MANILA, Philippines — Seed companies are continually developing new crop varieties in order to provide solutions to the concerns of farmers, creating new opportunities for them in the process.

That’s just what the plant breeders of the biggest seed company in Taiwan are doing. That’s the Known-You Seed Company which highlighted its 43rd anniversary last December 19 with the inauguration of its NT$300-million new headquarters in Kaohsiung in the southern part of the country.

During the occasion, the company showcased its outstanding new varieties together with a collection of germplasm used for breeding.

Easily one of the outstanding varieties bred by the scientists of the company is a different kind of melon which has been christened Prity by Known-You founder Wun-Yu Chen himself. This particular variety has a special lemony flavor, prompting Toto Barcelona to call it Pomelon because it is like eating pomelo and melon at the same time. Barcelona is the Known-You distributor of the company’s seeds in the Philippines.

We have tasted the Pomelon and it is really unique. It has very soft and juicy flesh with that unusual flavor. A trial planting has been done in a demo farm in Carmen, Rosales, Pangasinan but it will only be known by February or March if it will exhibit the same flavor as in Taiwan, or if it will thrive well under local conditions.

The Pomelon fruit weighs an average of 1.8 kilos and can be harvested 75 to 90 days after planting. The lemony taste persists even after one month in storage. It has a long shelf life. This new variety is also said to be resistant to Fusarium wilt disease.

Another new variety is the Luna melon which is one of the sweetest melons with a Brix of 14 to 16 degrees. Its orange flesh is crisp and very nice to eat. This variety can be a real money maker. It has a short gesta-tion period because the fruits can be harvested in just 65 to 80 days from planting. It has smooth golden yellow skin which makes it very attractive. It is claimed to be easy to cultivate and easy to set fruit.

Another outstanding melon is called King Show. It has a bright yellow skin with some distinctive stripes. The fruit is short oblong, smooth, about 1.7 kilos and with good shipping quality. Its white flesh is soft, sweet (Brix of 14 to 16 degrees), and can be harvested 75 to 85 days from planting. It is also claimed to have good shipping quality.

What’s considered about the sweetest cantaloupe developed by Known-You is called Red Aroma. The thick dark orange flesh with soft texture has good aroma and high Brix of 15 to 18 degrees. It can be harvested around 75 to 90 days after sowing, and is good for shipping and storage. It is also resistant to the Fusarium wilt disease.

From a very modest beginning – a small store for vegetable seeds - Known-You has grown to become the biggest seed company in Taiwan. The main reason for its steady growth is the focused dedication of its founder, Wun-Yu Chen, who at age 86 still goes to his office and visits the experimental farms of the com-pany. Of course, much of the managerial chores have been delegated to his son Lung-Mu Chen who is now the president of the company.

A plant breeder who studied plant breeding at Chiba University in Japan, Mr. Chen has made use of his expertise in producing the right varieties for different kinds of environments through the years. The great bulk of seeds have been watermelons and melons. However, the company is also strong in tomatoes (cherry and table tomatoes), different kinds of peppers (sweet and hot), eggplant, radish, crucifers, vine vegetables (squash, luffa, wax gourd, upo, etc.), sweet corn and even flowering plants.

Mr. Chen is not just happy making money for his company. He is even happier in seeing ordinary farmers make money from farming. The fact is that millions of farmers not just in Taiwan but also everywhere – Asia, Europe, Middle East, United States and countries in South America - have been reaping their just rewards from farming, thanks to the improved Known-You seeds.

Known-You has subsidiaries in China, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Singapore, and the Philippines.