Rijk Zwaan’s newest cucumber variety
“Curtis RZ has proven to be a top producer for a spring crop”

High production while at the same time offering a high level of powdery mildew resistance.

Howard Huy continues in saying that Curtis RZ is a strong variety with good fruit setting and strong lateral production. “It does very well in our particular climate conditions of hot humid summers. Curtis RZ gives us dark green quality cucumbers with a high percentage of mediums”. Howard owns and manages 18 acres of greenhouse cucumber, pepper and specialty vegetable products in the town of Leamington, Ontario.

A quick introduction here: Curtis RZ is Rijk Zwaan’s newest cucumber variety for the market in North America. It has been selected for its ability to give a high production of cucumbers while at the same time offering the growers a high level of powdery mildew resistance. Curtis RZ is intended for spring, summer and autumn planting. Lets take a look at why more growers across North America are choosing to grow Curtis RZ:

Theo Verbaarschot
Grower at Westcoast Vegetable Ltd in Delta, British Columbia
“Curtis RZ as a second crop, planting density of 1.15/m2 with an extra shoot on 5th internode. Currently, there is not a better high tolerant variety.” Theo bases this statement on the following points:
• Good fruit length.
• High production when compared to other tolerant varieties.
• Good mildew tolerance.
• Plant habit is strong and well suited for the Canadian summer.
• Fruits are strong against gummy stem.

Steve Holley
Grower at Glenwood Valley Farms Phase 2 in Langley, British Columbia.
“Curtis RZ gives a steady production of fruit which helps to minimize the peaks and valleys of the production cycle. The overall fruit length of Curtis RZ is good for our market. Because the fruit are not getting too long, I know I’m not throwing away kilograms. Instead, I’m adding to the next fruit. With its strong resistance to powdery mildew, our spray program has been manageable this summer. This allows me more time to concentrate on the crop labour.”

Ken Ng
Grower at Glenwood Valley Farms Phase 1 in Langley, British Columbia.
“Curtis RZ is a good producer for our climate here in the Fraser Valley. It is one of our top producers in our spring and summer crops. It has good tolerance against powdery mildew and gummy stem. There are some shorter stem fruits but this is minimized by keeping a side shoot which can be taken anywhere from leaf No. 6 to leaf No. 8. Fruit length on the lateral is consistently medium but can be large in the summer months. It is important to keep the crop open. The shorter internodes make more leaves, but also keeps the production high. Overall, Curtis RZ has great potential in our greenhouse, both in the umbrella system and in high wire.”

Albert Cramer
Owner/grower at Rolling Acres, Medicine Hat Alberta.
Albert plants in an umbrella type system with a density of 1.5 stems/m2.
A few of his points on why to choose Curtis RZ are:
• Good balanced plant habit, enough growth and still open.
• Curtis RZ handles the summer heat well in conjunction with his shading program.
• Mildew tolerancy is very good.

Christian Lund
Grower at RX Farms in Kingsville, Ontario
“Curtis RZ is my choice for spring because of its ability to produce a high volume of good quality fruit with a high percentage being of medium size.”

Seeds & Services 2006