In addition to being popular for its latest raspberry and strawberry varieties, and even for its asparagus, Planasa has breeding programs for stonefruit that are becoming increasingly important in Spain.
Planasa is developing peach, paraguayo peach, nectarine, platerine and plum varieties in its test plantations in Cartaya, Huelva, where they have traditionally obtained varieties that need fewer hours of cold for areas such as Huelva and Morocco. For some years now, they've also had varieties for colder areas, as they have a test plantation in Sariñena, Huesca, where their Sweet line has been developed.
Francisco Murillo, at Planasa's plantations.
According to Francisco Murillo, technical manager for stonefruit at Planasa, Huelva has traditionally been a stonefruit producer, even though it hasn't managed to stand out in terms of volume. The crops have been grown here even before citrus fruits (introduced via Valencian producers and traders) strawberries and other berries arrived.
"We have the advantage of being the earliest area in Spain, starting in the last week of March. That is why the volumes are limited, since at that time the supply is still not high." Over the years, we have been expanding the planting of our varieties to producing areas like Badajoz, Seville, Murcia, Valencia and lately also Huesca and Lleida," he adds.
Planasa's plantations
Within the SWEET line, they have both early and late varieties. One that stands out is the Zincal 11, which is harvested in late May; a time when growers in Badajoz can fill a gap between Huelva and Murcia's productions, as Seville's production has recorded a decline in recent years.
"Increasing competition in the production and reproduction of varieties"
Competition in the breeding of fruit trees in Spain is very strong, as in the province of Lleida alone there are more nurseries than in France and Germany combined.
"The number of breeders in Spain and abroad is on the rise, and the number of new fruit varieties introduced to the market is so high that not even those of us who are devoted to the activity are able to keep up. There is therefore a great diversity and growers have to make a choice, generally under the supervision of technicians, cooperatives and various prescribers, who have a more in-depth knowledge about the different breeding lines."
First shoots of fruit tree seedlings.
It is for this reason that, in order to differentiate itself from the competition, Planasa imposes certain limitations; for example, not to bring to the market any variety that has not been tested for at least eight years in test plantations, as well as not working with nurseries, since they say that, "based on previous experiences, it is difficult to control the production and multiplication of plant materials."
However, the expert believes that "there is more and more vertical integration in the stonefruit sector, with large groups creating what we could call variety clubs, which control every aspect, from the production to the marketing of their varieties, in order to be more competitive. In turn, this is leading to further specialization in the field."
Seedlings in a more advanced stage.
Yellow pulp nectarines and white pulp paraguayo peaches
According to Francisco Murillo, the most demanded stonefruit species are yellow-fleshed nectarines and white-fleshed paraguayo peaches of the subacid category, with a pleasant taste and the highest possible sugar content.
In turn, producers are mostly looking for varieties that are harvested in September and October, since at that time there is a lot less fruit available in the markets. Nevertheless, Francisco Murillo recalls that "it is a time with more risks, since the fruit has to remain for longer on the tree and it is consequently more exposed to weather adversities."
Murillo also points out that in the production areas of northern Spain, the demand for pavia, the traditional yellow-fleshed peach, has increased considerably, especially for the months of May and June. "Murcia got rid of a lot of pavia to switch to new nectarine and peach varieties and now there is an interesting gap in the market."
Fruit tree seedlings being harvested for their later sale.
The sector is focused on developing varieties that can be shipped to China
According to Francisco Murillo, at present almost all breeders are focusing on developing varieties with a longer shelf life that can be shipped to China. "We want our varieties to have more and more sugar, more colouration and the longest post-harvest shelf life possible. But combining these three factors is no easy task. We are constantly conducting tests to extend the shelf life without the taste and the sweetness being affected," he concludes.
Planasa's experimental plantations.
"Growers think a long time before acquiring platerines"
Planasa is still looking for platerine varieties, although at the moment both production and consumption are quite stagnant, according to the expert. "Many decided to plant platerines, possibly without checking whether the plant materials were actually good. It is a very delicate fruit, since it suffers all the post-harvest issues of both nectarines and paraguayo peaches at the same time.
Currently, almost every platerine variety that was planted 5 years ago has disappeared. It is a product with a lot of potential, but its post-harvest difficulties have caused the market to handle only small volumes. Growers think it over a lot before buying seedlings," he affirms.