The first apple most adapted to climate change will be planted in Catalonia in 2021 and is expected to be marketed in the Iberian Peninsula in a maximum period of 3 years. It is red, crunchy, sweet and juicy, and has been evaluated in the fields of the Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology (IRTA), where summer temperatures can exceed 40ºC.
Registered under the varietal denomination HOT84A1, the new apple variety is the first result of the international apple and pear breeding programme Hot Climate Programme, which aims to respond to the challenges of climate change.
"The new apple varieties, created with traditional methods, aim to adapt to increasingly hot summers," explains Joan Bonany, a specialist in IRTA's Fructiculture programme. In addition, "they provide new opportunities for agriculturers to grow apples in regions where it is increasingly difficult to grow apples, as well as in areas closer to the consumer," he adds.
The Hot Climate Programme is formed by IRTA, Fruit Futur ―an association formed by the main fruit producers in Catalonia: Actel, Fruits de Ponent, Nufri and Poma de Girona― and the New Zealand research center Plant & Food Research, and has the support of the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food (DARP) of the Generalitat of Catalonia. T&G Global has been selected to develop and market these varieties worldwide. The association of Catalan producers Fruit Futur has recently signed the first license to market the HOT84A1 in the Iberian Peninsula.
A demand from Catalan fruit producers
Following the demand of the fruit-producing sector in Catalonia, in 2002 IRTA, Fruit Futur and the and the New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Ltd launched the Hot Climate Programme to develop new varieties of apple and pear adapted to high temperatures. At that time, fruit growers in Catalonia observed that, due to climatic conditions, the apple and pear varieties that had been grown until then had more difficulty in achieving optimal quality ― colour, texture and aroma- in the growing conditions of Catalonia. Eighteen years later, the results of this research and innovation initiative are beginning to bear fruit. In February 2019, an agreement was reached with the New Zealand company T&G Global, which joined this programme as a strategic partner for the global marketing of licenses for the new apple and pear varieties.
Outside the Iberian Peninsula, companies such as Waimea Nurseries (New Zealand), TopFruit (South Africa), Dalival (France), Worldwide Fruit (UK) and Montague (Australia), carry out tests of the apple variety HOT84A1, in which they evaluate its agronomic behaviour and quality.
For more information:
IRTA
www.irta.cat