Cultifort among the innovative mandarines

Spain: Trials in Murcia with new varieties of mandarin and orange
The Ministry of Agriculture conducts a trial with new varieties of mandarin and orange, at the Integrated Center for Training and Agricultural Experiences (Cifea) in Torre Pacheco, with the aim of studying its agronomic behavior in the climatic conditions of the Campo de Cartagena. The trial is preferably aimed at farmers and technicians related to the citrus sector in that region and research staff.

The Ministry considers the need to modernize the plantations to achieve a more competitive product, through the use of new varieties, early and late, and the use of protection facilities, in order to improve quality and production and increase the period of offer.
 
Spain is the main European producer of oranges and tangerines and the Region of Murcia is the third community in citrus production, a sector that in recent years has suffered from increasing competition from Mediterranean countries and the southern hemisphere, such as South Africa, Argentina or Brazil.
 
The trial started in 2016, on a 3,000-square-meter plot, where 11 rows of mandarin and orange were planted, with a total of 120 trees. The varieties of mandarins planted are the so-called Marisol, Orogros, Iwasaki, Nero, Oronules, Arrufatina, Basol, Cultiflor and Clemenrubi. The orange varieties are Navelina and Navelin M7.

The goal is to continue the trial for up to 10 years to obtain long-term results.
 
The new varieties can be adapted to areas with mild winters and enable early harvesting, thus offering an alternative to current citrus and horticultural cultivation, due to the different harvesting season.
 
The trial has an environmental efficiency plan in order to reduce waste, emissions, the consumption of ‘inputs’ and develop the project in a sustainable way.
 
The Ministry will disclose the partial results of each year of production through reports and technical sessions, from the third year of planting. It will also make publications with the results obtained and the cultivation techniques developed from the fifth year of planting.

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