El Pinar reinforces its position with rustic varieties adapted to the Mediterranean area
Victory, Primavera and Inspire perform well thanks to their hardiness and adaptation to the climatic conditions of the Mediterranean area
The strawberry season has started with some delay, due to the low temperatures registered in January and the succession of cloudy days. Despite this, varieties such as Victory, Primavera and Inspire, from El Pinar, a family business, dedicated for more than 40 years to the production of plants and fruit in the red fruit sector, present correct behavior thanks to their rusticity and adaptation to the climatic conditions of the Mediterranean area.
The R&D project
With more than 175 million plants sold this campaign (15% more than in 19/20), El Pinar works with different breeding programs, among which others but mainly with Plant Sciences Inc. and Berry Genetics Inc.
One of the great advantages of these programs is that the varietal selection is carried out locally, which guarantees the adaptation of each of the materials to the production areas. “We work to select the variety that is adapted to each specific production area, which allows us to offer farmers materials that cover all their needs from both a productive and commercial point of view, regardless of the country or destination market. Working for and for each area is the success of the varieties that today make up our catalog”, comments Mario Esteban, commercial director of El Pinar.
In this sense, varieties such as Victory, Primavera, and Inspire stand out for their adaptation to their production areas, presenting an excellent performance this year, where low temperatures and cloudy days are happening in Mediterranean areas. Thus, Victory establishes itself as number one in Greece for the second year, reaching 80% of the market share, with promising trials in southern Italy, Algeria and Malta; Inspire continues with its growth in Spain and Morocco, and an excellent performance also in the most representative production areas of Italy; and Primavera, excellent material for the early segment in Spain, Morocco and southern Italy, ensuring good establishment and low mortality during the harvest season.
Rustic varieties with excellent postharvest
Along with that adaptation, another of the characteristics that best defines the varieties of El Pinar is their rusticity, a value on the rise at the moment, where farmers need varieties that are easy to manage and the markets need fruit with flavor, color and shelf life.
As an added value, it should be noted that Victory and Primavera are very compact plants, which simplifies harvesting and, therefore, the need for labor.
From a commercial point of view, Victory is showing its excellent postharvest life, without presenting rotting problems; Inspire stands out for its exceptional flavor and shape, highly demanded by Premium markets for export.; and Primavera, an early variety with stable production until the end of the season, perfectly for different packaging on 1kg et 2Kg.
Note: the main image corresponds to the Victory strawberry variety.
About El Pinar
El Pinar is a family business dedicated, for more than 40 years, to the production of plants and fruits in the red fruit sector, with production fields in Spain, Portugal and Romania. We have a global plant distribution network to farmers and a supply of exceptional fruit to customers throughout Europe.
They have a wide varietal range, short day, ever bearers and June beares, of different breeding programs, among which we highlight those of Plant Sciences Inc. and Berry Genetics Inc., of which we have been licensees for more than 20 years.
El Pinar, in addition to being a plant nursery, is one of the largest producers of berries in summer in Spain, with a production that begins in May and lasts until November, with its main clients located in the distribution and wholesale market.
Within this line of business, they have varieties adapted to their production areas, located in Segovia and Alentejo (Portugal), where they produce strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and currants, under sustainable production techniques.