The Council of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Environment of the Spanish Region of Murcia has been developing a project to study the behavior of 8 early and extra-early apricot varieties with low cold needs in Campo de Cartagena, which have been planted since 2014 in a plot of the Integrated Center for Training and Agrarian Experiences (CIFEA) of Torre Pacheco.
The varieties under study are Mirlo naranja, Mirlo rojo, Cebas red, Cebas 45, Primorosa, Mogador, Luca and Colorado, all grafted on the Mirabolano plum stem.
According to the results of a tasting carried out in 2019, the Colorado and Cebas red varieties are the ones with the best taste for the consumer, followed by the Mirlo rojo. In a general evaluation of all the characteristics (smell, color, taste, hardness, texture, shape of the fruit), the Mirlo rojo variety has been the most interesting for the consumer.
The Mirlo rojo also appears to be the most commercially interesting in the Campo de Cartagena for its good productivity, acceptable organoleptic quality and early harvest, which runs from mid-May to the end of May, so it escapes Ceratitis attacks in the area.
The Colorado and Mirlo rojo varieties were the ones that provided the best harvests (between 70 and 95 kilos per tree), an adequate average weight of the fruits (between 60 and 70 g), a high sugar content and sufficient resistance to handling. The varieties Cebas red, Cebas 45 and Primorosa were grafted later, but they are also yielding acceptable results.
What hasn't been achieved, however, is an advance of the harvest compared to the traditional areas of the Region, which means that the great competitive advantage of producing extra-early apricots in commercial, export-oriented plantations is lost.
It is worth noting that all the varieties have been cultivated without significant phytopathological problems and that the cultivation can be carried out with zero waste systems, in organic farming and with low amounts of fertilizers and irrigation.
The Council will organize outreach activities with producers and technicians interested in visiting and evaluating this demo plot in an initiative co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Autonomous Community.
Source: Europa Press / lavanguardia.com