Juan Jesús Ros, Mayor of Torrent and president of the Consell Agrari Municipal, closed the thirty-seventh edition of Caixa Rural Torrent’s Citrus and Alternative Crops Conference, together with the president of the entity, Vicente Peiro Villarroya, after the presentation of the paper ‘New citrus varieties’, given by Antonio López García-Usach, agricultural engineer at IVIA’s Genomics department.
New citrus varieties are being developed in Valencia; “a necessity for the restructuring of the region’s citrus farms. In order to improve the profitability and remain competitive in the demanding European market, it is essential to be on the look-out for any new varieties emerging,” pointed out López García-Usach, who also noted that “this knowledge is part of our society’s citrus producing culture.”
When it comes to new varietal groups, the engineer put special emphasis on “satsumas, clementines, hybrid mandarins, navel oranges, pigmented and white varieties. The new features provided by them primarily concern the extension of the harvesting period, especially late in the campaign.
Another innovation associated with new varieties is their commercial exploitation system. “Club management systems, based on exclusivity and limitations in the production area, are being implemented. The goal is for such varieties to reach the best possible market prices, adhering to the economic model that upholds that supply must be lower than demand,” reported the representative of IVIA in the third and last of the lectures of the conference.
“The introduction of new varieties in Valencian fields is progressive and inexorable. Even though some traditional varieties, such as the Clemenules, Oronules, Navelina, Lanelate, Owari and Okitsu, are still there and will continue to be grown, many others are disappearing due to their low profitability, such as the Clementina Fina, Ortanique, Fortune, Hernandina, Marisol, or Oroval,” stated López García-Usach, who asked producers to be prudent. “The new varieties are an investment for the future, but can also yield disastrous results, so non-professional growers, or those who do not see their future in the citrus business, are advised not to experiment with new varieties. Only those who have made agriculture their profession and who are willing to take the risk inherent in the cultivation of a new variety, with the aim of diversifying their varietal range, are recommended to obtain licenses to cultivate some of the new varieties.”
The engineer did, however, ask all growers, whether experienced or not, to adopt a general precaution: “the plant material used for the propagation of any variety must have the appropriate plant passport, particularly if these varieties come from third countries, to prevent the introduction and spread of new pests, such as the HLB, which may threaten the viability of the citrus industry in Valencia in the long term.”
Source: Fresh Plaza