Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 526 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM elons are not only healthy, but come to us in many different types and tastes. To get a better grasp of the diversity and a closer look into the plant breeders kitchen, European Seed dove into the colourful world of melon breeding with Maarten den Hertog, melon breeder at Rijk Zwaan; Bruno Foncelle, Global Breeding Lead Cucurbits Syngenta; Pedro Pleguezuelo, EAME melon portfolio manager for Syngenta; Ralf Kuijpers, Cucurbits research director at Enza Zaden; Frank de Langen, Melon Breeding Coordinator and Melon Breeder at HM. Clause; and Tony Chartier, Product Manager EMEA for orange flesh colours melon for HM. CLAUSE. European Seed: Do certain regions in Europe require a different type of melon? “Definitely. Traditionally each region had its preferences for each melon type, but some of these habits are changing slightly,” says de Langen. “In order to offer melon over a longer period or even all year-round, melons are being produced outside their tradi- tional growing area. Not all the melon types that are grown are consumed in the growing area (Spain, Morocco and Senegal). Charentais, Italian Netted types, Yellow Canary, Piel de Sapo, Galia and Ananas types are the main breeding targets for melon in Europe for HM.CLAUSE.” Den Hertog concurs. “Most countries have their own favourite melon type, but sometimes you see some general fluctuations in popularity. Piel de Sapo melons are getting increasingly popular in Europe, Galia type is losing some marketshare. In general, the orange flesh types are becoming more popular. At Rijk Zwaan our strategy is to keep a broad assortment. We develop a wide range Breeding Driven by Taste, Consistency and Convenience of melon types, and for different production regions. We do this on breeding locations in France and Spain, so we can play into local conditions and demands.” Pleguezuelo agrees. “Certainly yes, different countries and regions require different melon types and this is very much linked to the traditional consumption in those places. Clear examples are: Charentais melons, required mostly for France, Piel de Sapo for Spain, Galia and Yellow Canary for Northern Europe, etc.…” Kuijpers added that traditional melon growing and consum- ing areas such as Spain and France have their own specific melon types. “In these areas the consumers have very defined prefer- ences. In the more northern areas we can see more melon types, like Galia, Amarillo and cantaloupes with a less pre-defined fruit model.” ES: How important are taste and flavour? Den Hertog believes taste is important for all of these different types, but it is a complex topic. “For instance, when melons are imported in a country that produces melons itself, the percep- tion can be that ‘the taste is probably less than the local ones’. Furthermore, the presentation of a melon also influences the taste experience. In general, a good taste must always be combined with an adequate shelf life. After all, the consumption of melons strongly depends on the weather. One way or the other, there is always some buffering in the logistical chain. Even when the trans- port distance is limited, you need a good shelf life. Especially with aromatic melon types, every day counts. To summarize, we find taste very important, but we cannot separate it from other impor- tant breeding goals.” A CLOSER LOOK AT MELON BREEDING IN EUROPE By: Marcel Bruins