"The apple sector is going through a renewal phase. There will be an increase in demand in the short and medium term for varieties suitable for organic and zero-residue fruit and, consequently, there is a need for genetics with resistance/tolerance to the main diseases," reports Giovanni Zanzi from Ferrara's Vivai F.lli Zanzi. "I don't see an increase in hectares in the future, but there will certainly be a turnover of existing varieties. There is a lot of renewal to be done, and we have varieties that meet this demand for innovation."
Enrico, Riccardo and Giovanni Zanzi
Scab, powdery mildew, and aphids: these are the three main problems that affect apple trees and that have to be tackled through variety renewal, and no longer with chemicals.
"For example, our Crea 105 variety has been performing great on the scab front. In our experimental fields in Ferrara, other varieties grown a few meters away suffered strong scab attacks in the 2024 harvest, while Crea 105 came out almost unscathed."
Crea 105 is a variety with 100% Italian genetics. "One of its characteristics is its long life. Even if harvesting gets delayed by a few days, the apples remain unaffected. Moreover, starch degradation is very slow."
Crea 105 apples
The fact that there is nothing improvised about this apple is due to its long history: the targeted cross-breeding of Lady William x Forum that gave rise to Crea 105 dates back to 1989, from the work of the Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of Agricultural Economics (CREA) Research Centre for Olive, Fruit and Citrus Cultivation in Forlì, and the variety was finally selected in Magliano di Forlì in 1997. The breeders are Walther Faedi, Mauro Bergamaschi and Gianluca Baruzzi.
Giovanni Zanzi
"There are already several hectares in production in Piedmont and results are very positive. It is very productive, but what characterizes it is the bright red streaked color, the large size, and the flavor. As of today, in the second half of December, the Brix level is 17.5, firmness is 7.5, the flavor is aromatic and balanced, and the fruits are still very juicy, crunchy, and deliquescent. We believed in this variety right from the start, after carefully analysing trials in different areas. We are still carrying out further tests because it is in our DNA to always experiment and try. This is an apple type that satisfies three categories: that of the farmers, that of the apple traders, and finally, but equally important, the needs of consumers."
The positive qualities from the point of view of farmers are high production without alternation, high average grades at 75+, yields of 60 to 70 tons per hectare, very little waste because there are no cracking problems around the calyx cavity and no rusting. Harvest time is the third ten days of October, generally 10 days after Fuji, in Romagna.
For those who process and market it, the strong points of Crea 105 are its long shelf life with unaffected organoleptic characteristics, its distinction from other apples thanks to its intense red color, and its uniformity.
For more information
F.lli Zanzi Nurseries
Via del Gorgo 137
Loc. Gorgo di Fossanova San Marco
44124 Ferrara - Italy
+39 0532 719072
[email protected]
www.vivaizanzi.it