The estate Carvajal, in Cadiz, gets the earliest harvest of sunflower in Europe
on July 22, 2013
The sunflower harvest the first days of July is an authentic record in Europe, where the first crops are traditionally at least one month later. On the farm of Puerto Real, Cádiz, Carvajal have succeeded this year after six campaigns slowly ahead of their crops. The result is a spectacular crop of sunflower and the possibility of being the first to sell the crop.
Agricultural Carvajal is a model of agrarian Enterprise thanks, no doubt, training, professionalism and innovative character of the brothers Pedro and José Miguel Gallardo. Thus, implementing a new system of early crops, have gone from harvest in Sunflower an average of 700 kilos per hectare in the 1980s, have now averages 2,300 and 2,500 kg / has this campaign, harvesting before anyone else and with undeniable competitive advantage of choosing when to sell their harvest. This advancement of plantings done gradually, sowing already this year on 17 January and can harvest from July 4, when the normal in the area is mid August and even September.
On the farm Carvajal is using several years the variety Bosfora, Syngentawhich is very stable, highly productive and resistant to Broomrape race F. The choice of variety is one of the keys to the advancement of sowings, as Pedro Gallardo Auger says: "we have a variety as Bosfora, which gives us a very short cycle and an adaptation is huge to this type of dryland soils, since it is very rustic. In addition, it is a variety that chapter grana to centre and you don't have waste, ensuring each year a high production. Finally, to be resistant to Broomrape race F avoid any problem".
