Semillas Fitó continues to reinforce its aubergine breeding programme with a strategy focused on providing solutions tailored to the needs of growers in Almería.
This season, the company is consolidating its black semi-long aubergine portfolio together with the Augusto rootstock, a combination designed to maximise yield, plant health and crop profitability in long production cycles. The solution is also key to addressing emerging agronomic challenges such as soil fatigue, restrictions on active ingredients, water stress and increasingly long and complex growing seasons.
“We are consolidating genetics that are highly adapted to the production areas of Almería, combining vigour, fruit quality and production stability with a rootstock that provides an additional boost in vegetative development and root health,” explains José Torres, Aubergine Crop Specialist.
A root system prepared for today’s challenges
One of Augusto’s key strengths is its ability to continuously develop secondary roots throughout the crop cycle, enabling the plant to make better use of available soil nutrients and maintain stable production even under stress conditions.
In a crop such as aubergine in Almería, where production cycles can extend from July through to June, maintaining the right balance between vegetative vigour and productivity is essential to ensuring profitability.
In addition, the rootstock offers effective protection against problems such as Fusarium oxysporum, one of the most problematic fungal diseases in western Almería, as well as root loss associated with low winter temperatures and limited light conditions.
Vanesa, a benchmark variety for export
Within the Semillas Fitó aubergine range, Vanesa continues to strengthen its position as one of the leading references in the black semi-long segment thanks to its commercial quality and adaptation to export market requirements.
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The variety stands out for its high productivity, generative plant behaviour and fruit uniformity, with sizes tailored to the demands of commercial marketers.
The combination with Augusto also helps maintain the characteristic dark fruit colour, excellent postharvest performance and a balanced relationship between fruit size and average weight.
