More than ten years ago, after establishing itself in the strawberry market, Planasa observed that berry demand levels were steadily increasing and the market was becoming really interesting, especially in the United States. For this reason, they decided to develop a whole range of berries, starting with raspberries, and continuing with blueberries and blackberries.
Adelita raspberries
"Since the beginning, our raspberry development and genetic selection program has been as ambitious as that of our strawberries in terms of investment volumes, labour and planning," says Alexandre Pierron, manager of Planasa. "In the beginning, only a handful of growers and university researchers dared to develop new raspberry varieties; nowadays, there are already over thirty programs all over the world, but I doubt any is as ambitious as ours."
Pioneering a program focused on varieties selected for a Mediterranean climate, in 2012 they launched the remontant Lupita and Adelita varieties, developed in Huelva and Mexico and oriented towards an improvement of shelf life and the reduction of production costs, "currently the greatest challenges for the raspberry sector," according to Alexandre.
Adelita on the bush.
"Each of these varieties has its own agronomic characteristics, but they complement each other really well, covering the autumn, spring and winter cycles," explains Alexandre.
What is truly innovative about the Adelita is that it is the first low chilling primocane variety which does not need a winter pause and is extremely flexible, making it possible to produce during the winter. It is planted in August in Huelva and constantly bears fruit from December to April. In Mexico, growers are able to produce continuously between October and May.
Macrotunnel with Adelita crops
"The main goal pursued with the Adelita is to have quality fruit available for a much longer period, while being able to increase the production volumes during the off-season months when there are normally shortages. It is an interesting market for producers, taking into account the very interesting prices normally registered during that period, of around 12 Euro/kilo."
Regarding flavour, "the Adelita grown during the winter months ripens slower, and this gives it a very intense and sweet flavour."
Both raspberry varieties are also characterised by their large calibres, "something which, unlike with strawberries, it is appreciated by consumers," says Alexandre. The Adelita weights an average of 10 grams, being able to reach up to 14 grams, while the Lupita weights between 8 and 10 grams. "They have a great advantage, taking into account that most existing varieties reach around 5 grams."
Lupita raspberries
Furthermore, "although the Adelita has not been as successful, the Lupita is a very interesting variety, designed for two cycles, one in the autumn and another in the spring. It is, therefore, a classic primocane which is best suited to northern European climates, "although it also works in Huelva," he added.
Planasa aims to quadruple its acreage in just a year. "Since the varieties were launched in 2012, we have already enjoyed a great success with the Adelita, which is the most prominent out of the new varieties. Last year, there were barely 20 hectares for these varieties worldwide; this year, there are already 250 and for 2015 we expect to reach up to 1,000 hectares."
For more information:
Alexandre Pierron
PLANASA
Ctra. San Adrián, km 1,
Valtierra, Navarra, España.
T. +34 948 867 700
planasa@planasa.com
www.planasa.com