Dutch breeding company Westland Seeds has been selling snack pepper varieties to the North American market for the past ten years. "Our varieties have shown a big advantage over competitor varieties, and in the upcoming season, we're offering five different colors," says Iwan van Vliet, managing director at Westland Seeds B.V.
Having recognized supermarkets' desire for more colors of snacking peppers, Westland Seeds offers bright yellow (WLS 0290) and brown (WLS 2457) snacking peppers alongside their red, orange, and yellow varieties. Westland Seeds is also introducing a new orange variety, which boasts high yields, high TM resistance and is more suitable to the Canadian growing environment.
Ontario climate dictates the success of varieties
According to a Westland Seeds consultant in Ontario, the Ontario greenhouse industry demands certain considerations when introducing new varieties due to the region's surrounding lakes. During the night, temperature and humidity levels tend to remain high. Also, the region's high 24H temperatures and high light levels can make it difficult to get the plants in balance.
"Westland Seeds is getting very good at finding varieties that work well in this climate, first with the red and yellow and now with this new orange. Our newly introduced orange variety is now up for trials," says the local specialist.
Westland Seeds' snack pepper segment includes Snack Red (20-30 g), Snack Yellow (35-45 g), Snack Orange (30-40 g), Snack Brown (25-35 g). Super Snack (three colors, 50-60 g), Snack XL (three colors, 40-50 g).
Aside from its snack pepper segment, Westland Seeds offers three sizes of blocky-type peppers, sweet point-types, and various hot peppers. Westland Seeds also has a Midi Point segment, which is between a snack pepper and sweet point.
