Stephanie Knight, Account Manager for Rijk Zwaan Australia presents two cos lettuce varieties for Australian growers. Gradara RZ and Tuccadona RZ Knox™ were featured at the East Gippsland Vegetable Innovation days (EGVID) trials during May 2020 at Lindenow, Victoria, Australia.

In recent years we have been seeing a change in cos lettuce towards more midi sized, compact cos varieties, especially for sleeving and processing.

Gradara RZ is a fantastic product for processing, strong against tip burns and in the internals, It is very slow bolting and features good weight. A nice clean base also makes it ideal for sleeving in the fresh market with a very long harvest period.

Tuccadona RZ Knox™ is our first variety with the Knox™ trait that is working well from Spring through to Autumn. With the Knox™ trait this will be very interesting for processors as it can extend the shelf-life. It also has good vigour and leaf colour is a bit darker. Commercial seeds are currently available.

The award winning Knox™ trait provides additional shelf-life and improves the consumer experience by delivering fresher lettuce and helping to reduce waste. Knox™ is a game changer in lettuce breeding! Developed after more than a decade of R&D, the natural trait delays the ‘pinking’ or browning of cut surfaces in lettuce by days. The whole supply chain benefits from fresher lettuce, thanks to Knox™.

For more information, contact your local sales representative or visit the Rijk Zwaan website at https://www.rijkzwaan.com.au/find-you….

Follow us on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/rijkzwaanau?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rijk…

Please provide your feedback on the videos to the EGVID team by answering a few short questions in this online survey.