The coordinator of IDF Activities of the Andalusian Institute for Agricultural, Fisheries, Food and Ecological Production Research and Training (Ifapa), Raúl Cortés, and the director of the Ifapa center in Huelva, Juan Jesús Medina, have initiated this Wednesday, at the Bonafru fruit and vegetable cooperative in Bonares, a conference focused on the presentation of the results of strawberry variety trials corresponding to the 25/26 campaign.
As the Junta has indicated in a press release, in this knowledge transfer conference, which was attended by more than 170 sector professionals including producers, technicians, and company representatives, the results of various Ifapa projects related to red fruits in the campaign that has just concluded have been shared.
During the meeting, special attention was paid to how the agroenvironment influences the characteristics linked to the production and quality of various strawberry varieties, as well as the response of these materials in soils that have not been disinfected.
These investigations are integrated into the Ifapa projects "Experimentation and transfer actions for the sustainability of red fruit cultivation" and "Management of soil biodiversity, alternative control of diseases caused by soil pathogens, and improvement of water use efficiency in strawberry cultivation," both supported by funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Likewise, throughout the activity, the results obtained in the evaluation of different floral induction strategies developed in high-altitude nurseries with potted plants of different strawberry varieties have been presented.
The conference included five technical presentations given by Ifapa specialists, as well as an intervention by Francisco Infantes, president of the SCA Hortofrutícola de Bonares. In this context, José Antonio Gómez, from Ifapa Huelva, presented the influence of the agroenvironment on the characteristics related to production in different strawberry varieties, while María Teresa Ariza and Carmen Soria, from the Ifapa center in Málaga, focused their presentations on the characteristics linked to quality.
On the other hand, Juan Jesús Medina has detailed to the attendees the productive and quality behavior of several varieties in different cultivation systems over the last five campaigns. Berta de los Santos, coordinator of the Sustainable Plant Protection area of Ifapa, has also participated, who has carried out an analysis of the response of strawberry varieties to fungal diseases in recent campaigns, and Luis Miranda, from the Ifapa center in Huelva, who has evaluated different floral induction strategies in various varieties (potted plants).
Research applied to the red fruits sector
These lines of work of Ifapa, a public research body dependent on the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, aim to respond to the needs and demands of the red fruits sector through research, experimentation, and knowledge transfer activities.
In this context, the analysis of the behavior of strawberry varieties in different agro-environments is considered a key source of information for the sector, especially given the current regulations that limit the number and possible uses of active substances for pest and disease control, as well as the wide range of strawberry varieties available to farmers.
At the same time, the expansion of soilless cultivation, a technique that avoids the problem of soil disinfection, requires deeper knowledge from producers to stay updated on innovations and choose alternatives that increase profitability and contribute to reducing production costs.
The work promoted by Ifapa aims to reinforce the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of strawberry cultivation and other red fruits. To this end, the institute's research team analyzes key aspects of cultivation, such as fertigation management, control of major pathogens, and the development of techniques aimed at optimizing production utilization at specific times of the year.