“I find it absolutely fascinating to watch seeds germinate and eventually grow into beautiful crops”
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In recent years, conventional bell pepper growers have faced persistent root problems, causing many plants to die off. The solution came from an unexpected source: the organic bell pepper rootstock from De Bolster. Commercial Director Maarten Vrensen: “What’s exciting is that more and more conventional growers are now using it as well.”
“With organic innovation, we help both organic and conventional growers move forward”
For bell pepper growers, 2023 was a difficult year. Suddenly, root problems emerged, causing plants to struggle with water and nutrient uptake. For many growers, this led to plant loss, lower yields, and direct income loss. Beyond the economic impact, this caused considerable concern across the industry. Some growers were even forced to clear out their entire greenhouse.
Working with nature
Maarten understands that concern very well. “You work with a natural product, and every year you wait to see what nature has in store for you. At De Bolster, we are constantly working to develop solutions to the challenges organic growers face. This means developing varieties that can cope with challenges such as pests and diseases, including those caused by soil-borne fungi, as well as extreme weather conditions like drought. We don’t want to fight nature with all kinds of chemical pesticides, but rather work in harmony with nature. The bell pepper rootstock Skyborn F1 is a great example of this. And it performs well in conventional production too.”
Higher yield with Skyborn
With its strong root system, Skyborn shows strong resilience to soil-borne diseases. It also performs well under extreme weather conditions, such as heat and drought. Growers graft the scion—a bell pepper variety with the desired fruit quality—onto the robust Skyborn rootstock. This combines the best of both worlds.
“By also providing solutions for conventional production, we can continue to invest in breeding organic varieties”
Maarten: “So far, the results are positive: growers have had almost no plant loss at all. In fact, the plants grow better, produce heavier fruit, and thus provide a higher yield. In some cases, that’s about 5–8% higher than usual. Furthermore, growth is much more stable, resulting in fewer production peaks and troughs. Growers also told us that their bell pepper plants with this rootstock are much better able to withstand heat and drought. Some no longer shade their greenhouses from intense sunlight at all, but instead make use of the available sunlight.”
From 30 to 100 hectares
“As an organic seed and breeding company, it is great to show that innovative organic varieties are also of great value to conventional production,” Maarten continues. “More and more conventional growers are switching to the Skyborn rootstock. They don’t want to wait until they actually experience those notorious root problems. Last year, the rootstock was used across approximately 30 hectares of conventional bell pepper production; this year, that figure has risen to 100 hectares across the Netherlands and England. We are also conducting extensive trials this year in Canada, Greece, and Armenia.”
Opportunities for breeding programs
For De Bolster, a larger market among conventional growers also means more financial capacity to further develop organic crops such as tomatoes and pumpkins and to start new breeding programs. In these programs, De Bolster carefully analyzes the needs of organic growers and develops varieties for specific traits such as flavor, yield, and disease resistance. The varieties are developed by working with nature and tested under organic conditions. All of this helps growers succeed in organic production.
“I find it absolutely fascinating to watch seeds germinate and eventually grow into beautiful crops”
“Thanks to the heated greenhouse, we can breed and react to the market much faster”
“Thanks to the heated greenhouse, we can breed and react to the market much faster”
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