The flat nectarine revolution has only just begun

The last two years have been difficult for Spanish stone fruit producers. They saw the climate spoil a considerable part of the production, leading to the loss of the expected income and the investments made. However, investments are essential to improve production and be able to better cope with the current challenges of fruit growing, whether exceptional, such as bad weather conditions, or cyclical, such as the market situation. To overcome them, product differentiation can be decisive. Thus, varietal renewal is one of the most interesting investments to be made in fruit growing today.

homas Chevaillier, technical sales director of PSB Producción Vegetal, says a grower can never stop investing. “Just as you have to buy frost protection systems or systems to improve production in the field or quality in storage, like new cold rooms or graders, you also have to invest in new varieties. They offer very good quality fruit and can also be essential when there is a gap in production, ”explains Thomas. “When there is a variance gap and high demand, the following varieties are harvested earlier, fruit quality suffers and the consequences hurt the entire industry. On the other hand, there are old varieties in large quantities that are flooding the markets, while some very good new varieties have been developed and could be planted to cover the whole season with a fresh and quality product. « 

The varietal renewal of fruit trees is also useful in the face of climate change, because it offers the possibility of having species better adapted to new climatic regimes. “For example, the apricot season is now starting in Murcia. Here we have a dry climate, with temperatures generally rising early and more concentrated precipitation in the fall. However, we had a period of three or four years with a lot of rain in the spring, precisely in the period when the cell division of the fruit takes place. If there is no sun and water, the fruit does not accumulate sugar, and when the rain falls on the production site just before harvest, the quality drops and consumption suffers a lot. We have seen it this year, where we did not have the desired demand, despite the drop in volumes, ”said the professional. « But that doesn’t mean we’re going to stop producing apricots. »

Last but not least, new varieties allow producers to better adapt to changing consumer and market trends. “We must not forget that we are all dependent on the consumption of the end consumer,” says Thomas.

« The flat nectarine revolution has only just begun ».
PSB Producción Vegetal is a Murcia-based breeding company that has developed an extensive stone fruit varietal improvement program, offering fruit growers varieties suitable for the different climates of the Mediterranean region.

“Our work is not limited to sales: it is about advising growers so that they choose the right varieties,” explains Thomas. “To this end, we also organize technical conferences in Lleida, Murcia and in France, during which we exhibit our varieties and present the latest innovations to growers. Growers listen to us and replace old varieties whose production is concentrated in the peaks, or which lack color or have a greater tendency to crack, with more attractive and tasty varieties, better for marketing. «