To achieve the desired consumer satisfaction with their varieties, seed houses are focusing their research on boosting productivity, quality, reliability, innovation, and versatility. Some of the results achieved with the Piel de Sapo were recently presented at BASF Vegetable Seeds' What's Next event.
"To address the increasing pressure and threat to achieving profitable and sustainable yields, we have created a new genetic line," says José Ramón Naranjo, melon sales specialist at BASF Vegetable Seeds. "The Izalco and 162 varieties exceed the expectations of Piel de Sapo melons in terms of resistance, production, and taste. On the one hand, the Izalco is a rustic plant, adaptable to different production areas, featuring various resistances and optimally suited for transplanting around April 10 in Murcia."
© Lydia González | FreshPlaza.com
According to the manager, "The Izalco meets many requirements. It has the right look and uniformity, and the fruits grow close together, which facilitates the harvesting and can make up for labor shortages; it offers a very stable flavor when harvested at the right time, with sizes ranging between 3 and 4 kg, which is ideal for the Spanish market. It is a good sign that growers are telling us that it gives them peace of mind."
"The 162 and Izalco are practically twins. In the region of La Mancha, melons grow the biggest because of the summer weather conditions. The 162 is ideal for transplanting until June 10 because its size remains between 3 and 4 kg, despite the heat and light, until the end of June," says Naranjo.
© Lydia González | FreshPlaza.com
"With Izalco and 162 we are covering the entire domestic Piel de Sapo melon season with the ideal sizes for this market. They also have all the necessary resistances to facilitate their production," says the manager.
"The agronomic challenge is great because we know that the conditions are not going to improve. Daytime temperatures are increasingly higher, and so is the night-time temperature, which has risen by almost 2 ºC in the last few years. Crops are not getting any rest and they are transpiring less, and pests are more aggressive, which is making it harder to keep plants healthy and highly productive," says Naranjo.
Another difficulty "is that we have fewer agrochemical tools at our disposal, as some products have been found to take a toll on beneficial insects and are no longer used. Because of all this, it has become more difficult for the growers to achieve good production."
Rising prices
The summer has started with high temperatures in Europe, pushing melon prices up, but there are also other factors at play. Naranjo says, "When it gets really hot, we all look for juicy fruit, but prices are also the consequence of the fact that in spring, heavy rains delayed production because they fell at the time of transplanting or flowering."
However, "the worst was the flooding, which damaged the plant's root system. As a result, when the fruits ripened, they were weak and production was reduced by around 25%. The early melons from La Mancha had some issues with the setting. When it was time to harvest, the amount of melons that were ready was lower than normal. There has also been a more limited water supply, as despite the rains, there is still a drought, and this is resulting in a challenging scenario that researchers don't see improving in the next few years and which is leading us on a path of research and permanent improvement."
For more information:
José Ramón Naranjo
BASF Vegetable Seeds
Tel: +34 608 84 91 47
[email protected]
www.basf.com
