11 August 2025 News
At the end of June, in Tropiszów near Kraków, Enza Zaden, together with BASF, Biocont, FMC, the Krasoń Seedling Growers Group, and Timac Agro, organized a meeting for brassica vegetable producers. The event took place on the farm of Jadwiga and Tomasz Pacuła. During the event, various cabbage varieties and several cauliflower varieties, primarily intended for the fresh market, were showcased. Below is a summary of their characteristics and why they are worth considering.
The undisputed leader among Enza Zaden's cauliflower varieties is Chione F1. It's a proven variety, widely chosen by growers and currently the main array on the Pacuła farm. According to Bernard Zioło, Chione can be planted under fleece from mid-March and in open fields until early July. It tolerates heat stress and temporary water shortages well. It’s easy to pack in flow packs or cartons—8 pieces for fully covered heads, or 6 for partially exposed ones.
The second variety presented was Certezza F1 (previously known as E40W.792 F1). It has been tested since 2023 and proved successful in terms of yield and quality. This cauliflower is similar to Chione F1 in plant structure (erect, wide, dark-colored leaves that provide good head coverage). Trial results from previous years showed that Certezza F1 matures 5–7 days earlier than standard varieties for late spring to early autumn harvests, with even greater advantage in autumn. The representative noted that this is due to Certezza F1’s high cold tolerance, citing a farm where it was planted on July 29 and harvested in November. Its curled inner leaves are ideal for cool-season cultivation. It is suitable for crate packing and wholesale market sales due to its wide base and broad leaf blades.
Another variety growing on the Pacuła farm is Moonshine F1, which differs from the others with its longer leaves. It’s a popular choice among producers who sell cauliflower in bulk crates. It can be grown year-round, as it handles summer stress well and quickly forms heavy, compact, white heads in autumn. All the discussed varieties provide excellent head coverage.
A new variety, Moncayo F1, is also being tested. According to Bernard Zioło’s initial observations, it is very similar to Chione F1 in terms of maturity (70 days in summer). A common trait among all Enza Zaden cauliflower varieties offered in Poland is their dense, heavy heads, he added.
White head cabbage Predeco F1 is also grown on the Tropiszów farm. Their heads are relatively small but very dense, weighing on average 2 kg or more, making them suitable for sale in smaller packages. This cabbage forms marketable heads 70 days after transplanting and can remain in the field longer without quality loss. It is a typical "supermarket" variety for summer sales. Predeco F1 can also be grown from plantings until late July (as a catch crop) and is suitable for storage.
According to Aleksandra Krzyżanowska, Enza Zaden’s portfolio also includes flat-headed cabbage varieties: Autumn King F1, Green Lunar F1, and Green Prime F1.
For summer and autumn harvests intended for the fresh market and storage, the recommended variety is Chinese cabbage Enduro F1. Its heads weigh around 1.5–1.8 kg, are cylindrical in shape, and mature 65 days after transplanting. Notable features include resistance to three races of clubroot and high tolerance to tipburn. It retains a vivid green leaf color in storage for a long time.
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