In addition to showing their new, improved and existing cyclamens, Dutch breeder Varinova also showcased something different at their Varitrials this year: a trial with the focus on improving shelf life. Special about this trial is that it is a mutual cooperation of four breeders, namely Morel Diffusion, Schoneveld Breeding, Syngenta and Varinova.
Carolien Klein in between the outdoor cyclamen.
Improving shelf life
The trial is focused on improving the shelf life of the plants, "particularly in December where a better resistance for diseases and pathogens would be an additional advantage", says Carolien Klein of Varinova.
Three out of these 9 tables are used for the shelf life trial
Three treatments
For the trial, they have chosen one red mini cyclamen (sown in week 20) from each breeder and apply three different treatments once every two weeks. The three different groups are: an untreated group (control group), a group treated with Root&Shoot and the final group that is treated with Root&Shoot combined with Fytaforce."
Last year, Varinova and Syngenta already conducted a similar trial individually, and it showed that the shelf life improved with the treatment: Root&Shoot and Fytaforce.
Four different locations
Special about this year's trial is that four breeders are cooperating, and that they are conducting the trial under their own conditions. "So, instead of one location, the same treatment is applied at several locations, attaching more value to our growers."
FloraHolland shelf life research
When the plants reached the state where they can be shipped out to the end consumer, they are sent to FloraHolland, where they will start the shelf life research.
Varitrials
Visitors of the Varitrials of Varinova, that started on October 22 and will last till November 9 (with an extension to the beginning of week 46), could see the shelf life trial with their own eyes. Three of the nine tables at the trials are dedicated to this trial. The other 6 trial tables are dedicated to Varinova’s resilience test.
The Varitrials are held annually, where Varinova displays their existing, new and experimental plants at their greenhouse in Bleiswijk, the Netherlands.
Next to trialing the new and improved varieties, Varinova is also trialing different pot sizes. For every variety, Varinova advises to grow them in a certain pot size, but during the trials, they also experiment with different pot sizes. "We are curious how the plants will grow and then show the companies the different possibilities."
Aloha
Novelty - Aloha
A novel variety that Varinova presented for the first time is Aloha. The shell shaped flower petals of this Cyclamen reminds us of beach, sun, sea, holiday and Hawaii. On Hawaii, Aloha is used, among other things, to say hello and goodbye.
And the feedback so far is positive. "It is a mini type and in Europe, there is more a market for mini types than large flower types. Therefore, I have good hopes for this variety."
Aloha
Best Sellers
At the trials, over 300 varieties were on display, including their best sellers.
The Goblet Shine Pink.
For several years now, the Varinova's bestseller is the Goblet Shine Wine Red for outdoor use. One of the new varieties is the Goblet Shine Pink for outdoor use and Goblet distinguishes itself by its shape. "When you take a look at the plant from above, it looks like a goblet", says Carolien. The Goblet is available in 3 bright colours.
But Varinova has more best sellers, below we listed some of them:
Picola Shine Red is the best seller in the Picola series. They also have trials running with a variety that seems to be growing more homogeneous. Picola is available in eleven colors and different pot sizes. "For production, the pot size till 10.5 cm is the best option."
This Picola Shine Red is flowering outside since June.
In the midi series, Merita is doing very well. "It is a compact plant with large flowers. People are very enthusiastic about it and particularly in the US we see a lot of potential . We started out with one Shine variety only and now added more with fully colored flower petals."
Magnia is advised to grow in pot sizes 14-20 cm, but at the trials, they also put it in a 23cm pot.
For more information
Varinova
Carolien Klein
Email: info@varinova.nl
www.varinova.nl