Enza Zaden introduces its first white asparagus variety in the European market

Enza Zaden BV, Dutch vegetable-breeding company, launches its first white asparagus variety Daleza F1.

For the company, the asparagus market is a new penetration market, and its first discovery in the European asparagus market. The medium to early harvest Daleza is mainly rolled out in the markets of Germany, France and BeNeLux (cooperation of three states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg).

Michel Neefs, part of the Enza Zaden breeding team, shared the origin of this asparagus variety. Daleza F1 is the first variety launched by the company after many years of development and practical testing. The starting point for breeding is always market demand. “We looked for improvements in the field of uniformity, earliness and a variety that must fit well in keeping labor costs manageable. After testing at various locations, we saw that Daleza has the right properties to respond to these factors,” he added.

The benefits of new white asparagus are diverse. In the trials, the company looked at early ripeness, quality and average stem weight and linked this to the financial aspects such as weekly prices and harvest costs. “Because this product is early in production and immediately has a high stem weight, this ensures direct yields of financial benefits for the grower. Daleza has a strong and open crop, which ensures good recovery capacity,” explained Paul Huijs, Sales Manager of the company.

According to Christof Flörchinger, Sales Director for Germany and France, Enza Zaden is one of the leaders in the field of breeding. The company has extensive knowledge of the technical part of breeding, knows how the market works, and understands the wishes of its customers. “Daleza is the result of traditional breeding methods. Our company uses modern technologies in the field of breeding and can therefore also use this broad expertise from other crops to accelerate and create a broad foundation within asparagus breeding,” he added.

Enza Zaden is a vegetable-breeding company that develop vegetable varieties of more than 30 international and local crops. The company produce and sell these varieties seeds all over the world. Its complete range comprises some 1,200 vegetable varieties: from tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers and lettuce to bitter gourd and bird’s eyes chilies. Vitalis Organic Seeds is the certified organic seed division of Enza Zaden.

More about the company on its website.