OriGene Seeds Open Day: Showcasing Innovation for the Local Market
OriGene Seeds, an international seeds company with branches worldwide and a base in Israel, places significant importance on the local market, recognizing its value in the company’s development. The company’s dedication to its local partners, including farmers, distributors, marketers, and nurseries, is reflected in its decision to focus this year’s open field day in OriGene Seeds R&D station entirely on the local market.
Roni Allon, the company’s VP of Sales, shared insights, revealing an internal debate about whether to hold the open day this year. The decision to proceed was driven by the opportunity to focus on local customers. Allon emphasized the company’s unique position as one of the few fully Israeli-owned seeds companies with a local cultivation center, highlighting the importance of developing varieties suited to Israel’s climatic conditions.
To learn more about the Israeli market, we met with Michael Benor, who has been with the company for over 11 years. In the early years, he worked in the R&D department, and for the past two years, he has been managing the Israeli market.
One significant breakthrough Michael mentioned was in the field of watermelon rootstock. After years of experiments, the company can confirm that the graft is indeed good and strong. The watermelon demonstrates firmness, taste, sweetness, and quick ripening without compromising the crop.
Michael presents the watermelon rootstock
The ‘Noga‘ variety of cluster tomatoes, introduced by the company last year, is now ready for commercial cultivation. This variety offers growers benefits such as longer shelf-life, uniform ripening, and a robust plant. These features have led to high expectations for orders due to its proven success.
Roni Alon Showcases ‘Noga‘ Cluster Tomatoes
In the melon segment, the ‘Ruby‘ variety, an ananas-type melon, was highlighted for its long shelf life, though Michael noted the challenge growers face in adapting to new varieties despite their advantages.
During the open field day, despite the hot weather, Michael led the professional tours of the company’s experimental areas, showcasing the latest developments in new products and the trials for products in various stages of development.
Dr. Eyal Vardi Presents the ‘Ruby‘ Variety to Yuval Cohen from Fortissimo Capital
On the tour, Michael presented ‘Bongo‘, bred and created by Dr. Eyal Vardi, a new variety of Butternut with long-term storage capacity and uniform growth, which has shown promising results in trials in Italy, Spain, and Israel. During the field tour, Michael let us taste two oval varieties of watermelons with dark skin ORS61228 and ORS61229, which are popular in the USA and Mexico and have received positive responses in Israel.
Here’s a revised title:
Michael Benor Introduces ‘Bongo‘: A New Butternut Squash Variety
In the pepper segment, the new variety ‘Jordi‘, suitable for planting in mid-summer, is adapted for challenging areas, providing a high and uniform yield throughout multiple picking cycles. A notable innovation is its ability to renew flowering after a pause.
The event was a success, led by the in-house creative unit, hand by hand with the Marketing and the Breeders, with about 200 attendees, including growers, distributors, company employees, nurseries, and media representatives. They enjoyed a social gathering with refreshments and a tasting stand featuring the company’s developed varieties.
OriGene Seeds demonstrated its technological forefront, innovative products, and commitment to developing varieties with added value for all stakeholders in the supply chain. This approach strengthens the company’s position in both the local and global markets. Hope to see you all next year on the open field day at Moshav Bnei Darom, both from the local market and OriGene Seeds’ overseas branches.
