EL PINAR and PLANT SCIENCES revolutionize the strawberry market with Victory
Victory, early and very productive, is characterized by its unbeatable postharvest life, which makes it a very safe variety for commercialization.
EL PINAR, a family business dedicated for more than 40 years to the production of plants and fruits in the red fruit sector, is the exclusive licensee for southern Europe and northern Africa for more than 20 years of the breeding programs of Plant Sciences Inc and Berry Genetics Inc, Californian companies and world leaders in genetics and breeding of strawberries and raspberries.
Its latest bet is the Victory strawberry variety, available to any grower in the markets of Southern Europe and North Africa.
Victory is a variety from the Berry Genetics program that has been on the market for several years, in which it has stood out very notably for the good quality of its fruit and its long shelf life.
The intake of this variety has been very positive thanks to the fact that it offers a series of advantages to the grower that differentiates it from its competitors: located in the category of early and very productive varieties, with a constant development throughout the season, and very rustic.
Another of the main advantages of this variety of strawberry is found in its unique postharvest life, making it the perfect fruit to reach the farthest destinations.
Behaviour in the current season
Despite the weather of this season, Victory has presented a correct performance in the field. “It has been more than 10 years since Huelva had such low temperatures, with such an incidence of rain and foggy days. This has caused a general delay in the production of all varieties and a high incidence of Botrytis due to high humidity. However, a highlight of Victory is that, unlike the rest of the varieties, it has shown good behaviour in the face of all this casuistry with low rot losses, ”explains Jorge Muñoz, commercial manager of El Pinar.
Likewise, Victory is registering a very good quality, in colour, size and flavour, reaching the markets in excellent condition. “It is being highly appreciated by international markets as well as local markets, with a differential price on the shelves”, argues the commercial manager of El Pinar.
An incomparable production
Victory begins its campaign at the end of December – beginning of January with a very interesting early production followed by an increase and keeping de production stable until the end of the season, without production peaks, which facilitates the harvest labour.
As for the fruit, its skin is firm and very resistant to friction, even in the most unfavourable conditions. The fruit it produces is heart shaped with a very attractive visual appearance, with a good flavour, optimal Brix levels and stable size throughout the season.
Expansion into new markets
According to data from the company, last season more than 100 million plants of this variety were planted in the Mediterranean arc, with much higher demand in the next season than the current one thanks to its great adaptability to the growing conditions in production areas as well as the growing demand for Victory fruit from the markets.
Much of Victory’s success lies in having been selected in the main production areas, specifically in the research fields that El Pinar has in the province of Huelva (Spain), which allowed the sector to value its characteristics of this variety.
For all these reasons, EL PINAR’s latest bet continues to gain ground beyond the Spanish borders. Currently, Victory represents more than 80% of the national production in Greece and is gaining special relevance in Morocco and Italy.
