Macfrut Academy is back with a video lesson dedicated to the new frontiers of strawberry production. The educational platform promoted by Macfrut will focus on the content, which will be launched on Thursday, September 19 at 5 PM (click here to access the platform for free: https://academy.macfrut.com), emphasizing the construction and preservation of this fruit's quality.
The lesson starts with the new frontiers of varietal research, followed by an in-depth look at market demands and the strategies that research and production can implement to meet these needs. Among these strategies are new defense techniques using beneficial insects. Lastly, a journey through the facilities where the fruit is processed and packaged, to see how automation and packaging can protect the quality produced in the field: a focus on technologies that help preserve strawberries and extend their shelf life, benefiting sustainability.
This journey touches on the Mediterranean basin – particularly in Italy, Spain, and Morocco – and covers breeding, production, market analysis, technical tools, technology, and packaging. It is conducted with the support of qualified partners such as Nova Siri Genetics, CBC Bioplanet and CBC Biogard, Apofruit Italia, Coop Sole, Onubrafruit, Freslote, Freshuelva, Ulma, and Infia.
“As with the entire agricultural sector, there are significant challenges ahead for strawberries in the near future,” explains Bruno Mezzetti, a professor at the Polytechnic University of Marche. “There is undoubtedly a need to identify new varieties and cultivation systems that adapt to the major climate variations, which are especially critical for strawberry cultivation. We're talking about water requirements and the need to reduce the use of agrochemicals. Therefore, new cultivation techniques are needed, but more importantly, new varieties, possibly developed through innovative technologies that allow for better resistance to the major bacterial, fungal, and even viral diseases.”
In his presentation, Bruno Mezzetti will talk about the use of molecular markers, Genomic Prediction, the new frontiers of breeding, and how bioinformatics tools can accelerate varietal innovation.
Spain is the leading European producer of strawberries and leads the world in strawberry exports, with around 300,000 tons per year, accounting for about one-third of the global export volumes. Macfrut Academy visited Huelva, the strawberry capital of Spain, to see how this important production area is evolving.
Rafael Dominguez is the director of Freshuelva, the association of strawberry producers and exporters. “Huelva produces practically 95% of Spain's strawberries,” he explains. “During the last season, 6,200 hectares were dedicated to strawberry cultivation. In our region, strawberries were initially a monoculture. There were up to 9,500 hectares entirely devoted to strawberries. Now, of the approximately 11,300 hectares where berries are grown, 6,200 are strawberries. The second largest crop is blueberries, with about 3,200 hectares, followed by raspberries with about 1,500-1,600 hectares, and the remaining 200-300 hectares are blackberries. Among the challenges we are currently facing, water is clearly a major concern. It's one of the main challenges Huelva is facing. I think the first of these challenges is irrigation, the need for water, of course. The second is the need for labor to harvest the fruit, and the third, which is also of interest to Mediterranean countries, as you know well, is that we are addressing the European Union regarding these restrictions on the products needed to combat pests, because this issue is one of our key concerns.”
The Macfrut Academy schedule will continue with one new session per month, featuring further insights dedicated to cherries, blueberries, yellow and red kiwis, processing tomatoes, and soilless cultivation.
The video lesson is free upon registration: https://academy.macfrut.com/
