RZ-100-wt4-E-flipbook-240702 - Flipbook - Page 142
Trial Centre High Tech
In 2023, a new demo plant is opened within walking distance of the head office in
De Lier: the TCHT (Trial Centre High Tech). For several years, Rijk Zwaan has been
renting a space in the Netherlands to display its tomato varieties to growers and
retailers. Unlike other crops, where demo trials are conducted at the growers’
premises, Rijk Zwaan must cultivate these tomato crops itself, as modern tomato
nurseries are reluctant to receive visitors on their farms for phytosanitary reasons.
The newly opened TCHT showcases varieties not just of tomato, but also of
cucumber, sweet pepper and aubergine.
Rijk Zwaan has a similar demo location in Spain for Mediterranean fruiting vegetables.
For open-soil vegetables, Rijk Zwaan has had a demo field in Fijnaart for many
years, where many (international) customers come to see the range of varieties in
the periods June/July and September/October. The new Spanish breeding station
‘Bellavista’ in El Ejído has a similar function for the ‘southern’ varieties.
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