A variety "breaks new ground" in cherry cultivation in Spain with extra-early production in Murcia

There is a cherry variety that, even though it has low chilling hour requirements, has broken new ground for cherry cultivation in Spain, allowing extra-early production in Murcia at an altitude of just 200 to 300 meters above sea level and even 5 km from the coast in a straight line. "We are talking about Royal Tioga, developed by the variety breeding company IPS," says Luis Elías from Viveros Mariano Soria.

"A few years ago, the idea of growing cherries in Murcia would have been considered insane, but thanks to Manuel Cutillas, who dared to try, we have managed to make it a reality," he says. "We knew that this variety had low chilling requirements, but there was still the question of how to manage it in order to achieve extra-early commercial productions that would give growers the best financial return, and we discovered that requirements are completely different compared to what is needed, for example, in open ground plantations such as the ones Viveros Mariano Soria has here, in Aragon."

"In fact, we had to 'relearn' everything we knew about the management of Royal Tioga, and put all the new knowledge together with our partners, until we managed to figure out - through trial and error - the specific pruning, precise nutritional program and the growing conditions under glass that would be needed to achieve this."

"In this case, we have worked with a protected plantation in a greenhouse that combines plastic with shading nets that have allowed the trees to accumulate enough chilling hours - around 250 - during the winter to produce an extra-early cherry, harvested around April 14, without the use of any type of chemical accelerator."

The Royal Tiago is a very early variety and has "enormous production potential," says Luis, "but one of the biggest problems with this variety is that it struggles a bit to complete the coloring process; however, with our management we have learnt to improve this characteristic of the Royal Tioga, and we are obtaining cherries that deliver not only good coloring in a temperate region such as Murcia, but also a crunchy texture, with between 18 and 20 degrees Brix and optimum quality at an apparently impossible date."

"Our Royal Tioga plantation in La Almunia de Doña Godina was already a success for the production of extra-early, high altitude cherries, and has been visited by parties interested in cherry growing from many countries, and Manuel Cutillas' plantation in Murcia is attracting he same interest."

"After seeing my results, other growers from the fruit and vegetable producers' organization to which I belong are also considering getting involved in cherry growing"
"We have our cherry farm in a multi-layer greenhouse with plastic covering and perimeter enclosure," says the producer. "To find out if the variety could get used to this area's climate and to our altitude above sea level, and see if we could get a commercial yield from it, we decided to carry out a trial on around 6,000 m² that used to be planted with apricots."

"In this area, there's a great apricot-growing culture, and we were totally neophytes when it came to cherries. But we dared taking on the challenge, because we completely trusted the advice of Viveros Mariano Soria, who helped us at all times, monitoring the plantation and sharing all their knowledge of cherry cultivation with us," says Luis.

"It's a more difficult crop to grow in this area and more technical than stone fruit, but commercially, it's very interesting because it's allowing us to hit the market at a time when no other cherries are available, and the price they fetch makes up for everything."

"We still have some aspects to polish, but we believe that the variety is really profitable, and we are considering expanding the acreage, not just ourselves, but also other growers from the producers' organization to which I belong who, seeing my results, are also considering getting involved in cherry growing."

© Viveros Mariano SoriaFor more information:Viveros Mariano Soria
Ctra. A-220 La Almunia- Cariñena km 4,800
50100 La Almunia de Doña Godina, Zaragoza. Spain
Tel.: +34 976 60 01 67
info@viverosmarianosoria.com
https://www.viverosmarianosoria.com/