Seminis brand expands pepper portfolio with Hammerhead

Seminis^® provides growers with innovative solutions to help conquer challenges like diseases and pests, by developing the best possible products for its customers. One of the most recent innovations is Hammerhead, a pepper variety that offers intermediate resistance to 3 species of the parasitic root-knot nematode. Hammerhead combines the protection that growers expect with X10R^® Technology and Phytophthora resistance.

Hammerhead is a green bell pepper designed for open-field and the fresh market and is well-suited for the Southeastern United States. In addition to the Meloidogyne incognita, M. arenaria, and M. javanica root-knot nematode resistance and strong disease resistance package, Hammerhead boasts strong yield potential and produces high-quality, uniform fruit. The variety joins the company's established high-performing portfolio of peppers.

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are microscopic soil-borne roundworms that bore through root cell walls and begin feeding and wreaking havoc inside a plant's root system. This reduces the plant’s uptake of nutrients and water and leaves the plant more susceptible to diseases, bacteria, and rot. Root-knot nematodes are among the most destructive pests in agriculture.

In research done by the University of Georgia, root-knot nematode is the most prevalent plant-parasitic nematode in vegetable fields of Georgia, with an incidence of 67.3 percent (Marquez & Hajihassani, 2023).

″Root-knot nematode damage may not always be visible by looking at the field,″ says Andrew Scruggs, Seminis Market Development Representative. ″Often, nematode feeding silently reduces yield and fruit quality with no obvious above-ground symptoms. Under heavy infestations, stunting or chlorosis may be observed. If you pull up the plant to inspect the root system and see galls or knots on the roots — this is a sure sign that you have root-knot nematodes.″

Hammerhead, with its resistance to Meloidogyne incognita, M. arenaria, and M. javanica root-knot nematodes, works by restricting the nematode thus helping to reduce the need for chemical control. Using a nematode-resistant variety disrupts the nematode life cycle and helps reduce their population, improving future crops that are susceptible to root-knot nematode.

″Hammerhead offers nematode resistance which can also help your next crop by suppressing the root-knot nematode populations,″ says Javier Delgado, Seminis Eastern U.S. Marketing Manager. ″Our goal is to help growers with all of the challenges they face and improve yield potential. By using advanced breeding technologies, Seminis continues to deliver the solutions growers need.″

Root-knot nematodes pose a significant threat to food production, sustainability, and soil health. Their rapid reproduction, wide range of host plants, and limited natural predators contribute to this issue. Utilizing nematode-resistant vegetable varieties is an effective strategy to help manage parasitic nematode infestations. This approach has been shown to help growers minimize the need and expense of broad-scale pest management and has the potential to contribute to improved soil health by allowing for the presence of beneficial nematode species. 

Growers can learn more about Hammerhead by visiting the Bayer and Seminis booth at the Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference happening now in Savannah, Georgia. Representatives from Seminis will be available to update growers on the new technologies Seminis is introducing to the market.