Iliana and Rugalate, the new varieties of red and sweet pomegranates from Hernandorena

Hernandorena, a nursery specialized in the production of fruit plants, presents two new varieties of pomegranate, both red and sweet, which is a great innovation with respect to the material that has been cultivated in Spain so far.

Fruit of the innovative character and the commitment to R & D & I programs, Hernandorena has two new varieties of pomegranate, as a result of the joint work with the main breeders worldwide, and pioneer and leading centers in varietal development. “So far, most of the red varieties we grow in the area were acidic, and this has always meant a certain handicap for consumption. Now we present two new materials of red and sweet pomegranates, ”Rosa Hernandorena, commercial director of Viveros Hernandorena, explains.

New varieties

The two new varieties that Viveros Hernandorena now launches come from the cross developed by the IVIA of Valencia between the Mollar and Wonderful variety, and which has resulted in these two new red and sweet materials.

On the one hand Iliana, which stands out for being a Tempana variety (harvest in August), with a vigor of the tall tree, semi-open bearing, low presence of thorns, red external color, average fruit size 82.1 mm, weight 316 grams per piece, closed crown, sweet taste and semi-soft seed.

As a complement to Iliana, and from the same IVIA varietal program, is Rugalate. It is a late variety (harvest in October) with a high vigor of the tree and open bearing, low presence of thorns, bright red external color, average fruit size 85.1 mm, weight 351 grams per piece, semi-closed crown, Sweet taste and semi-soft seed. “Our technical department has carried out a rigorous study of the behavior of both in nursery and in real farms, verifying the differentiating character of these varieties,” adds the commercial director.

In addition to these two new materials, the Hernandorena Nursery offer in terms of pomegranate also includes varieties of the Mollar type group and in addition to the traditional red and acidic ones.

“Guided just in time” production system

Along with this unique and innovative offer in varietal matters, another of the differentiating elements of Viveros Hernandorena is the protocol of its production system called “Guided just in time”, which guarantees the quality of the plant, its subsequent adaptation in the exploitation agricultural as well as its health.

This system starts from the moment that the stalk sprouts, when a guardian is placed, periodically removing the still tender shoots, leaving only the most straight and vigorous. The main outbreak is guided by the tutor until the end of the nursery cultivation. In this way, a much more straight and homogeneous plant is obtained in both caliber and height, achieving a remarkable differentiation in quality of finished plant with respect to traditional systems. “When making the cuts when the shoots are not yet lignified, it has been found that later in the agricultural plantation, the trees do not emit as many sprouts nor with such vigor vigorously reducing the cultivation costs for the farmer. In addition, at the time of planting the formation cuts are barely visible and are already well healed at the time of transplantation, which minimizes any possibility of damage from plague or disease, ”says Rosa Hernandorena.

As for the format of sale of pomegranate seedlings, from Viveros Hernandorena they have opted for the sale to bare root, which allows the commercialization with a height of between 120 and 140 cm, during the latency period of the plant, that is, during the winter months, being the most suitable format for export. In addition, they have cold rooms to be able to extend the commercialization period until May if the client requires it.

More than 120,000 pomegranate plants

Viveros Hernandorena will pass this campaign from a commercial production of 60,000 pomegranate seedlings to more than 120,000. “Not only does volume matter, for us the quality of our fruit trees and the homogeneity with which they are delivered to the customer is key,” adds the commercial director.

This nursery has a mother plant field, which allows them to have maximum varietal and sanitary control of the trees, where the plant material is cut for the production of the seedlings. They also have an experimental plot, where they make visits throughout the campaign to check the results of the technical tests they are developing and the adaptation of the new varieties to the Mediterranean climate.