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Red Curly Kale

This Organic Seed Alliance PPB project was supported in 2007 by a generous grant from the Organic Farming Research Foundation. The project is still underway for the 2008 season.

Red Curly Kale Background: Farmer Nash Huber of Nash’s Organic Produce in Sequim, WA and OSA Senior Breeder Dr. John Navazio are working together to breed a cold hardy, good tasting, downy mildew resistant, red, curly, open-pollinated kale. Over the last ten years Huber has been developing his own variety of tender, curly red sweet kale on his farm. His main breeding objective is to develop an open-pollinated organic red kale variety that surpasses the current red kale standard hybrid variety ‘Redbor’. ‘Redbor’ is a popular market standard due to its rich, deep red color. However, it is not exceptionally cold hardy, lacks flavor, tends to be tough in texture, and is susceptible to downy mildew in the early spring in Western Washington. ‘Redbor’ seed is significantly more expensive than seed of other comparable kale varieties and, as it is a hybrid, growers can not maintain or regionally adapt their own seed stock.

After a number of years working on his kale on his own, Huber recently began working with Navazio and OSA to create a stable breeding population with quality characteristics. His breeding project began when he discovered two red pigmented plants in a commercial field of ‘Vates Dwarf Blue Curled’ (‘VDBC’) kale in a field. Huber recognized the potential of red pigmentation combined with the favorable traits of ‘VDBC’, which has cold hardiness, medium-savoyed leaves, good flavor, and ability produce well under cool conditions. The major flaw of ‘VDBC’ for Huber was its dwarf stature. He desired a taller plant for ease of harvest and ability to keep the leaves above the splashing of soil during winter rains. The cross of the two red ‘VDBC’ plants to two Brussels sprouts plants allowed transfer of the taller stature of Brussels sprouts to kale. Progeny of this cross were selected for eight generations for the ideotype of a tall, red kale with upright stature, strong stalks, cold hardiness, good winter productivity, attractive medium-savoyed leaves, tender eating quality, good flavor, and general disease resistance.