16 siječnja 2020 Novosti
Our new pumpkin variety Kaori Kuri has won the ‘Silver Medal’ award at the French SIVAL Competition in the category Varietal Innovation.
“I am rather pleased to receive the SIVAL Silver Award for our red pumpkin Kaori Kuri,” says Herve de Saint Pierre, General Manager of our French commercial subsidiary. “Our vision for pumpkin is to help doubling the consumption in the next 5 years. Kaori Kuri will allow to extend the consumption period till end of January and even longer. It is a great achievement. I would like to congratulate all our Vitalis colleagues who work on this pumpkin project and who bred this variety. It is a great recognition for all the work done at Vitalis.”
Kaori Kuri is the new red pumpkin hybrid created by Vitalis. Vitalis is already market leader in red pumpkin in France with the variety Orange Summer. “The consumption of pumpkins and squashes is increasing in Europe, especially in France and in Germany,” says Sales Representative Simon Gilles. Red pumpkin in particular is now a well-known product appreciated for its taste and the fact that it is easy to cook with.
Kaori Kuri excels in three characteristics:
The demand for red pumpkin is high between February and March, but the pumpkins are harvested in the early autumn. Harvest time and storage conditions must be optimal. The shelf life of Kaori Kuri is at least three more weeks than market standards such as Uchiki Kuri. Therefore, with Kaori Kuri we have a red pumpkin that can be sold over a longer period of time without being dependent on import to satisfy the winter demand of the consumers.
For several years, the virus pressure in the fields was high in several European regions. Thanks to its intermediate resistance, Kaori Kuri is less susceptible to diseases than the market standards in medium virus pressure conditions.
The Vitalis’ breeding team particularly focuses on tasty varieties with a high sugar content. After all, our variety Orange Summer has been such a hit because of its taste. This is the case with Kaori Kuri as well. Even the name refers to taste: Kaori is Japanese for ‘Pleasant taste’ and Kuri for ‘of chestnut’. This great taste combined with the shiny red coloured fruits of about 1,2 kg its traditional shape will satisfy the buyers who are looking for quality products.
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