In response to changing market requirements, Starke Ayres is constantly adjusting the range of speciality lettuce offered to growers. The worldwide search for the best genetics aims to make the best possible quality, yields and disease resistances available to local growers. Customer demands can be satisfied only by having a comprehensive range of varieties over all segments.
As part of this ongoing process, it is with great excitement that Prodigio is introduced as the latest addition to the range. Prodigio is a triple red multileaf coral that offers the grower high yields from a large plant frame and strong vigour. Prodigio has a thicker, firmer and more durable leaf that can provide the grower with a longer shelf life. It offers excellent leaf uniformity that separates easily with a single cut. The dark triple red glossy leaf colour is striking and when mixed with green varieties in a packet offers exceptional colour contrast.
Red varieties tend to be slower maturing and smaller than their green counterparts. This makes growing them together for whole leaf application challenging. Prodigio’s high vigour and large frame allow growers to reduce the size gap between their red and green varieties, thus simplifying whole-leaf production.
Prodigio is already being used in other parts of the world but was extensively tested under a wide range of local conditions before introduction. These tests showed Prodigio to be a very uniform and hardy variety with excellent bolting tolerance in both summer and winter plantings. It gave consistently good results in conventional soil plantings as well as in different types of hydroponic systems. The variety is highly adaptable and will perform well under a wide range of conditions.
This exciting new addition to the market has already received positive reactions from growers who have tested it. Prodigio compliments some other new releases, namely the red oakleaf Estagio and the multi-butter varieties Canagio and Rubagio. Contact your sales representative to add Prodigio to your current range and to find out more about other new additions.
