Modesto,
California
November 29, 2000
A trio of Harris Moran
Seed Company cucumbers fared well in a recent slicer yield
trial in North Carolina.
An upcoming commercial variety from Harris Moran – HMX 8416
– ranked first in yield, first in fancy plus No. 1 grade, and
first for overall fruit quality.
One of the most disease tolerant varieties tested, HMX 8416
outperformed such popular commercial hybrids as Dasher II,
Turbo, Indy, Panther, and Thunder.
Trials conducted by North Carolina State University tested 19
varieties of slicer cucumbers near the town of Clinton.
Two other Harris Moran varieties – Greensleeves and General
Lee – scored close to the top in overall rankings.
Greensleeves, a well-known high yielder even under tough
conditions, reaffirmed its trustworthy reputation as it scored
in the top 20% in yield, marketable yield, percent culls,
earliness, overall fruit quality, and disease resistance.
Greensleeves’ dark green fruit features early maturity and
small seed cavity with slow seed development. Its disease
package includes: resistance to Scab, tolerance to Angular Leaf
Spot, tolerance to Downy Mildew, and tolerance to Powdery
Mildew.
General Lee, which has established itself as one of the
industry stalwarts, also ranked in the top 20% in all
categories. A classy, consistent slicer with extraordinary
shipping ability, General Lee features resistance to Powdery
Mildew, resistance to Scab, resistance to Downy Mildew, and
tolerance to Cucumber Mosaic Virus.
Gary Taurick, HM’s slicer cucumber breeder, said upcoming
varieties like HMX 8416 will complement Greensleeves and General
Lee.
"Research trials in market areas have shown HMX 8416
produces good yields with a high percentage of top grade fruit
and few culls."
Harris Moran's newest slicing cucumber variety will be grown
by a few select growers in the Southeast this season, with
limited general availability coming in the Spring of 2002. By
the 2003 season, we expect this variety to have established
itself as the leader in this new class of high yielding, dark
skinned slicing cucumber.