Salvi Vivai produces 120 million strawberry plants a year

On 16th July 2016, Salvi Vivai opened its doors to showcase all the operations leading from the creation of parent plants to the commercialisation of strawberry plants. The company produces around 120 million plants every year, 100 million of which are produced in Italy (trays, minitrays, modules, GWBs, plugs and runners). In Poland, Salvi Vivai produces 15 million bare root plants for southern Italy, Spain, Greece and North Africa.

The company exports over 70% of its production, especially towards France and Germany (25% each - around the same percentage is sold in Italy).

See the photo report and discover how Salvi Vivai produces over 100 million strawberry plants every year.

Strawberry runners ready for planting.

Clery* is Salvi Vivai's leading variety. 40 hectares of the total 110 cultivated by the company are dedicated to this variety and there are another 50 in Poland.

The main destination markets for Clery* plants are Germany, France and Italy. "It is a very reliable variety. It is cultivated from southern Italy to northern Europe - you can find it also in Ireland, Iceland and Russia (before the ban). It is very early and very productive and retailers appreciate it. Producers also like it because it is not subject to phytosanitary problems and it is so rustic that tired soils pose no problems. Fruits are sweet, bright red and with a good shelf-life."

Click here for the photo report.

Field of parent plants.

Over the years, there has been a sort of revolution as regards varietal choice. "Before Clery*, our main variety was Marmolada*, which is more productive. However, while in the past we focused on volumes, focusing on quality has become imperative. Consumers want to eat well and are willing to spend a few cents more, they no longer want to settle for a mediocre product."

This change in approach can also be observed for other varieties like El Santa*. "It used to be the standard in northern Europe - and has been for 30 years - but now there are more modern varieties available. It is not rustic enough, so it suffers more due to diseases and tired soils. In the future, we will pass from floricane to remontant plants, as they require less labour and it is possible to manage the highs and lows of a season with more than one harvest."

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Plants under shading nets to favour rooting.

Salvi Vivai is also working on other varieties, like for example Murano*. It is a remontant variety but, unlike other highly productive plants, its fruits are tasty. It is quite easy to cultivate, fruits have good grades and plants are rustic. It is quite popular in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK and it is now being introduced in France. In Italy it is becoming quite popular in Alto Adige and Lessinia. Last year, we had 3 hectares of Murano* strawberries, while this year we have 12."

Other new varieties are Laetitia*, a late variety developed for the north that ripens 2 weeks after Clery*, and Sibilla*, a medium-late variety that ripens 10 days after Clery*.

Contacts:
Società Agricola Salvi Vivai s.s.
Via Bologna, 714
44124 Ferrara
Tel.: (+39) 0532 785511
Fax: (+39) 0532 785531
Email: info@salvivivai.it
Web: www.salvivivai.it

Author: Andrea Minghelli
Copyright: www.freshplaza.it