World’s leading seed company in spinach cultivation held its Open Days at the Miranda trial field
KWS Vegetables, a world leader in spinach seeds, has once again held its open days from 11-13 February at its trial field in Miranda, Murcia. The Dutch multinational presented new improved varieties and has received customers from all over Europe at the 20ha facility.
From its extensive catalogue of spinach, KWS Vegetables’ novelty for this season is KSP 0066. “This is our fastest variety for the winter segment. It even surpasses Quartz by bringing forward the harvest by 4-5 days, offering an ideal window for harvesting,” said regional product manager José Carlos Grajeda.
“Its bright and uniform colour, of a very intense green, as well as its tolerance to salts and local breeds, such as mildew and 1.20, makes it optimal for any producer, as it also adapts very well to all locations and terrains.”
KWS Vegetables said that offering personalised and constant support is a priority for the company. To this end, the multinational continues to evolve its Spinach 365 programme. “With this programme we help producers to supply the same quality of leaf—and in the desired quantities to supermarkets— throughout the year. This benefits their consistency in supply and helps their image in the eyes of the suppliers,” said René van Meijel, team leader for baby spinach and swiss chard Europe.
As a novelty for this edition, the Dutch multinational also held a conference on Pythium exclusively for customers. This pest has a great impact on crop profitability and is one of the main challenges for spinach producers. To learn how to manage Pythium effectively, KWS Vegetables’ experts, Mark Charlesworth, product manager for spinach and chard, and Anita van Nieuwehhoven, manager for technology applied to vegetable seeds, presented their strategies and tips to the attending professionals.
Finally, the INITIO nutrient substrate was once again presented in the test field. “This nutrient-rich coating, which provides a strong start to spinach crops by improving their growth and yield, is already highly popular and is applied to most European spinach orders,” the company said.
