STRAWBERRY varieties with a high potential of winter hardiness recommended for breeding new varieties - Variedades de FRUTILLA (FRESA) con alto potencial de resistencia al frío recomendadas para generar nuevas variedades

Photo from http://news.yenialanya.com

Studies were conducted to evaluate the stability of garden strawberries (Fragaria ananassa) to damaging factors of the winter period under the conditions of the Orenburg Transurals region (Russia). The studies were carried out from 2011 to 2014 at the strawberry plants collection plot located in the Orenburg region. The study included 25 strawberry varieties of different genetic and ecological-geographical origin. 

The nature and extent of freezing in years with different weather conditions have been analyzed. In 2011/2012 there was a sharp drop in temperature to -25ºС in November and to -30ºС in February, but a steady snow cover reliably protected the plants. In 2012/13 the weather was abnormally cold ans snowless in early winter (-25ºС). 

The weather conditions were extremely unfavorable for strawberry wintering and led to plant freezing. In 2013/14, in the middle of winter, there were hard frosts (-25 to -33ºС) for a rather long period of time, but the steady snow cover contributed to safe overwintering of the plants. The analysis of data on the degree of freezing and plant condition after the winter allowed to select varieties with high frost resistance and high restoration capacity. The main damaging factor in growing strawberries under the studied conditions is the low subzero temperatures during snowless winter periods. Strawberry varieties with high winter hardiness potential were Troitskaya, Vityaz, Kokinskaya zarya, Yemelya, Anastasia, Mishutka, Picnic and Torpeda. Therefore, they are recommended to be used as a starting material in breeding new varieties.

Source: Avdeeva, Z.A., Mursalimova, G.R., Dzhuraeva, F.K. 2015. All-Russia Selection and Technological Inst. of Horticulture and Plant Breeding. Orenburg Experimental Station of Horticulture and Viticulture (Russian Federation).

Europa. Medidas paliativas para evitar la caída de precios de las FRUTAS y HORTALIZAS ante el veto de Rusia - Europe. Mitigation measures to prevent falling prices of FRUITS and VEGETABLES due to the veto of Russia

Para evitar la caída de precios en el mercado interno, debido a la sobreoferta de frutas y verduras generado por la postura de Rusia de prohibir el ingreso de frutas y hortalizas provenientes de países de la UE, en España tomaron dos medidas de alto impacto, orientadas fundamentalmente a proteger al sector frutihortícola: ampliaron el cupo de fruta para transformar en jugo y lanzaron una fuerte y masiva campaña tendiente a aumentar el consumo de frutas y hortalizas.

Durazno tipo "paraguayo" (http://martifruit.es)

TRANSFORMACIÓN AGROINDUSTRIAL

Una medida acordada con la industria del zumo, el sector hortofrutícola y las Comunidades Autónomas, que consistirá en la retirada de estas frutas por parte de los productores, en el marco del un Reglamento comunitario, y su entrega a las entidades caritativas. Estas entidades, a su vez, cierran contratos con la industria para obtener jugo (zumo) y néctar de durazno (melocotón), nectarina y paraguayo (variedad de durazno achatado) retirados del mercado. Una parte de la cantidad entregada se utilizará como pago en especie por los gastos de transformación. A la vista del empeoramiento de los niveles de precios en las últimas semanas y con el fin de evitar mayores caídas de precios, el Ministerio ha fijado una cantidad máxima de 20.000 t que se podrá transformar en los meses de julio y agosto y que no distorsiona el mercado de zumos, de acuerdo con las informaciones proporcionadas por la propia industria.

Las cantidades retiradas serán financiadas con cargo a los programas operativos de las organizaciones de productores. No obstante, si finalmente la Comisión Europea decidiera poner en marcha medidas excepcionales frente al veto ruso para estos productos, como respuesta a la solicitud que se viene realizando de forma insistente desde España, el cupo podría ser cubierto igualmente con retiradas financiadas bajo estas medidas. Las entregas de productos retirados por parte de las organizaciones de productores a las entidades caritativas para su posterior transformación, podrán comenzar en los próximos días, una vez que se cierren los acuerdos entre dichas entidades y las industrias.

"FRUTA Y VERDURA de aquí y de ahora"

El objetivo de esta campaña es fomentar el consumo de frutas y hortalizas entre la población, como alimentos fundamentales de una dieta sana y equilibrada, y colaborar con el sector ayudando en la comercialización de estos productos. Además, la iniciativa quiere contribuir a mantener estables los mercados ante la prórroga de la prohibición rusa de importar productos agrícolas procedentes de la Unión Europea. La campaña, que cuenta con una inversión de 750.000 euros, se dirige a la totalidad de los consumidores, y en especial a aquellas personas que menos las consumen. Para ello, invita a la adquisición de productos de temporada, por sus beneficios sobre el medio ambiente y sobre el desarrollo sostenible del entorno, así como por sus óptimas características organolépticas.

