July 14, 2025
From disease and pests to wild weather, cauliflower yields are under pressure. Add these concerns to the need for high quality curds with the right color, size, and taste, and it means growing cauliflower is no easy task. Challenges cauliflower growers face in the Salinas region include temperature and rain variability and club root.
Growers need a long-term partner in cauliflower.
With disease-resistant, adaptable varieties that include a strong wrap, Syngenta is committed to helping growers produce the some of the best, most profitable, cauliflower heads.
Want to know more about Syngenta’s latest developments in cauliflower disease resistance and new varieties? Come hear it from experts in Salinas on August 12 and 13, 2025. Register for the event and learn more here.
Prioritizing adaptability
In addition to disease resistance, Syngenta’s cauliflower varieties feature adaptability, something essential when it comes to ever-changing temperatures and rainfall.
Varieties that are consistent performers year over year as well as adaptable to weather include Lacerta and Stella
“Growers need a variety that can grow through the cool, damp winters of Salinas, CA to have a great crop ready for spring harvests,” said Justin Goodwyn, Syngenta Vegetable Seeds Product Specialist Leafy, Brassica and Okra West U.S. “This is where our variety, Lacerta, truly stands out. Growers need a variety that can go from very warm to cool or cold conditions in Yuma, AZ for a quality crop amidst adverse weather conditions in the desert. This is where our new variety, Stella, truly shines.
Syngenta’s Cauliflower variety, Stella, is adapted to grow specifically in the desert southwest and California central coast areas. It has outstanding firmness and wrap with consistent high-quality heads.
Another top-performing variety, Lacerta, features a vigorous plant with heavy curds. It is a temperate variety that is well suited for California overwinter growing and spring slotting. It also features HR to clubroot, a disease that can be damaging in certain areas.
Working today with the future in mind
In the future, Syngenta is focusing primarily on plant architecture in cauliflower — promoting a strong wrap, which provides self-protection against the sun.
Syngenta breeders are also heavily selecting for adaptability and performance. "Breeding new varieties takes significantly less time than it used to," said Antonio Gutiérrez of Syngenta, a leader in brassicas innovation. Guitiérrez and his team identifies customers’ needs and builds tailored portfolios based on those needs.
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Colorful Cauliflower Creates Culinary Greatness
In the specialty market, Syngenta U.S. offers purple and orange cauliflower varieties.
“They’re really fun from a culinary perspective,” Goodwyn said. Colored cauliflower’s flavor profile tends to be more mild, sweet and nutty compared to white cauliflowers.
Purple cauliflower’s color comes from anthocyanin, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties; and orange cauliflower contains carotenoids with beta carotene.
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