At the foot of Mount Etna, at the entry to the Plain of Catania, an area where citrus fruits are cultivated, we find the Terre Bianche plant nursery, which draws from the experience of four generations of nurserymen. This is where citrus and olive trees are produced for both Italy and abroad for professional agriculture, under the supervision of Giuseppe and Tindara Crisafulli.
The nursery seen from above. Etna in the background.
"We have been cultivating for 45 years, beginning from the seed, to the selection of certified varieties, to grafting,' explain the Crisafulli brothers, "with a production of 120,000 plants a year, thanks to a professional and skilled effort that guarantees a production of high-quality standards. The driving force behind everything is our passion and experience combined with the high level of expertise of our collaborators. This is the only way to gain and maintain the trust of our customers. We are an ever-evolving company that has expanded over time to reach the current 13 hectares of our nursery."
Above: Giuseppe Crisafulli inside an insect-proof structure
The company has around fifty varieties of blonde and pigmented oranges, lemons, mandarins and tangerines, selected for their high productivity. The Sicilian citrus-growing tradition always remains the pillar in the approach to plant nursery techniques. It is precisely on technological and varietal innovation that the company aims to stay in step with the times and, where possible, to anticipate them with the most modern discoveries.
"We are constantly updating our varieties," continue the two experts, "and we are also actively seeking out productive rootstocks. In this regard, several varieties grafted on nine new-generation rootstocks are currently available, such as Citrange Troyer, Citrange Carrizo, Citrumelo swingle, Citrus aurantium, Citrus macrophylla, C22, C35, Citrus wolkameriana and Forner alcaide 5. Everything is guaranteed, from the selection of the seed, to the propagation material, to the plant ready to be supplied. We work at a high level of agronomic quality that is expressed in the vegetative and productive performance of our customers' field crops. More than 60 % of the production is raised under insect-proof structures. The plants have a phytosanitary passport and CAC certification, i.e. Conformitas agraria comunitatis'.
"We want our production site to be also beautiful, as well as useful, where cultivation, environmental and human wellbeing are in harmony,' adds Tindara Crisafulli, who is also an agronomist and landscape gardener.
'We strive to ensure that Terre Bianche is also a place of intense and unique experience, just a stone's throw from the center and airport of Catania. Here, the the citrus fruits are born and grow like unto a large garden, revealing all the beauty and use that allows us to rediscover and enhance the roots of our land. According to this perspective, our company is a destination for national and international delegations and is a partner of organizations and associations with whom we interact with and collaborate on a daily basis with a view to achieving excellence and further progress."
Tindara Crisafulli (on the right) next to her late father Antonino
The Terre Bianche nursery's clientele is mainly regional and national, but for some time now, especially with the increase in the company's surface area, requests have been arriving from European and overseas citrus-growing areas.
Contact:
Azienda Agricola Vivaistica
Terre Bianche 
SS192, KM 77
95045 - Misterbianco (CT)
+39 348 434 2606
[email protected]
www.vivaiterrebianche.it