On October 25th, in Seiches-sur-le-Loir (Angers), Dalival and its research and development station IFO organized a presentation of their new Tonik and Canopy apple varieties, as well as their latest rootstock innovation, the M200. The event was attended by 50 professionals: producers, technicians and a number of marketers.
“The two apple varieties created in 2004 had never been so prominently featured.” It is a first for IFO, which was delighted with the outcome of the day. Although the organizers had initially envisaged a more “regional” dimension, the day eventually attracted a number of participants from neighboring countries as well.
Tonik apple presentation
3 workshops of 30 minutes for each presentation
For the Canopy workshop, the “crisp, tangy, scab-resistant green apple” was presented on the trees and in trays, a comparative tasting was also organized to highlight the difference between the Canopy and Granny varieties.” Green apples are of little interest to the market today, but this could be a challenge for the future, according to Fiona Davidson. “British and German producers, for example, are not interested in this type of apple, but there is a place on the shelves for a new green apple, especially a good variety that could help convince and seduce producers, distributors and consumers alike.” In the 2022/23 season, 10,000 trees were sold, a figure that should rise to 25,000 for the 2023/24 season.
Canopy apple presentation by Florian Guidat, IFO development project manager
For the Tonik workshop, “we divided the participants into 4 rows to show them this two-tone apple, while presenting its agronomic, taste and storage qualities.” In addition to its productivity, the Tonik apple can be stored for up to 12 months. “For the tasting, we even had apples from last year, which enabled us to demonstrate that it kept all its firmness, even after long storage. Everyone was amazed! Although it does not have any resistance genes, “the Tonik is a variety with low susceptibility to diseases, enabling us to use a relatively light phytosanitary itinerary. It does not require any specific pruning skills, which can be mechanized, and the variety meets the criteria of producers who wish to reduce their production costs.”
Tonik
Finally, for the M200 graft holder workshop, “we presented participants with crates in front of a M9 tree and a M200 tree, to show the difference in terms of caliber and yields.” The M200 is a cross between the Ottawa 3 and Robusta 5 grown at the NIAB EMR station in East Malling (UK). It is 15% more vigorous than the M9 and gives 20-30% more yield than the M9. “We wanted to show that it is more productive and more vigorous thanks to the results of the studies carried out, our own and of course those of other external and independent research stations, a along with a positive economic report.”
Indoor presentation of the M200 rootstock
The presentation is available as a webinar “with surprise guests”
In addition to the October 25th event, IFO and Dalival plan to present the Tonik C.O.V., Canopy C.O.V. and M200 C.O.V. by means of webinars during the 1st week of December (6 in total, in the following languages: French, English, Italian, Spanish, German and Polish). “Speakers from other stations will also take part in the presentation.” Click here to receive the Webinar invitation in the language of your choice.
For more information:
Fiona Davidson
Dalival
Phone: +33(0)3 23 96 56 50
[email protected]
www.dalival.com