From labor-saving tomato hybrids to the latest virus-protected squash varieties, growers have more options than ever before to boost their yields, improve fruit quality and maximize their farming efficiency. In fact, too many options for some growers. So each year, Asgrow Vegetable Seeds and well-known seed dealer Seedway get together to help eastern farmers sort through this maze of new varieties.

This season nearly a dozen Asgrow staffers joined Seedway to evaluate and "FAB" the Asgrow products - seedsman shorthand for Features, Advantages and Benefits. "The Seedway trial grounds provide an excellent focal point for horticulturists to compare varieties and share personal experiences and their growers' experiences with these varieties," noted Jim Pullins, Seedway
business manager. "Our goal here is identify the best new varieties and where they fit in the market."

For tomato growers, Asgrow has a number of new hybrids that improve upon many of its most popular varieties. For growers taking a hard look at costs, especially labor, Asgrow has some good news. "We're trying to have big plants, but not so big that they need to be pruned a great deal," said Asgrow plant breeder Dorothy Eyberg. Most Asgrow varieties only need two to
three suckers pruned from the plant, she indicated. This can be a big labor savings compared to other hybrids that typically need to be pruned more heavily. Fertility can be lower as well, she said. "You may have to cut back if you get a bigger vine than you'd like," she said. 

According to Eyberg, Asgrow has a lot of good early material, and more on the way. But finding a better tomato than SunStart - a large first-early hybrid - has proven difficult, she said. That's until Asgrow introduced SunShine, which offers a better alternative for many growers. "It has an improved plant, better fruit quality, and it doesn't seem to get as rough like SunStart can. I've heard good reports coming back," she said. 

Based on his experience, Seedway's Jim Snyder agreed: "Sunshine seems to have a better plant and smoother fruit." Other reports show that it has done very well in cool areas such as upstate New York since it does not have a tendency to catface in the cold. "SunShine's quality has been consistently better than SunRise and it puts on more size - it has performed very well," said horticulturist Ron Garton from Asgrow. "SunShine has a concentrated fruit set but with good potential for some extended harvest." In addition, Asgrow has slotted Sun Chief to replace SunRise, a well-known season opener.

In the main and midseason, Asgrow has a number of alternatives for growers, including SunSation, which can get very large. A roadside stand variety, it is firm enough to ship. This complements one of Asgrow's favorite varieties SunBeam. "One thing I've always been impressed with SunBeam is the consistency. The fruit size and shape are just exactly the same, and that makes for a really nice pack," said Eyberg. "SunBeam does well along the Ohio river where we get a lot of early blight pressure," added Asgrow salesman Ken Wagner. "People have developed an emotional attachment to it."

In the shipping market, Florida 47 and Florida 91 are Asgrow's top guns. Florida 47 was originally developed by Florida, but is quickly gaining favor in the east as a fall tomato. "The outstanding feature about this hybrid is that it will size up well," said Eyberg. "You will pack out a very high
percentage of everything you pick." It has even recovered from a hail storm, according to a grower report. "One of my growers had a field of Florida 47, and we had a hail storm wipe out the crop," said Wagner. "The grower settled with his hail insurance; and the plants came back for a late fall. He made a tremendous amount of money. It is a very grower-friendly variety." 

Likewise, Florida 91 is a hot set tomato that has outperformed many tomatoes currently on the market. "In Michigan, Florida 91 continues to size better than other hybrids for three years," said Wagner of his personal experience. "We have a complete tomato program for the grower. Sometimes we see so much of the older tomato varieties; I think that if growers would try some of
these new varieties, they'd never go back," said Wagner.

In beans, squash and other crops, Asgrow has made similar breakthroughs. Snap bean consumption is on the rise, and Asgrow has a number of new greener beans to complement Bronco, which holds up well through the produce channels and has the color and appearance preferred by consumers. Asgrow's earliest bean, Storm, is a all-purpose bean with colored seed. "It's more stress tolerant than a lot of varieties, so it's going to set pods under more severe conditions," explained product development specialist Todd Cutting. "It's being used everywhere with good results, especially as a starter before going into Bronco." A more slender type, Carlo, is now taking off in New Jersey, Tennessee and Midwest, he noted "Even though it's a slender pod on a small plant, it has yielded very well," said Cutting. Growers have also reported that it has done well in fields with root rot problems. One of Asgrow's most unique beans is Festina, a new low-fiber bean with a large plant that stands up well. "This one has a place with a roadside stand grower who needs a good-eating, attractive gourmet bean," Cutting said. " This will work well as a follow-up to Tema, a dark seeded variety with excellent cold soil vigor."

Horticulturist Todd Cutting of Asgrow highlights the advantages of planting Asgrow snap bean varieties during Seedway's annual variety trials near Hershey, Pennsylvania.

For squash growers with plant virus problems, Asgrow has introduced new hybrids with the strongest resistance available to three mosaic viruses - CMV, WMV & ZYMV (previous products had resistance to two viruses). The newest is Liberator III, a widely adapted yellow straightneck developed through biotechnology. Fruit are smooth and green-stemmed; the type preferred by produce buyers. Asgrow also offers Patriot II with resistance to two viruses (WMV and ZYMV) and intermediate resistance to powdery mildew.

"When it comes down to it there is no perfect variety," noted Kendra Tomlinson, Asgrow sales manager. "It is about what variety traits are most important to you, and what works on your farm." It also comes down to relationships. "There a lot of similarity in products, so growers often look
for something beyond the seed - like service and marketing support. Ultimately, this is a service business," she said.

Seedway carries Asgrow's full line of vegetable seed products in the Northeast and Midwest. Asgrow Vegetable Seeds, a Seminis business [NASDAQ: SMNS], develops and markets over 1000 vegetable variety choices in 108 countries. Worldwide headquarters are based in Oxnard, California. 

Company news release
N3003