La campaña se difundirá en los canales de los principales grupos televisivos. Contará con un mayor número de pases que la edición anterior e incluye patrocinios en programas de máxima audiencia, como los magacines de mañana, programas de sobremesa y tarde y programas de cocina. También será visible en Internet mediante banners animados en las principales cabeceras digitales y en portales y blogs especializados. A través de estos banners se podrá descargar un calendario de temporalidad de frutas y hortalizas, iconos para el ordenador y fondos de pantalla. Además, el usuario podrá personalizar con su propio rostro las imágenes de las frutas y hortalizas y compartirlas en las redes sociales (Twitter, Facebook e Instagram), a través de las cuales también se canalizará la campaña.

Fuente: http://www.besana.es 

Grants for Israeli growers who replace PEPPER by other VEGETABLE crops -Subsidios para productores israelíes que sustituyan el PIMIENTO por otros cultivos hortícolas

Following the crisis of agricultural exports to Western Europe and Russia, which are the main target markets for fresh produce exports from Israel, the Ministries of Agriculture and Finance have designed a program to help pepper farmers overcome the crisis.

Photo source: http://www.haaretz.com

The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance, together with the Israeli Farmer’s Federation, have reached a settlement concerning a new aid program, at the amount of 100 million NIS, for investments of pepper exporters from the Arava (south Israel). As part of the new program, farmers who convert their pepper growing areas to other crops will receive grants from the state at a sum of 70%, in an attempt to diversify the risk of farmers in peripheral areas and to maintain the existence and growth of agricultural communities.

Peppers have been the most significant export crop in Israeli agriculture in the last several years, with most of the growing areas located in the Arava, an area that relies on this crop as its main source of employment. A team led by  the Acting Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, And the Deputy Budget Director, together with the Israeli Farmer’s Federation, drafted an “aid package” intended for the fresh pepper exporters, which also provides a comprehensive focused solution for the Arava área.

As part of the program, whose budget stands at a total of 100 million NIS, farmers will be able to apply to the Ministry of Agriculture for receiving state issued grants, at a total amount of 70% of the amount invested, and for the first time will also be able to receive a down payment of 20% of the invested amount upon submitting the certificates required from farmers whose main crop is pepper, in order to convert their growing areas from pepper to other crops.

At the same time, a model for providing farmers whose crops are intended for export with long term loans from banks based on a state guarantee is also being examined currently. In addition, a new track for encouraging farmers to organize together for joint export will be published, together with strengthening the regional agricultural R&D in order to develop alternative crops to peppers.
Source: Ari Goren (www.freshplaza.com)

Delicious STRAWBERRIES now produced in Siberia during winter - Deliciosas FRESAS (FRUTILLAS) producidas en Siberia durante el invierno

Despite the cold weather, growers in Irkutsk are managing to sell their own fruit developed in greenhouses and pollinated by foreign bees.

Picture: Angara, Maria Olennikova/ IrkutskMedia

Farmers have been selling their fresh strawberries at the Central Market in Irkutsk for 200 roubles (£2/$3) for a 150g punnet. Picture: Maria Olennikova/ IrkutskMedia

Farmers in Siberia have found a way to beat western sanctions on food by producing their own home-grown strawberries in the middle of winter. Planting them in a greenhouse in August, they bear sumptuous fruit all winter and give a plentiful supply at a time when foreign imports are normally relied upon. Growers in the Irkutsk region have even brought in bees from Israel to pollenate their plants, with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, radishes and other vegetables also produced. It is an impressive feat, given that temperatures in the region in winter tend to drop to -20C between December and February. Tatiana Skakovskaya, the chief agronomist of the Angara agricultural company, said: 'We plant the strawberries in a greenhouse in August, and they bear fruit all winter, until June.

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'We buy the strawberry seeds abroad, as well as the fertilizer and mineral wool on which the strawberries grow. We bought the seeds last year, before the crisis. Now all the prices have risen due to the currency rates. 'In our greenhouses almost the entire process is automated. The greenhouse covers an area of 1.5 hectares.' Supermarkets normally stock only strawberries from Turkey or Israel, with imports from Holland stopped following the EU sanctions last year.
The secret behind the success has been the import of Israeli bees to pollinate the plants in the greenhouses. Angara is one of the largest agricultural enterprises of the Irkutsk region, located in Ust-Ilimsk, about 890 km to the north from the capital Irkutsk. Despite the distance, the company manages to bring fresh vegetables and dairy products to the city. Farmers have been selling their fresh strawberries at the Central Market in Irkutsk for 200 roubles (£2/$3) for a 150g punnet. The secret behind the success has been the import of Israeli bees to pollinate the plants in the greenhouses, with an increase of 15 per cent in productivity as a result of their introduction.

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In many regions of Siberia strawberries are quite common in summer, as many gardeners and farmers sell the berries on the local markets. In winter supermarkets normally stock only strawberries from Turkey or Israel. The sale of local produce has been welcomed within the community, with one forum for mothers and pregnant women highlighting their concerns about imported food. The women were worried about chemicals sprayed on fruit and vegetables being brought in from China and are now recommending everyone buys local produce from Angara.
Source: http://siberiantimes.com