The new developments from Semillas Fitó are the Leonor watermelon and the Jacobo Cantaloupe melon, both exceptional in production, internal quality and flavour
The Leonor watermelon has had an excellent reception both in greenhouses and in the open air. It is a black triploid, recommended for transplanting from the 20-25th of January onwards, which stands out due to a high percentage of fruit with calibres of 2 and 3. Leonor is easy to recognise when it is opened, thanks to its deep red colour, with significant internal quality. Its flesh is crunchy; no water is exuded when cutting it and it has a high brix degree when cut, which is translated into a more pleasant flavour in the mouth that makes consumers want to repeat.
In melons, the new developments are centred on the Cantaloupe segment, where the company has managed to gain ground on the market after several campaigns with the variety Solmarín, recommended for early spring or early-medium sowing (transplanting from the 10th of January until the middle of February). The success of Solmarín is based on the fact that it is a highly productive variety, very early, with homogeneous fruits, a crunchy flesh and a high Brix content, along with very good flavour. Solmarín behaves very well against powdery mildew and it reaches the end of the cycle with high plant healthiness.
To accompany Solmarín, Fitó has presented the new Cantaloupe, Jacobo, which is recommended for medium and late transplanting (from the 20th of February onwards). Jacobo is a highly productive variety, with very good fruit homogeneity, crunchy flesh and a high Brix degree content, plus extra flavour. Jacobo shows very good cross-meshing, with small pistil closing, a very healthy plant, with good behaviour against powdery mildew and it is very early.
In yellow melons, the company continues with two varieties that work very well: Fenicio and Malerva. Fenicio has a perfect size for early transplants and a fruit colour that is in line with the harvest level. On the other hand, Malerva is the leader of the market in late sowing as it is a very early variety, with sugar levels that reach 15-16 Brix degrees and it is easy for farmers to handle.
The commitment to research is constant and the company is already immersed in the development of a new Galia melon that will recuperate the traditional flavour that consumers are always demanding.
