From sleepless nights to peace of mind

Two years ago, Rijk Zwaan became the first vegetable breeding company to introduce Fusarium resistant cucumber varieties. Fusarium is a serious threat to cucumber growers and causes a lot of problems. Last season, Greek cucumber grower Marinos Epitropakis grew the For Defense variety Forada RZ: “With this variety, I now harvest fruits of high quality in a region where growing non-grafted cultivation is a risk.” In this grower story, Marinos Epitropakis explains about Fusarium infection, his first experiences with the For Defense variety Forada RZ and what the benefits are compared with the conventional variety.

Fusarium is a major threat

In low temperatures, Fusarium is a serious problem in cucumber cultivation. The fungal disease can cause a lot of damage, especially when cucumbers are grown in soil in non-heated, medium-tech greenhouses. “In the Psari Forada region, Fusarium is a very big threat”, says Marinos Epitropakis. “Once the plants are infected, there is no treatment that allows the plants to recover, causing a loss of production. Initially, the plants start to wilt and eventually, the disease spreads throughout the entire field. This inevitably resulted in a damaged production. It forced us to cultivate grafted plants against very high costs”. Fusarium mainly occurs in autumn and winter, which are the main production seasons in Southern Europe. Rijk Zwaan’s Fusarium-resistant varieties Forami RZ and Forada RZ are very suitable for cultivation in Spain and Greece, respectively.

Carefree cultivation with For Defense

For Defense varieties show good resistance against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Cucumerinum. “With these varieties, we are able to cultivate non-grafted plants, resulting in a lower purchase price compared to grafted. Next to that, I am not constantly stressed about the damage that can be caused by this fungus anymore”, says Marinos Epitropakis. “The difference between a Forada RZ and a conventional variety is mainly the resistance and thanks to this, I no longer need to use chemical or organic crop protection products to battle Fusarium. In the past, these corrective actions not only increased costs but also had uncertain results.”

The reason for choosing a For Defense variety was very simple, according to Marinos Epitropakis. “Cucumber is a very important crop for export. With For Defense varieties I am not only able to purchase the plants for a good price, I also don’t have the stress anymore during the cultivation process. Forada RZ delivers very high quality produce and also enables me to use less or even zero chemical crop protection products. This offers the advantage that there is no residue left on the fruits, leading to healthier products for the consumer.”

First-hand experience with For Defense varieties

According to Marinos Epitropakis, the first experiences with a For Defense variety have been purely positive. “With Forada RZ, I am able to harvest fruits of high quality in a region where the non-grafted cultivation is an enormous risk. Also, the crop stays healthy during the whole cycle allowing me to have winter production too. Beforehand, I expected Forada RZ to be resistant against Fusarium and that I would deal with less infections compared with the conventional variety, even under difficult conditions. After one year of growing Forada RZ, I can definitely confirm that it matched my expectations.”