News

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.

Rijk Zwaan stays in close contact with its partners to exchange knowledge and provide them with valuable new market insights into current and future needs. Initiatives such as studio-based meetings help Rijk Zwaan to further develop the Sweet Palermo brand. Rijk Zwaan recently held a series of studio meetings with its Sweet Palermo partners in Israel and the Netherlands, and Germany and Poland are the next countries on the agenda. These meetings are perfect examples of brand-enhancing collaboration.

Two new races of the downy mildew pathogen (Peronospora effusa) on spinach have been denominated by the International Working Group on Peronospora in spinach (IWGP). Isolate SP1924 found in Europe, is denominated as race Pe: 18. Isolate UA202001E, found in the USA, is denominated as race Pe: 19. Rijk Zwaan’s spinach program has already a selection of varieties resistant to Pe: 18 and Pe: 19.