Oct 20, 2022

Harvest indicator marks Syngenta’s newest melon release

Syngenta Vegetable Seeds is making IDEAL Melon seed varieties more widely available to U.S. and Central American growers. The new melon is designed to combat inconsistencies in the Harper cantaloupe melon market, according to a news release.

Syngenta’s newest innovation will provide consumers a portfolio that consistently deliver flavorful and aromatic fresh melons throughout the year, according to the release. “Gone are the days of consumers hoping the melons they buy will be as fresh, juicy, and delicious as they remember,” Syngenta said in the release.

IDEAL Melons possess the characteristics supermarkets, wholesalers and foodservice people desire: aesthetically pleasing, superior-colored fruit that also provides convenience and flexibility. IDEAL Melons can be sold as whole melons, sliced, diced and balled for deli and convenience SKUs.

“We know there have been challenges that impacted not only growers, but consumers’ perceptions of this cantaloupe melon segment,” Bernie Hamel, Syngenta’s value-added chain lead, said in the release. “With new IDEAL Melons, we’re addressing those market challenges to create consistent and flavorful melons that growers and consumers can rely on and love.”

To avoid gauging melon ripeness via less-than-reliable ripeness signs such as a melon’s stem, Syngenta has invented a patent-pending Harvest Indicator Trait. The melons’ rinds with the trait change color, indicating the ideal time to harvest from the field, allowing the fruit to stay on the stem up to 48 hours longer than similar segments, according to the release.

The color change continues even post-harvest, signaling the ideal time to arrive at distribution centers and the ideal time to stock grocery store shelves. Produce managers won’t have to wonder if the melons are ripe and ready, eliminating the guesswork and reducing waste and spoilage, according to the release.

The IDEAL Melon Harvest Indicator Trait varieties will be sourced from Central America during the winter. The remainder of the year’s consumer demand can be grown throughout the U.S. with other IDEAL Melon varieties, according to the release.

Syngenta plans to promote the new melon as well as the first edible stem cauliflower, its YOOM purple cocktail-sized tomato and other new products during an Oct. 27 luncheon at the 2022 IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando, Florida.

PHOTO: New Syngenta IDEAL Melon seed varieties possess harvest indicator marks, allowing for easier ripeness detection.