News

Volunteer organisation PUM Netherlands senior experts and vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan are cooperating to support agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries and emerging markets. PUM's 1600 expert volunteers work together with entrepreneurs in 42 different sectors and 34 countries worldwide.

The fresh produce business is changing rapidly – not only in Asia, but also worldwide – and the coronavirus outbreak has further accelerated the changes. On 28 September, Jan Doldersum, Chain and Retail Manager at Rijk Zwaan, will participate in a panel discussion with two other experts. They will talk about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the fresh produce business as well as the longer-term impacts and opportunities.

A warm welcome to our Hydro Demo, which is taking place from 20 September to 1 October 2021, close to our Open-Field Demo in Fijnaart. We are expecting it to attract just as much interest as our very first Hydro Demo that was held in June of this year. A new highlight at this autumn demo is cos lettuce for hydroponic production.

Rijk Zwaan is building a new High Tech Trial Center for fruit crops close to its headquarters in De Lier, the Netherlands. It is scheduled to open for growers and other visitors in the second half of 2022.

A warm welcome to Fijnaart for our demo of Rijk Zwaan varieties for traditional production, hydroponic production and organic production. From 13 September till 15 October.

Rijk Zwaan is presenting the national and international agri-food sector with the trends that are changing consumer habits at the Global Melon & Watermelon e-vent 2021 conference, held from 28th June to 9th July 2021 at the Demo Centre CED La Palma, located in Cartagena, Spain, both live and digital.

Rijk Zwaan celebrates a new edition of its most international melon and watermelon field days. This year we are once again adapting the format of the event so that the visitor can attend, both in person and virtually, to our Rijk Zwaan CED La Palma in Cartagena. From 28 June to 9 July 2021.

Downy mildew is a major threat in lettuce. The fungus can damage the lettuce leaves in both protected and open-field crops, resulting in a loss of yield. Last year the European Commission of the International Bremia Evaluation Board (IBEB-EU) identified a widely occurring new variant of downy mildew in lettuce. As of 1 June 2021, it has officially been denominated as Bl:37EU. The large majority of Rijk Zwaan’s current lettuce varieties are resistant to the new race of downy mildew.

“Responding to changing markets together” During the World of Fresh Ideas event, a range of experts will be sharing their perspectives on the international fresh produce business. Jan Doldersum, Manager Chain & Retail at Rijk Zwaan, is one of them. On Wednesday 26 May 2021, he will explain how the vegetable breeding company works together with its customers to respond to changing markets. This two-day event, which will take place online, is being organised by Fruitnet. Registration is free.

In the space of just a few years, the fungus Stemphylium – and in particular Stemphylium vesicarium – has become one of the biggest challenges for spinach growers worldwide. Vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan’s spinach breeding programmes are focussed on developing varieties that are resistant to this fungus. The initial results from an ongoing study by Washington State University in the USA have now confirmed that this focus over recent years has resulted in an assortment with a good number of spinach varieties with a high level of resistance to Stemphylium vesicarium.