The cucumber variety Marvila has grown enormously in popularity in a short period of time. Especially in Mexico and Chile, the variety is conquering an increasing market share. Bejo employees Kees Boersma (Head of Fruit Crops) and Marcos Aviña (Area Fruit Crop Manager) explain why.
"For a good cucumber variety, a number of characteristics are very important. These include the productivity, shelf life and plant health of a variety. Marvila shows good results in all these areas,” Boersma begins.
Its strong plant health clearly sets Marvila apart from its competitors. Aviña explains: "Marvila has a very strong root system. The main roots are well anchored, and the many secondary roots provide the plant with an excellent supply route for water and nutrients. This makes the plant strong and healthy, allowing it to make and support as many as six or seven fruits at the same time. Normally a plant rejects fruit over time, but Marvila does not. In addition, we receive many positive comments from growers about the intense green color of the leaves and the quality of the fruit. The quality of the fruit remains high throughout the harvest period, whereas other varieties have been found to deteriorate."
For a good cucumber variety, a number of characteristics are very important. These include the productivity, shelf life and plant health of a variety. Marvila shows good results in all these areas
Boersma adds: "Also its excellent cylindrical shape make Marvila a strong variety. In addition, it is distinguished from its competitors by its length, uniformity and strong disease resistance package."
In Mexico and Chile, the length of the fruit is important. With Marvila, it is between 27 and 32 centimeters. This is considerably longer than competing varieties. What also makes the variety attractive to the grower: its length, width and uniformity mean that 48 to 52 cucumbers fit in a box.
All these features mean that demand for Marvila is increasing. In the past three years, sales of the cucumber variety have increased enormously. "Fortunately, it was possible to scale up the seed production. This allows us to meet the increasing demand,” Boersma said. He continues, “Right now in Mexico and Chile, Marvila is mainly sold for the local market. This is because Marvila is a spined cucumber. The export market actually demands cucumbers without or less spines. The breeding team is now working hard to meet this need.
With Marvila in its assortment, Bejo has a valuable variety with strong genetics. In addition, the company has a focus on expanding its cucumber assortment. So there is still more to come in the pipeline.
