At the end of last January, Arsène Maillard, one of the most rigorous, creative and brilliant people that the fruit and vegetable sector has known worldwide, passed away. But his work as a breeder and editor of plant varieties remains as a highly valuable legacy.
Arsène was immersed in the world of agriculture since he was born in Brittany in 1929. He became an agricultural engineer after studying at the National School of Horticulture in Versailles and worked throughout his career as technical director of the Domaine de Castang, in Bergerac, where he developed apple plantations and was involved in the creation of the nursery. As such, he participated very actively together with INRA and CTIFL in the development of the first French protocol for the certification of fruiting material.
In the 1950's, together with Gilbert Herman, he introduced and experimented with the first emblematic varieties of American peaches and nectarines, such as the O'Henry, Elegant Lady, Red Diamond and Summergrand. He was one of the first to introduce and test this new material in France, which was to revolutionize the world of fruit production, moving from a traditional to an industrial model. Passionate about varietal selection, he saw the first results of his work in the 1980's with the Castang-Maillard co-obtainments: Symphonie, Julie Tendresse or Sensation.
In 1979 he met Laurence, his wife, at the Domaine de Castang. In 1986 they set up a nursery in the south of France, near Perpignan. There they continued to work on varietal selection, achieving notable successes, such as the Big Bang, Pluplus and Sweetcap, varieties that are still internationally recognized.
Sweetcap soon became the first flat peach variety to be massively distributed, especially in Spain.
The creation in 1996 of the company Agro Sélections Fruits (A.S.F.) allowed them to pursue this goal of developing fruit varieties with clearly unique characteristics. Taste has always been the most essential factor, but the appearance, shelf life or disease resistance are also important. Arsène and Laurence were the first to classify varieties by flavor type, based on their acidity level.
They were also pioneers in the development of ranges of varieties with the same characteristics: high organoleptic value, "semi-sweet" taste, attractive presentation, or long shelf life, with the idea of offering continuity on the market with a product adapted to the demands of the majority of consumers and distributors.
In 1997, his work was recognized by the French government and Arsène was awarded the National Order of Merit medal for his contributions to French arboriculture.
In 2004, the program began its international development and the Maillard couple traveled around the world to establish relationships with growers in Europe, but also in South Africa, Australia, Chile, the United States, the Maghreb, New Zealand, etc. The varieties and the associated development concepts were therefore presented everywhere.
Due to the quality of its research results, ASF joined the Fruit Breedomics project in 2011 to help develop molecular marker-assisted selection, a crucial step towards the development of new working methods.
Also, anticipating the development of environmental trends and regulations, he reduced the use of phytosanitary treatments for more than 40 years, to the point of eliminating them in certain plots, in order to develop a "natural" range; tolerant varieties with no need for treatments. This was his dream, which he was unable to fulfill, but it will remain a priority for ASF in its research and development program.
Arsène and Laurence not only created the Regal'in brand for round stone fruit, but also opened up to other products with the Ondine brand for flat fruit and the Candine brand for apples.
To continue this work and give a new push to the programs created and in the process of being created, Arsène and Laurence sold ASF to FRUTARIA, the agricultural division of the Spanish SAMCA group, in 2018. This sped up the implementation of new sorting technologies and improved ASF's international projection.
Arsène Maillard remained active as a consultant, providing his vision of research. He had the life he wanted, devoting himself entirely to his passion: varietal improvement with a constant concern to provide solutions to the consumer and increase the consumption of a product as healthy as fruit. He has gone, therefore, with the satisfaction of having achieved the personal goal of a lifetime.
All his partners said it was a great honor to know him, work with him and learn from his extensive experience. They also claimed to be firmly committed to continue his professional work with the necessary equipment and means, so that his legacy will remain among us, forever honoring his memory.
For more information:
Agro Sélections Fruits
Tel.: +33 (0) 468 37 88 80
info@agroselectionsfruits.com