Murcia’s pepper campaign ended on a note that can hardly be described as positive—at least not in general terms. Prices were high during the first month of production, but that trend lasted less than a month. Afterwards, prices dropped below 0.40 euros. ‘In the case of yellow California, they bounced back slightly, only to fall again. It was just a mirage,’ says Alejandro Pascual, Product Development Specialist Pepper at Syngenta Iberia.
On the bright side, the pest situation was better than the previous year. ‘There were fewer problems with Parvispinus thrips, hardly any infected fields were seen, whereas last year there was quite a lot of pressure, especially in early plantings.’
The situation in Murcia differs from that in Almería in this regard. The same goes for powdery mildew: although it is a widespread issue in Almería, in Murcia it is still possible to grow varieties without powdery mildew resistance. The greater distance between farms helps reduce the spread of pests.
Wide selection
Over the past five years, Syngenta has become a benchmark in peppers in Murcia thanks to its broad varietal offering. ‘We have many options at all levels: fruit size, resistance… the microsegmentation of our catalogue is the key to this success.’
This year, two new red California varieties were launched: Barracus and Terranova. Both are highly productive and resistant to Tm3, spotted wilt, powdery mildew, and nematodes. Barracus has a slightly larger fruit size, while Terranova is more compact, ideal for flowpack.
In the yellow California segment, the company offers Musa, which shares the same resistances. ‘The results have been quite good. Growers are happy with its uniform fruit size and yield. It’s one of the candidates to compete in the yellow segment.’
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Also noteworthy is Angus, a red California type resistant to Tm3 and nematodes. Despite being on the market for over a decade, it continues to enjoy strong grower loyalty thanks to its quality, yield, and good field performance.
Another red variety, Monrovia, has been on the market for over five years and is aligned with Terranova. It offers size G fruit, excellent quality and shine, and resistance to all four main issues.
At the same time, Syngenta is continuing research to launch a new Lamuyo-type pepper for Murcia. ‘We’re going to introduce Cartago, with the four resistances, large size, firm fruit and high productivity. It could be commercialised in 2026.’
