Thanks to the NSG Network project, Nova Siri Genetics - a research and experimentation company for new strawberry cultivars - contributes to the planning of productions between the winter months and well into summer. The subjects part of the Network use the results from the NSG research and experiment with the new varieties in close connection with their markets of reference. This way, research supports the production world by offering innovative varieties when it comes to both the production period and organoleptic qualities in line with market needs.
Marimbella crops in Policoro, Basilicata
Early varieties from NSG enable producers to deseasonalize supplies and meet a demand that is also growing during the colder months of the year. The nurseries authorized by NSG distributed around 65 million strawberry plants in Italy, 60% of which of the NSG 203 – Marimbella® and Melissa varieties and the remaining part of medium-late varieties such as Rossetta® and NSG 207 – Gioelita®.
Experimental NSG crops in Policoro, Basilicata
Strawberry producers from Campania, Basilicata, Calabria, and Sicily initiated productions already in December with Marimbella plugs, followed by Marimbella and Melissa fresh plants.
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Pietro Paolo Ciardiello, director of Coop Sole, expressed his satisfaction with the introduction of an NSG variety into his catalog. "We have been growing organic Melissa for around five years and now have 25 hectares dedicated to it in addition to the land designated to traditional crops (100 hectares of Melissa alone). This variety enabled us to step up, and we export it to 5 big retail chains abroad (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Denmark) and distribute it to as many Italian chains as possible between January and early June. Melissa is characterized by rustic plants, high productivity, good flavor, and texture, so much so that it performs even better in organic crops than in traditional ones."
Marimbella soilless crop in the Lamezia plain, Calabria
The feedback is positive for Marimbella as well. Apofruit director Ernesto Fornari reports that "we planted 650 thousand Marimbella plugs (around 10 hectares) in Metaponto for the 2022/23 strawberry campaign, and we have planned on 1.2 million for the next season. It is an ambitious project that stems from the price hikes of the past year and from the ensuing choice of some of our associates (around 30%) to employ the continuous cropping technique. The variety meets the needs of both the production and distribution parts."
"We chose Marimbella because it is a variety that adapts well to continuous cropping without needing to push crops too much. Plants are vigorous, which means we can deseasonalize and harvest the first fruits already in late November, so we can count on good quantities already during the first part of the season. In addition, during the second half of April, Marimbella reaches its maximum weight harvested per plant precisely when labor is lacking. Associates can therefore free up operators and use them for other activities."
For more information:
Nova Siri Genetics Srl
Via San Maurizio, 46
75025 Policoro (MT)
[email protected]
www.novasirigenetics.com