Graciano: the highest percentage of first category fruit

Syngenta’s piel de sapo melon is becoming consolidated in Almeria due to its yield, uniformity and high percentage of top-quality fruit

In Almeria, Graciano is a leader in quality within the piel de sapo melon category. Three years after its launch on the market, Syngenta can say that it has become consolidated and continues promoting it to increase its market share in Almeria and Murcia.

At the next edition of the melon and watermelon open days that will be held in Murcia, Graciano will be one of the most prominent varieties. It is endorsed by its production yield, fruit uniformity and high percentage of first category fruit, as well as a good post-harvest and adaptation for in-store cutting. Added to this are its resistances to powdery mildew and aphids, which are particularly important due to the high pressure on the fields over the past two years and to the transmission of virus diseases.

“Graciano’s ease of setting is excellent; it assures the production and shows good grooving down to the very last melon,” Victor García, Portfolio Manager for Cucurbitaceae at Syngenta, points out. “Right now (end of May), in one cut the yield of first category fruit obtained by farmers from Almeria is the highest on the market.” Not without reason as the variety was designed based on the conditions in Almeria, aimed at extracting the maximum potential of the melon and achieving handling adapted to the region. In any case, Graciano works very well in the early segment in Murcia, giving continuity to the cycle in Almeria.

In another segment, yellow melons, the spotlight is shining on Ibiza. This open air variety has experienced a considerable growth in Murcia and Castilla-La Mancha. It complements Party (a reference in early cycle from Syngenta) very well and it is framed in transplants from the 15th of April and in May. As with its other new developments, it is highly productive and it has resistances to powdery mildew and aphids, being ideal for the eco segment. The variety works very well on the priority markets for this typology (UK and Germany), as it guarantees a uniform sugar level for export and it is becoming increasingly popular amongst the main canary yellow melon exporters.

Currently, Syngenta is working on developments in all the typologies and it will soon reveal new varieties of Charentais for early cycles, of yellow to complete the range, and of piel de sapo with resistance to New Delhi that are all quite advanced and will be launched in the next campaign for the Graciano segment (a resistance that is added to aphids and powdery mildew). The latter aspect is particularly important for Almeria, where the virus has grown in recent years. “We already have varieties in large-scale trials,” García advances.

Watermelons

In the black seedless watermelon range, Syngenta is maintaining the introduction of Jamaica.

“It is demonstrating that it is the variety with the best behaviour for the earliest dates in Almeria (from January) because it guarantees setting and production with calibre for the Spanish home market in spite of the lack of sunlight and the lower temperatures that we have had.”

Regarding internal quality, the deep red colour of its flesh, its good flavour with high sugar levels, and the complete absence of ‘false seeds’ stand out, with a very clean cut and a good thickness of the skin (it withstands transport and handling). “The buyers are very satisfied.”

Jamaica also adapts to crops in Murcia, Seville and La Mancha.

To take a step further in this segment and to complement Jamaica, Syngenta is working on a variety with calibre for export that is focused on open air plantations in Murcia and La Mancha, WDL-7113. “It is already on sale in Italy; it is called Moretta and it has a very high acceptance level. It is working very well due to its excellent flavour,” the executive affirms.

At the open days in Murcia, visitors will be able to see materials such as the white seedless watermelon,WDL-8323, in a precommercial phase, designed for the entire open air production cycle (Murcia, CLM, Seville, Portugal...). WDL-8323 is added to the Red Jasper flavour line (mainly Almeria) and Kasmira (open air), and in some areas it could overlap with Kasmira.

Its plant has a vegetative development that allows the end of the cycle to be reached guaranteeing calibre and internal quality, with a thick skin for greater endurance.” Other materials that they continue to promote are Prestige (white seedless for export), the mini watermelons Precious Petite and Bibo, and the yellow-fleshed fruit, Yellow Bite; as well as the melons Cencibel and Macabeo.