Vegetable seed developer Seminis has announced that the proprietary red pepper variety known among seed developers as BS 1919 will be marketed under the name Friendly.
According to the company, the name has been chosen because of the pepper seeds' user-friendliness in terms of production and the good reception it has received from the fresh produce trade.
Friendly was unveiled last year as BS 1919 and has emerged as a notable newcomer within the fresh pepper category.
This year, a number of companies are marketing the product, which has reportedly performed well commercially.
Karel Welten, product development manager for peppers at Seminis and De Ruiter Seeds – both of which are part of Monsanto – revealed that Friendly had begun to achieve yields in excess of 10kg/m2 during week 24.
'This variety combines a very big yield with uniformity and high product quality,' said Mr Welten. 'The coarse, thick-walled fruits weigh on average 195g and have a beautiful, deep red colour.'
Friendly is understood to be resistant to the virus TM3 and is said to offer growers additional security in terms of its cultivation.
