The two days, organised in Mollerussa (Lleida), had more than 1.500 assistants

The pasts 16 and 17 October took place in the Experimental Station of the IRTA in Mollerussa (Lleida) the XVII Day Frutícola. It can affirm that after 17 editions this day has turned into the reference for the sector frutícola so much of Catalonia as of other regions frutícolas of Spain and Portugal, as it shows it the assistance of more than 1.500 people in his two days of edition: the first in Catalan tongue and the second in Spanish tongue. It is thus that treats of the day with elder can of south announcement of Europe, definitely due to the fact that the interest of the exposed subjects has known to keep along 18 years and to that the transfer of information has realizar of efficient form.

The day initiated with the exhibition of the resulted referents to diverse essays on systems of driving of the variety of apple ‘Brookfield Gala' realised along 6 years in the finca of the IRTA in Mollerussa. In the essay has compared the production, profitability, costs, ease of mechanisation and of execution of the central axis (reference) in comparison with the wall or wall frutal executed in two modalities when splitting of different saplings. The exhibition ran to charge of the Dr. Luis Asín, specialist of the IRTA in technology frutícola. In base to the economic analysis of the results concludes that the two modalities of wall frutal contribute a greater profitability that the central axis. This is because of the reduction of the costs of plantation by the lower number of trees and to the possibility of mechanisation that allows the reduction of costs at the same time that it obtains a production and similar quality to the central axis.

The Dr. Ignasi Churches and Joaquim Carbó exposed of form resumida and precise the results about the behaviour of new varieties of apple of greater interest in base to his adaptation to the typical climatic conditions of warm zones, to the production and to the quality of the fruit. The progress experienced in the last years has been remarkable in the referred to the colouring of the fruit of the main groups varietales as they are ‘Gala', ‘Network Delicious' and ‘Fuji'. The greater innovation has given in the group ‘Gala' of the cual are evaluating in the IRTA the clones of last generation, the majority of which contribute an upper colouring to the available. Like reference ‘Brookfield Gala' keeps on being the most cultivated variety in the group of the grooved. As you groove little visible the reference is ‘Buckeye Gala'. The new clones are in his elder splits semiestriados, of precocious colouring and of quality gustativa similar. Stand out from among the evaluated the last years ‘Gala Venus', ‘Gala Decarli', ‘Ultima Gala', ‘Schniga Schico', with estrias little apparent. ‘Galaval' Presents a uniform and precocious colouring, whereas ‘Jugala' is of recolección more precocious.

The group ‘Network Delicious' follow having two varieties of reference that are ‘Jeromine' and ‘Scarlett Spur', both of intense colouring, precocious and without groove. In the group ‘Fuji' the clone with the best colouring keeps on being ‘Zhen Fuji Aztec' of smooth colour, whereas in colour grooved the best colour corresponds to ‘Kiku Fubrax'. In the group ‘Golden' the references keep on being the varieties ‘Golden Reinders' and ‘Golden Crielaard' by his lower susceptibility to the ruseting. ‘Rossy Glow' Is the mutation of ‘Pink Lady' that contributes the greater colouring and the only planted at present in this variety of recolección late and developed in shape of club. Of the numerous new varieties in evaluation stood out ‘Story' (‘Inored') by his resistance to the moteado, the good colouring of the fruit and the good quality, with sweet and excellent flavour conservation frigorífica. The tree is of little vigour and no sensitive to the alternation. In the referred to the peral the innovation varietal is very limited and stood out the varieties ‘Carmen' of recolección precocious, ‘Corina' as a variety type ‘Conference' but of recolección two weeks before and ‘Elliot' of recolección at the beginning of September, of excellent quality gustativa, regular production and russeting on the whole of the fruit. Besides it is tolerante to the fire bacteriano and to the moteado.

Following with the innovation varietal, the Dr.Ignasi Churches in the last intervention realised an exhibition of the most remarkable varieties of the following typologies of fruit: peach, nectarina, Paraguayan (flat peach) and platerina (nectarina flat). In the case of the red peach of pulpa yellow (type ‘Royal Glory') or white (type ‘Fidelia') the innovation varietal characterises by the availability of series varietales of precocious and intense colouring, with fruit of spherical form and homogénea, pulpa of sweet flavour and epidermis attractor trucks and without hardly vellosidad. Like example of varieties of pulpa yellow quote ‘Sugar Time', ‘Crisbella', ‘'Royal Summer' or ‘Mount' in peach of pulpa white: ‘Sweet Chief', ‘Monadouce', ‘Summer Sweet', ‘Rosalia', ‘Sweet Reine' or ‘Sweet Star', between others. Like a typology of different fruit presented different varieties of the type “Stony Hard” designated ‘Giachio', of albino colour, sweet flavour and slow maduration, being the reference ‘Iglu' of maduration around the middle of July. His development has initiated already commercial scale in the Valley of the Ebro.

In nectarina the innovation varietal has been extraordinary and in the actuality the range varietal is very wide, so much in varieties of pulpa yellow like white. They present like common characteristic the high and precocious colouring of the fruit, the sweet flavour, the spherical form and the epidermis attractor trucks with little presence of lenticelas. Besides the range varietal has lengthened from finals of May until mediated of September. Inside the pulpa yellow ‘Big Top' keeps on being the reference to which have added in the last years more than 20 varieties like ‘Nectaprima', ‘Big Bang', ‘Noracila', ‘Carene', ‘Luciana, ‘Nectareine', ‘Honey Royal', 'Nectavantop', ‘Nectagala', ‘Tarderina', ‘Nectadiva' and ‘Nectatinto', between others. Inside the pulpa white ‘Nectaerarly' is the most precocious variety of sweet flavour, ‘Garcica' constitutes the reference to which follow ‘Nectaperla', ‘Nectardream', ‘Nectaruby', ‘Tourmaline', ‘Nectaperf' and ‘Nectarlam', between others of sweet flavour. Finally in the case of the flat peach, the innovation does not cease to contribute new varieties with a better closing, colour and calibrate that they cover from principles of June until mediated of September. ‘UFO-4' and ‘Sweet Cap' have complemented with new varieties like ‘Carioca', ‘Flabeati', ‘Platibelle', ‘Flareine', ‘Flatstar' or ‘Flatmoon', between others. In the case of the nectarina flat the range varietal is still limited and will have to complement in the next years.

