Purple Queen is an extra-early variety which reaches its optimal stage of ripeness between mid-August and late September (northern hemisphere). "It covers a strategic market window with pomegranates of superior quality. It has an exceptional outer appearance, with an attractive and uniform red purple colour and has semi-hard and sweet inner seeds," explains Juan Luis Jiménez, technical director of Caliplant S.L. In normal conditions, the crop's yield is of 25 tonnes per hectare.
MR100 is a mid-season pomegranate (harvested from early October in the northern hemisphere) weighing 400 grams on average. What makes it different from traditional varieties is "its exceptional organoleptic qualities, greater productivity and low percentage of discards," says Juan Luis. "It has a very sweet flavour and soft seeds, as well as a reddish/pinkish colour both internally and externally. It is also very resistant to sun exposure and has an average yield of more than 35 tonnes per hectare in normal conditions."
Kingdom is a late variety (ready between late October and late November in the northern hemisphere) with a prominently large size (600 grams on average) and excellent red colouring both internally and externally. "Its flavour has a sour touch that makes it very refreshing and has generated a lot of positive feedback from consumers. Additionally, the Kingdom does not have an excessively hard inner seed, which makes it stand out from other late varieties. It is highly productive, usually reaching around 40 tonnes per hectare, and is highly resistant to cracking" he points out.
The plants have gone on sale in Spain due to the interest generated by these varieties after being presented at several national and international fairs. "We are very satisfied with the massive success these new varieties have had in both hemispheres," says Juan Luis Jiménez. "However, the current pomegranate boom must be adequately managed. It is essential to promote the right varieties; those that bring significant improvements to what is already available and which can generate a sustainable profitability for all parts of the supply chain. That is precisely the goal for Caliplant and Citrus Genesis: to provide value with new exclusive varieties for the benefit of breeders, producers, traders and final consumers."
Furthermore, Citrus Genesis has also announced the start of the sales campaign of its new citrus varieties for spring 2014. The results of Spain's current citrus campaign are bringing to light how necessary it is for the sector to carry out a profound varietal conversion. Citrus Genesis will make its exclusive varieties available to the producers after several years seeking to obtain varieties with a better outer appearance, good calibres, easier to peel, with better organoleptic qualities, without seeds and with productive periods meeting the market's needs.
