For the second consecutive year, the Business Event for Experts has been the framework chosen by Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds to present their top solutions for melon and watermelon producers, international operators and representatives of major retail chains. The event, which has been on-going since Monday 29 June at the experimental station of Bayer Vegetable Seeds in La Palma de Cartagena (Murcia), has served to present new varieties.
All new products are the result of an analysis of market trends and the factors that consumers take into account to make their purchasing decisions. In this manner, Bayer CropScience experts have discovered that, in general, consumers have many doubts when having to choose a melon or watermelon because they have no guarantees about the quality or taste of the fruit until they eat it.
To break this dynamic and generate consumer trust, Bayer CropScience, through its Nunhems brand, has introduced new parameters. "Our ultimate goal is for consumers to lose their fear, and this will be achieved by offering flavourful varieties and always guaranteeing a positive taste experience," explains Francisco Solera, melon sales manager for Europe and the Middle East.
A critical aspect, especially for melons, is ripeness. The melon team of Bayer CropScience Vegetable Seeds has developed a new ripeness indicator, which serves to identify the optimal harvesting time, so that doubts about the quality and sugar levels at the final point of sale will be dissipated.
Nunhems' latest advances in Galia melons have taken place within this context. The Kirene family has recovered the traditional Galia flavour with an aromatic product whose ripeness is guaranteed, a factor that greatly facilitates its marketing. "When harvested, the Kirene F1 is still firm enough to have a long shelf life, and that makes it stand out," says Francisco Solera. During the Business Event for Experts, the expansion of the Kirene range, now with a longer production period, was presented. As for Long Life Galia, the NUN F1 MEM 37016 was showcased; a variety intended to complement Murcia and La Mancha's Galia production cycle.
For Piel de Sapo melons, the most noteworthy variety is the NUN F1 MEM 38456, which clearly stands out because of its smaller pieces, which fit into a hand. "This innovative range will give us an unprecedented opportunity to promote Piel de Sapo consumption in small households, while guaranteeing excellent freshness and flavour, allowing supermarket chains to avoid having to sell already half cut pieces. Additionally, its smaller size makes the NUN F1 MEM 38456 the ideal choice for export, because it is better suited to the tastes and habits of the foreign buyer," says Francisco Solera.
Magestium F1 for the early cycle and Magiar F1 for the summer are the latest developments in the Cantaloupe Magenta line. Both are resistant against powdery mildew and aim to meet a growing demand in the Murcia area, as this market segment is currently growing in both consumption levels and planted acreage.
Lastly, worth noting is also the new range of Charentais melons for late cycles with resistance to all types of fusarium and powdery mildew. The range consists of varieties such as the Arum F1, Tirhum F1, Gustabel F1, Delibel F1 and Fortal F1. A new variety, the Branco do Ribateillo, has also been presented for Portugal.
When it comes to watermelons for fresh consumption, Bayer CropScience has a new gourmet line characterised by great flavour and an attractive outer appearance, with varieties suitable for both marketing in Spain and for export. The new gourmet line complements the flavour-oriented range, represented especially by the Fashion F1, which has become a great international success, and also includes other varieties, such as the Boston F1, Style F1, Bengala F1 or Stellar F1.
In addition to its firm commitment to flavour, the Nunhems brand now presents other innovations focused on offering smaller sizes. With an eye on the foreign market it presented its new triploid watermelons, with calibres of between 3 and 5 kilos per piece and even smaller sizes, ranging between 2 and 3.5 kilos per piece. This range includes varieties such as Premium F1 and NUN 03115 WMW F1. The small calibre varieties have roused great interest for the next season, as this aspect is being one of the focal points during the Business Event for Experts, which will close on 10 July. This is certainly a very comprehensive range that will allow Nunhems to supply producers with the best options to achieve their objectives.
The results of advanced research are also clear in the field of watermelons for processing, which are included under the superseedless designation. These are large calibre triploid watermelons which can also be marketed fresh, with a firm and consistent pulp that makes them extremely suitable for processing, either for direct sales in halves or quarters or for cutting into cubes or fingers. In any case, they lose colour and flavour after the cutting and packaging.
"We are going in the right direction, because for years we have been focusing on delivering truly flavourful varieties and the market reaction has proved us right. With our quality we have managed to revive watermelon consumption, which has entailed an expansion in the acreage and contributed to making Spain an international leader in the production and export of watermelons," explains Juan Sastre, Head of Watermelon Sales for Europe and the Middle East.
