Making pomegranates and figs happen in South Africa
This demand from fashionable consumers in the major consumer markets resulted in a short term surge for plant material in South Africa. Coupled with a lack of knowledge in the South African industry, this has resulted in the planting of varieties which will not have long term sustainability.
The unbridled plantings of inferior varieties that were taking place led Colors Fruit to rethink its pomegranate strategy and in 2008 the company decided to initiate a breeding programme using the best parentage available and in collaboration with some like-minded pomegranate experts in other parts of the world.
“Colors Fruit has positioned itself to play a leading role in the transformation of the pomegranate industry and has invited growers to work with us in order to put this industry back on track. We see niche products such as pomegranates and figs becoming an increasingly important part of our business and we are making investments in breeding, sourcing new varieties and technical support to grow our business,” says Riaan van Wyk, Managing Director.
Part of this commitment to these two sectors is the importation of new pomegranate varieties, for example, the Russian Reds, from the Trans Caucasus region of the old Soviet Union where new improved varieties were bred several years ago, as well as the local breeding of pomegranates and fig varieties which are better adapted to South African conditions.
Keith Wilson, heading the pomegranate and fig cultivar development programmes of Colors Innovation, the R&D division of Colors Fruit, says Colors Fruit has been arguing that varieties with large arils, softer seeds, and balanced sweetness to acidity and flavour are increasingly being demanded by consumers. “A growing number of growers in the United States as well as the Middle East are agreeing with our views.”
“Without a marketing strategy wherein producers can differentiate themselves, especially when it comes to superior traits, pomegranates will not sustain the high prices achieved until now”, says Mr Wilson.
Most of the table fig varieties which have been brought into South Africa during the past few decades originated from the Mediterranean climate area of Southern France. “Even though our climate in the Western Cape is considered similar to that in Southern France, there are many differences which could impact negatively on some of the characteristics of the fruit, such as high temperatures during part of the summer, and the influence of climate in the hotter inland areas.”
In the knowledge that optimum fig production is also affected by tree manipulation, and because most of the export markets prefer large size fruit, the Colors Innovation team decided on a two prong research and development approach in an attempt to find fig trees more adapted to local climatic conditions and producing good quality fruit less affected by the summer temperature spikes.
“Our study of the impact of rootstocks focused on evaluating five different rootstock genotypes sourced from different fig growing countries, and our preliminary observations of these trials yielded very promising results. For example, in the Col De Dame variety, fruit productivity was 5.5 times higher and on average fruit size increased by 4% compared to trees grown from own roots.”
“Along with our international contacts and our fig and stone fruit evaluator, Wil Lemmer, Colors Innovation initiated our own fig breeding programme. From first results obtained, a wide variation is evident in seedlings regarding tree growth and fruit characteristics. Some seedlings appear to display many of the traits preferred by fresh fig importers, including most importantly large fruit size,” says Mr Wilson.
“In the final analysis we will back these efforts and those of the growers who work with us in our marketing programmes with leading retailers who specialize in these niche products. In doing so, we will ensure sustainability for both these products in future,” says Riaan van Wyk.
For more information:
Contact:
Cherise Collins
Farmsecure Holdings (Pty) Ltd
Office +27 (0) 21 974 4906
Fax +27 86 658 0376
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Email: [email protected]
www.colorsfruit.com
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