The Regulatory Council of the Alcachofa de Benicarló Protected Designation of Origin is conducting a research project to obtain Blanca de Tudela artichoke plants free of virus. This is a traditional variety of the area whose yield has decreased in recent years due to climate change. The council also released its forecast for the 2024 season, stating the cultivated area will increase by 12%.
The Valladolid company Innea Alternativas Biotecnológicas is conducting a plant breeding project to produce infection-free plants of the Blanca de Tudela variety. According to Víctor Morera, the council's president, the initiative is in its first phase and will last until June 2026. "In this first stage, the breeders will employ in vitro cultivation to obtain plants free of infection. These will then be planted in a mother field at height to obtain virus-free 'plantlets', which will eventually be planted in the test fields to study their development and compare their performance with that of infected plants."
If this first phase is successful, a second phase will begin in which, using mother fields at altitude, enough infection-free cuttings will be replicated to cover the needs of the Blanca de Tudela plantations registered in the Alcachofa de Benicarló PDO. The first tests are scheduled to be carried out this summer; the results of which will be available in 2 to 3 years.
Figures 2024-25
Currently, the Benicarló Regulatory Body has 69 registered growers, 7% less than in the previous 2023-24 season. However, there are 366 registered plots, i.e. 7% more than in the previous season. 185 of these plots correspond to the Blanca de Tudela variety and 181 to the Green Queen variety, "the seed variety that producers began to cultivate last year because it adapts very well to climate change and gives a good yield at the beginning of the season," Morera said.
The total planted area increased by 12% over the previous season, as the Alcachofa de Benicarló PDO artichoke will be grown in 319.28 hectares in the 2024-25 season. Four companies market certified Alcachofa de Benicarló artichokes: the Benihort agricultural cooperative, Frudex S.L., Senar Caldés S.A.T. 8088, and Hortalizas Pascual Berga, S.L.
The data was presented by the President of the Benicarló Regulatory Council, who was accompanied by his Secretary, Guillermo Edo Barreda, and the Councillor for Agriculture, Borja Castell, who reaffirmed "the commitment of public administrations such as the Benicarló Town Council and the Castellón Provincial Council to continue supporting the Blanca de Tudela variety, which is so characteristic of our area."
The Alcachofa de Benicarlo geographical demarcation includes the municipalities of Benicarló, Peñíscola, Vinaròs, and Càlig.
For more information:
DOP Alcachofa de Benicarló
Tel.: +34 964 46 16 74
Email: [email protected]
https://www.alcachofabenicarlo.com/