A rep for PanAmerican Hand Picked Vegetables offers up a pepper variety for tasting during the 2019 New York Vegetable Industry Trials at Seneca Research Farm near Hall, NY.
Bejo Seeds' Geneva. NY, seed trial farm was our first stop for 2019 New York Summer Seed Trials, where we were welcomed by Bejo Sales and Product Development Rep Chelsey Lencyzk and farm operator Dennis Ferlito. "We see our strengths as a seed company in that we bring a wide range of varieties and high quality hybrid seed to the industry, and we're expanding into organics heavily," Lencyzk told us during our visit.
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Bejo USA Seed Farm, Geneva NY
Ferlito's farm (shown here from an aerial point of view) was subject to some tough weather conditions this season with a cold, wet spring delaying the vast majority of plantings. Soil temperatures reportedly took "a long time" to warm up and, as a result, Ferlito says many of the plants suffered "delayed germination...root development was not good." You can see Lake Geneva, the nearest Finger Lake, in the distance.
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Bejo USA Seed Farm, Geneva NY, Field Plots
A back field on Ferlito's farm where Bejo trials many of its newest commercial seed variety offerings before they advance to commercialization. This field featured some nice looking 'Conquerer' lettuce and 'Zaragoza F1' cauliflower varieties.
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Bejo USA Conqueror (Bejo 3158) F1 White Lettuce
'Conqueror' is a new, disease resistant white lettuce variety for fresh market growers. According to the company this early fresh market cabbage is "more productive than 'Farao,' with earlier maturity than 'Gazelle' or 'Checkmate,' and features nicely round heads for a nice fresh look." It is hardy enough for northeast growers and has variable maturity dates (67, 66, 73 day).
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Bejo USA Cucumber High Tunnel
With many growers in the Northeast starting plantings in hoop houses and other covered structures, Bejo featured some developmental varieties of cucumbers that can be started in high tunnels. The company is seeing a lot of "great, high quality brassicas" being started in high tunnels throughout the North and Southeast.
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Bejo USA High Tunnel Cucumber
An up-close view of a Bejo experimental high tunnel cucumber variety.
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Bejo USA Zaragoza F1 Cauliflower
'Zaragoza F1' cauliflower new variety features clubroot resistance and late summer to early fall production traits. It's a perfect variety to plant in a year like 2019 when everything goes in late.
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Stop #2: Seneca Vegetable Research Farm, Hall, NY
The rest of the New York Vegetable Field Trial plots were located at Seneca Vegetable Research Farm, 15 miles south of Geneva in the sleepy rural hamlet of Hall, NY.
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Seneca Vegetable Research Inc 8-27-19-4
An aerial view of the research plots at Seneca Vegetable Research farm in Hall, NY.
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Enza Zaden Green Machine Summer Squash
'Green Machine' is a commercial variety of zucchini squash that is reportedly good for growers from Florida to Maine. The variety is high yielding and features "medium-green fruit color...and is appreciated for its open, labor-friendly plant habit."
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Enza Zaden Green Machine Summer Squash
An up close view of 'Green Machine.' According to Adrienne Shelton, Enza Zaden Organic Product Specialist - Northeast, in squash breeding "the name of the game is top-end yield."
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Enza Zaden Mexicana Zucchini Squash
Shelton and Co. were pretty jazzed about new variety 'Mexicana,' a speckled brassica with short, strong and vigorous open-type internodes that facilitate its harvest. It's highly productive and stable throughout its cycle. Shelton characterized this variety as "something for the farmer's market grower in areas where there is a strong Latino/Hispanic presence in the community."
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Johnny's Selected Seeds Valentine Grape Tomato
'Valentine' is an All America Selections (AAS) Winner bred by Johnny's Selected Seeds. It is an F1 indeterminate variety with 55 day maturity and features high lycopene content with massive yields, unusually rich flavor, and available in organic. Johnny's Anthony Stevenson, who's in wholesale sales and based in Winslow, ME, told us the company, which is 100% employee owned, is focused on breeding for flavor and organic production systems currently.
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PanAmerican Commercial Peppers
'Orange Marmalade' is a new-ish entry to PanAmerican's Hand Picked brand. Its "early-ripening, sweet and flavourful, medium-sized fruit" are perfect for slicing fresh in a salad, according to the company. The variety features a robust disease resistance package, as well as the color variation many consumers are looking for, making it ideal for commercial growers.
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PanAmerican Lemon Sun Summer Squash
'Lemon Sun' is a new summer squash variety the features an easy-to-harvest, yellow, patty-shape fruit, as well as no green circle in the flesh. The plant sets a lot of fruit and is primarily marketed to the specialty chef market. It is multi-purpose and features strong, yield-holding qualities.
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PanAmerican Summer Squash up close
'Lemon Sun' summer squash up-close view.
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Sakata Miz America Mustard
According to the company, Sakata's 'Miz America' is a strikingly beautiful red mizuna mustard hybrid with exceptionally uniform leaf color, shape, and size. The variety was bred to produce high quality baby greens and still maintain its deep, dark red color on both sides of the leaf, even at a mature stage. An upright plant habit and thick leaf decreases damage from inclement weather and makes for easy harvesting, and 'Miz America' has a pleasant, mild taste compared to typical mustards – not bitter or spicy.
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Sakata Roadster Tomato
'Roadster' is a high quality determinate salad variety featuring a combination of early maturity and extra-large size, according to Sakata. Fruit are an attractive red, very firm, and smooth-shouldered with a superior flavor. The variety is best suited for both mature green and vine ripe markets. The plants are medium tall and benefit from light pruning. 'Roadster' has a concentrated fruit set and very high yield potential.
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Sakata Roadster Tomato
An up-close view of Sakata 'Roadster.'
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Seminis 8114 Pepper
Bayer/Seminis has a nice new sweet banana pepper variety on display, '8114.' '8114' has spotted wilt virus resistance and is perfect for both the fresh and processed pepper markets, according to the company.
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Syngenta SB 4766 beans
Syngenta's 'SB 4766' bean is a new, pre-commercial high yielding variety. It features a 55-day maturity and a large geographical range for growing that stretches from the East Coast to California. Syngenta reps on hand said the company is still trying to "see where it fits in the market" and data from the 2018-2019 yield trials is still forthcoming.
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Syngenta Grandprize Yellow Squash
'Grandprize' is a new straightneck variety with intermediate disease resistance. It is a 42-day maturity variety and grows in an erect, semi-open manner that makes harvest easier, according to the company.
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Syngenta Siruis Watermelon
'Sirius' is a 74-day maturity variety with red flesh and a medium thick rind with crimson, sweet skin. Intermediate disease resistance to fusarium wilt.
This years’ crop of vegetable plants faced a pretty rough growing season, mostly due to late plantings after a cold and wet spring. Then hot and dry weather hit during pollination, disrupting fruit set and hampering further root development in some cases.
Here’s a snapshot of some of the eye-catching field varieties we saw and learned about in Geneva, NY:
115New York Vegetable Industry Trials: What We Saw (GALLERY)
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Matthew J. Grassi is a former Technology Editor for Greenhouse Grower and American Vegetable Grower, both Meister Media Worldwide brands. See all author stories here.
September 11, 2019 