Ignasi Churches exposed also the results about new patterns of manzano and peral. In the first case the P-16 or Lizzy is the one who for varieties vigorosas, little sensitive to the hit of sun and fertile floors, can have interest by his good productive efficiency that it is upper to the one of the B9 and the one of both also upper to the EM9, used like reference. Of the patterns evaluated Lizzy is the one of lower vigour, gone on down B9 and besides is the one who confers the greater productive efficiency. The lower vigour of both patterns and his homogeneity would make possible plantations more intensive with regard to the EM9 and besides a better control of the vigour in fertile floors and varieties vigorosas. In the case of the peral exposed the results with different patterns of reference (EMC, EMA, Sydo, Adams) and of the new patterns Pyriam (Pyrus) and EMH (Cydonia) with the variety ‘Conference'. The first of these Pyriam, in addition to being of greater vigour that the EMA, shows sensitivity to the broadcast of burgeon and the calibrate of the fruit and the productive efficiency are clearly inferior to the ones of the rest of patterns. The EMH has conferred a vigour between the EMC and the EMA, has contributed a calibrate similar to the ones of the type Angers (EMA, Sydo, Adams), elder that the EMC and a productive efficiency also upper. It is thus that offers interest for varieties of high vigour like ‘Blanquilla' or ‘Ercolini' and for intensive plantations with varieties of lower vigour like ‘Conference'.

The Dr. Alberto Dorigoni, of the Agricultural Institute of Saint Michele (Trento-Italy), based his exhibition in the development of flat forms like system of learning that allow to mechanise part of the operations as they are the aclareo, the poda and the recolección, as well as reduce the costs of plantation by the lower density regarding the central axis. The system that presents greater advantages by his greater ease of execution is the double axis, called in Italy ‘Bibaum'. This is due to that different viveristas offer the plant preformada for this system. The fact to divide the vigour in more than an axis allows a better control of the same, multiplies the points of fructificación, improves the colouring of the fruit (especially in the basal parts of the tree) and provides a calibrate more homogéneo. To optimise the productions the distance between lines has to reduce with regard to the central axis keeping the proportion 1/1 height width. For a double axis the distance recommended is used to to be of 1,2 m between trees and 3,2 m between lines. For the reconversion of pyramidal forms like the central axis or the fuseto to a flat form and that at the same time have of the suitable lighting, has developed jointly by the Institute of Saint Michele and the signature of mechanisation Fame, a prepodadora designated of “windows” that with two planes of cut, the first discontinuous in two or more portions of the frontal of attack and that allows a better penetration of the light in the interior of the glass. The experimentation in course has put also ready the in shape flat driving with three and four axles using patterns of greater vigour and lower densities of plantation. This allows also a greater efficiency of the treatments and a considerable reduction of the density of plantation and consistently of the cost of plantation.

Finally, Jaume Almacelles, of the Servei of Sanitat Vegetal of the Departament d'Agriculture (DAAM) of the Government of Catalonia realised an exhibition detailed of two bacteriosis and a virosis that suppose a grave threat for the future of zones frutícolas important where the peral and the melocotonero are important species. It treats of the fire bacteriano, bacteriosis that affects mainly to the peral and in lower degree to the manzano, of the ‘Sharka', virosis that it can affect so much to the melocotonero as to the albaricoquero and the ‘Xantomona', bacteriosis with an important condition in melocotonero and also almendro. Regarding the fire bacteriano, treats of an illness that affects to the greater part of the zones frutícolas of Spain except in Catalonia where entered to finals of the 90 but eradicated later. At present the most important condition corresponds to Extremadura, The Rioja, Navarra and Aragon. The increasing budgetary limitations of the last years have prevented the application of strict campaigns of eradication and the timely control of this bacteriosis, what supposes a problem of face to the future. Regarding the ‘Sharka', the variant or race more aggressive Markus, is the one who supposes a greater risk, since it affects so much to the fruit (that it does it incomercializable) as to the tree (that it finishes for being unfeasible from the productive punto). The ‘Xantomona' supposes an important irrigation for the melocotonero since his control is difficult and affects to a large extent to the productivity and to the economic feasibility of the plantations affected. In the three cases the extreme surveillance of his diffusion (poda, machinery, people, etc.), as well as the measures of eradication in case of infection, are indispensable. In spite of this is fundamental the strict control of the vegetal material in the moment of the plantation (origin, sanitary ware state, phytosanitary ware passport, etc.) to avoid the first infections and therefore the start of his diffusion.

In the day frutícola combined as in previous editions the reports in room with the visit to the 42 display units existent related with the sale of phytosanitary ware products, fertilizantes, plant of vivero, materials for the plantations, meshes antigranizo, podadoras, crushers, prepodadoras, etc. In the afternoon realised to charge of the company NUFRI (Mollerussa) a demonstration of start of plantations and his trituración for the aprovechamiento like biomass.

The day 15 October took place in the station of the IRTA of But Badia (Gironinginga) a day of similar characteristics to the one of Mollerussa that explained also with a remarkable assistance of public, constituting both one reference for the sector of the sweet fruit.