Brassica growers prepare for new season

Brassica growers were updated, at a recent meeting, on varieties and plant protection techniques to assist them plan their 2007 programmes to produce the quality vegetables demanded in the marketplace.

Bill Herring from Duchy College, Cornwall spoke on his cauliflower variety trials. He cited the attributes of the varieties such as leaf type, frame size, disease tolerance and uniformity and then discussed in detail some of the notable varieties in the current trial.

Ellis Luckhurst, an agronomist based in the south west of England, gave growers an overview of the production of brassicas in Cornwall. There are approximately 10,000 ha of winter cauliflower, 2000ha of spring greens and 3500 ha of summer brassicas grown. In fact Cornwall produces 85 percent of the supermarket requirement for cauliflower and spring greens in the winter months. Ellis discussed the agronomic practices taking place in his area and also outlined the plant protection products used for various pest and diseases in brassica crops.

Mark Sutherland, Country Manager for NickersonZwann Seeds and Nick Bolton, Marketing and Product Development Manager, NickersonZwann spoke on the range of brassica seeds available from both the ClauseTezier and the NickersonZwann seed range. After highlighting the objective of breeding programmes, they concentrated on the characteristics of specific varieties of cauliflower demonstrating how to build a programme for year round production. They also dealt in detail with cabbage, savoy and Brussels sprout varieties.

Bill Herring, Duchy College, Trevor Gabbie, Plant Propagator, Joan Hamilton, Greenmount Campus, Mark Sutherland, Country Manager NickersonZwann, and Ellis Luckhurst, independent agronomist at the recent brassica growers meeting in Newtownards

Nick Bolton, Marketing and Product Development Manager, NickersonZwann, Samuel Bowman and Robert Thompson , brassica growers from Comber with Bill Herring , Duchy College, discussing new cauliflower varieties