Pro-Veg Seeds Ltd, an independent seed producing and trading company sources seeds from breeders and growers across the globe, working particularly in the Far East.
Its customers include packet seed companies, plant raisers and major professional vegetable and herb growers, which are largely based in the UK and mainland Europe.
“We source samples, organise trials with any interested customers and then we endeavour to sell the seeds of the most successful ones,” says Pro-Veg director John Burrows.
Identifying potential growth areas is vital, he continues. “We are constantly looking for new products from existing and new breeding and production partners all the time to develop these niche markets with our guidance and help and the co-operation of our key customers.”
Burrows suggests the profile and production of herbs has been elevated considerably by an explosion in the overall baby leaf market. And the company is increasing its stake in the market in accordance with such growth.
“Our customer base has increased and continues to develop all the time,” says Burrows. “For example we are now working with a large producer/ grower organisation on new product development matters for these crops in Israel, who supply a lot of them back to the UK market.”
While growth of the category as a whole is easy to forecast, more precise information is harder to grasp according to CN Seeds business development manager Charles Seddon. “Culinary herbs are used in more salads and prepared food products as consumers seek tastier food and novel flavours,” says Seddon. “But demand for specific items is difficult to predict because tastes, like fashions, change quickly and in a niche market with relatively few growers involved the supply chain cannot always react in time to the demand cycles.”
CN Seeds specialises in the supply of herb seed to producers in UK and mainland Europe and business has steadily increased over the last five years.
With coriander, parsley and basil still ranking as the three best sellers, the company has been working to improve the possible quality of these products. “Because of its rapid growth cycle coriander crops can quickly become over-mature in hot weather and growers have to plan for high levels of wastage at some stages of the season,” says Seddon. “Prices also fluctuate widely reflecting the same situation.”
In an attempt to improve summer quality of the herb, CN Seeds has introduced slow bolting varieties, with the most popular being Chechyna, a variety originating in Eastern Europe and featuring large leaves and high yield potential.
“Leisure is the preferred choice for later sowings with more vigour to cope with shortening days in the autumn, whilst the new introduction Apache is claimed to have a stronger flavour and better keeping quality,” Seddon adds.
CN Seeds has also witnessed growth in the use of parsley, both as dried leaf in the production of prepared food, and also fresh, in food decoration and salads.
“One of the more recent trends has been the increased demand for flat leaf parsley, which now finds its way into several mixed salad packs,” says Seddon. “Some people claim the flavour is superior to curled leaf parsley, but crop maturity and leaf texture probably have a greater influence than variety selection in this crop.”
Demand for parsley normally picks up in June but early sown crops in the UK can be frustratingly slow to mature, he continues. To this end, CN Seeds’ new seed priming system is finding favour with producers when early crop establishment is critical for a good start.
Elsoms of Spalding agrees that slow and uneven germination of seeds is one of the main problems facing herb growers, for both outdoor and protected crops. “Uneven germination can cause production difficulties, such as timings for herbicide applications, and slow germinating crops do have a longer production cycle, a problem for some growers where time is of the essence,” says Elsoms Seeds Technologist, Rae Cook.
The emergence time and uniformity of seedlings can be improved using the company’s priming system, according to Cook. “Elsoms’ seed priming process, initially targeted at outdoor vegetable seed to hasten emergence in cold spring soils, has been successfully developed over a number of years and is well suited to herbs.”
The priming technique is based on the patented “Drum Priming” process developed by Warwick HRI at their Wellesbourne site, and licensed by the British Technology Group, Cook explains. During the process, seeds imbibe a controlled amount of water to the point of germination over a set period of time.
There is insufficient moisture available to allow the radicle to emerge, and at this point the seed is dried back to its original moisture content. For many crops, priming is a well-established practice, leading to quicker and more uniform germination. “As many herb species can be slow and erratic in germination, priming should be a benefit for both outdoor and protected crops.” Elsoms’ seed priming service is available to both seed traders and growers.
In addition to priming, the company also film-coats seed, with the bulk of the treatments being applied under the conditions approved by the SOLA system. An example of this is the “Force ST” treatment using Tefluthrin which is being applied to herb crops for the control of bean seed fly.
Elsoms works closely with various seed companies throughout Europe. Three of these - Bejo Zaden from Holland, Gautier Semences in France, and Olter in Italy - have breeding programmes on site, and are producing a wide variety of herbs, says Elsoms’ manager of diverse crops, Colin Clark. Having its own plant breeders and seed production team has been a major asset to the company and enabled Elsoms to invest staff time and resources in the herb market, he says.
Recognising the increasing popularity of coriander, the company has developed Filtro, a fast growing but slow bolting type, specifically for leaf production. Meanwhile, to assist growers who have problems handling small seeded crops, Elsoms now markets multi-seeded basil pellets.
Despite basil’s increasing popularity in the UK it is not widely grown in open field in this country because of its temperature requirements, which demand protected crops to guarantee quality, according to Seddon. “The range of basil types available is enormous, with CN Seeds offering at least 20 in its commercial catalogue,” he says. “This species’ diversity offers a tremendous opportunity for consumers to explore different tastes and flavours, linked with Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Thai foods.
“Basil is one of the more delicate crops to handle in the food chain, being sensitive to cold storage, showing low temperature damage by a blackening of the leaves.” While Sweet Genovese is still the popular standard, the company has seen increased interest in Thai selections.
Dill is one product CN feels is underselling its potential in UK, Seddon adds. “Sales are much higher in Europe, particularly Scandinavia, where fish is more highly regarded, and dill is used in volume as a complementary flavouring. Here it is not too much appreciated apart from as an occasional garnish but it is much more versatile than just for fish and deserves to be more widely used.”
CN Seeds is currently trialling some new selections of dill, as well as other more unusual varieties, such as red-veined sorrel. Visually appealing with its bright green leaves and contrasting red midrib and veins, the red-veined sorrel has a more delicate flavour than the more common French de Belleville types, says Seddon.
Greek cress is another interesting addition, he says. “A spicier version of garden cress it is useful as a salad component, with a good texture and mild pungency to give “bite” without becoming too strong.”
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