Day Neutral Variety trial results, 2025/26

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It was exciting to finally break the 1kg/plant barrier over all varieties from all sources (1126g/plant).  We also broke the 2kg/plant barrier with one plot of Valiant although that was from the spacing trial and was at the widest spacing of just 4 plants per m.  This highlights the risk of comparing overseas data where we sometimes see very high yield levels that do not relate to spacings and conditions we experience in New Zealand.

One of the things we are able to do with this trial is compare different sources of the same variety.  We had 11 different nurseries supply Monterey plants. It is interesting to note in the data that there is effectively no difference between the yield from plug plants compared to bare root plants.  

So, what has our first year growing in the tunnel taught us this year?

• Golden Gate and Keystone are definitely worth a trial
• We need to work on things we think will improve fruit size, especially water and nutrient management
• It will be good to get more data on Royal Royce as it is still an enigma with its variable production
• We need to manage mirids better
• We need a management programme for powdery mildew, which we never needed when growing outdoors.

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