Innovating within the fruit growing area to make it more efficient and sustainable through precise variety development. This is the aim that guides CIV (Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti) when tackling projects for the Spanish fruit growing market.
Federico Stanzani, the Sales Manager at CIV, an Italian genetic improvement company located in the province of Ferrara, explains: “Spain has soil and climate conditions that are similar to those in Italy, in which our selected varieties can prosper. The aim is to obtain apples that stand out on the market and allow for optimum results, both in the fields and in sales.”
The collaboration with the prestigious Catalan research centre specialising in agriculture and nutrition, IRTA, and with Certiplant, a nursery company belonging to the Nufri Group, is allowing it to maintain a direct control over its selections in the main Spanish apple production zones. Some of these varieties and selections have shown clear resistance to over exposure to the sun in the aforementioned soil and weather conditions. Clear examples of this are RedPop®/CIVM49 and Desy®/CIVM65, which have shown their advantages in several studies carried out in recent years in research centres in Lerida.
Along with the development to overexposure to the sun, CIV is working on varieties resistant to diseases such as apple scab. Currently, the entire catalogue that it is developing and the main varieties that it already produces all include this quality. In this way, the genetic improvement company contributes to the crop sustainability.
Exclusive agreements
As a result of the new strategic alliances that it has started up in recent months, CIV will introduce varieties that are even more cutting-edge onto the market. Amongst these, the agreement recently signed with Culdevco (Pty) Limited for the trials and commercial development of the pear variety Cheeky®/CapeRose. This “exclusive master licence agreement” covers a strategic area of importance that includes Europe, Turkey and Israel, and it represents a significant step towards the large-scale introduction of innovative fruit varieties. Through this association, CIV undertakes to promote a variety that stands out due to its exceptional characteristics and that represents an effective response to the market requirements in terms of quality and resistance to bad weather conditions.
The Research Centre is also obtaining excellent results in the strawberry sector. The variety Shayda®/CIVL519 is proving to be an interesting proposal for the Spanish market. Thanks to its characteristics of high quality, earliness and productivity, Shayda® has been quickly selected by local producers, becoming consolidated as a promising option compared to the varieties that are currently available.
At Fruit Attraction 2024, CIV will be present on Stand 8C12 in Hall 8. There, they will present their most relevant projects of this year, and visitors will have the chance to discover the varieties that are showing most success on the Spanish market.
“CIV is positioned on the Spanish market as an innovative partner for the development of varieties in line with the fruit growers’ needs, aimed at creating tailor-made projects that make fruit growing more sustainable and efficient.”
