find wild spinach, such as in countries like Kazakhstan. Data research and markers help us to find the right genetics faster. My goal is to build in a complete package of resistances against downy mildew for the entire segment – and we’re making very good progress on that. In a way, breeding is like being in an escape room; we’re always searching for the exit!”

Four seasons. One standard.

Besides climate robustness and resistances, another trait that matters is harvesting flexibility. “A bigger harvesting window gives the industry more leeway in their often tight schedules. That’s extremely important,” Filip explains. Moreover, for each season there are varieties with specific traits. An autumn variety is strong against leaf spot, a winter variety is robust and very vigorous, and a summer variety is slow to bolt. Filip: “Our complete package ensures that in all seasons the processing industry has a choice of strong varieties that support a reliable and predictable harvest. We regularly invite our customers’ growers to visit our demo days, such as in Fijnaart, the Netherlands, and they also carry out trials themselves. So together, we are working on tomorrow’s spinach for processing.”