Standout Selections From the 2024 Vegetable Seed Trials [PHOTOS]
November 20, 2024 The 2024 vegetable industry seed trials in Hall, NY, (and Geneva for one company) were a true test of new varieties. Weather conditions were cool and wet in the weeks leading to the event.
Those conditions persisted during the trials, with a drenching storm sweeping through on an August day that barely reached 65°F.
The number of crops in good condition was a testament to strong genetics. Here are some of the highlights.
Seminis/Vegetables by Bayer
Adam Marschel, East Region Sales Manager for Seminis/Vegetables by Bayer, discussed the attributes of ‘Hammerhead’ a pepper, which has uniform, large blocky fruit and ideal for the Southeast U.S.’s climate. ‘Hammerhead’ has the X10 disease package, so named for resisting bacterial leaf spot races 0-10. It also has root knot nematode resistance. Photo by Carol Miller
Bayer also has a colorful line of pepper with X10 as well as phytophthora resistance: ‘Redfish’ and ‘Sailfish’ (reds); ‘Yellowfin’ (yellow); and the orange is ‘SB8500’.
Bejo Seeds
Brassica breeder Loes Konijn and Jan Van Der Heide, Northeast Sales & Product Development Manager for Bejo Seeds, proudly showed off Konjin’s work with pointed head cabbages.
Photo by Carol Miller
They believe the medley of ‘Samantha’, ‘EXP-3661’, and ‘Caraflex’ [LtoR] will make a consumer-pleasing salad combo, with their contrasting colors and textures and sweet flavor. Photo by Carol Miller
Genesis Seeds
The Prospera Active line of basil from Genesis Seeds is certified 100% organic. Photo by Carol Miller
Motti Schramm, Market Development Manager, North America for Genesis Seeds, showed off the Israeli breeder’s basil line. Photo by Carol Miller
Hazera Seeds
Hazera was touting its “Tomatoes That Work for You” line, which includes ‘Camelot’, ‘Pendragon’, and ‘Windsor’. These varieties can reduce labor due to its unusually flexible harvest window — 14 days on average — which allows for fewer passes through the field without losing quality.
Photo by Carol Miller
A cluster of ‘Camelot’ tomatoes. Photo by Carol Miller
Two of the three tomatoes in the line, ‘Pendragon’ and’ Windsor’, have intermediate resistance to tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), the new-to-NorthAmerica seedborne disease spreading throughout greenhouse production houses.
HM.CLAUSE
For Eastern growers, HM.CLAUSE says ‘Captain’ offers dark green, block fruits and boasts healthy plants with bacteria leaf spot 1-10 and Phytophthora tolerance. Photo by Carol Miller
John Molyet, Business Manager for the northeast sales territory, shows off ‘Spritz’, an improvement on ‘Rosie’. It has rust resistance and an improved tip fill. It’s a 74-day maturing Sh2 bicolor with a 16 to 18 row count. Photo by Carol Miller
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Lauren Giroux, Director of Product Selection & Trialing for Johnny’s Selected Seeds, was happy to show off its new squash and pepper lines.
‘Starry Night F1’, while selected for flavor, has a showy pixelated color pattern. Giroux says it remains sweet and smooth in storage, lasting through the New Year. It has intermediate powdery mildew resistance and matures in 94 days. And it’s certified organic. Photo by Carol Miller
‘Carmen F1’ is a great- tasting sweet Italian frying pepper, Giroux says. It’s an early pepper and highly adaptable. Days to maturity 60 green; 80 red ripe. An AAS winner and certified organic seed is available. Photo by Carol Miller
Johnny’s Cornitos series or “little horns” are smaller versions of its traditional Italian Corno di Toro peppers ‘Carmen’ and ‘Escamillo’. The trio of ‘Cornito Arancia’, ‘Cornito Rosso’, and ‘Cornito Giallo’ are all of similar size and boast superior taste. They are widely adapted and perform well both out of doors and in high tunnels. Photo by Carol Miller
Pan American Seed
‘Green Lightning’ is a new patty pan summer squash that is first available in November 2024. PanAmerican Seed recommends harvesting them when they can fit into the palm of your hand, making the squash highly tender. It grows on a spinless plant. Photo by Carol Miller
‘Kickstart’ is an early green-to-red bell pepper with bacterial leaf spot resistance. It has thick walls and a nice crunch. Photo by Carol Miller
Rupp Seeds
Barry Rupp, Vegetable Consultant and Sales Manager, shared the new pumpkin varieties from Rupp Seeds.
First up was ‘Garnet Gold’, which has heavy ribbing, strong handles and uniform shape. It has high powdery mildew resistance, matures in 100 days, and is a 40-count in size. Its trial name was ‘RPX6209’.
Another pumpkin, ‘Cortez’, was still being displayed under its try trial name of ‘PRX6201’. It’s a small 2.5-pound pumpkin with a beautiful bright orange hue and a black handle. It set a lot of yield records for the company during trials.
‘PRX6201’ pumpkin; aka, ‘Cortez’. Photo by Carol Miller
Sakata Seed America
Michael Ferlito, Northeast Area Sales Manager for Sakata Seed America, showed off ‘STM2255’, a main season tomato Sakata is having great success in the Eastern U.S. It has strong flavor, tolerates heat, excellent color (with the crimson gene), and is a healthy, vigorous plant. Photo by Carol Miller
Crookham Company
Luther McLaughlin, Lead Sweet Corn Developer, reports trial attendance nearly doubled this year due to the Nirvana Series. Most of the items in this series have the punch of the sh2i gene and growers are reporting that the easy snap and short shank can make the packaging process more user-friendly. The consumer popularity with the unique crunch and taste continues to swell and McLaughlin believes the new ‘Golden Halo’ that expands the 75-day category into a yellow variety and ‘Elysian’ will keep the Nirvana promise to the grower and the consumer.
Golden Halo sweet corn from Crookham Company at 2024 vegetable seed trials in Hall, NY.
Photo by Carol Miller
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