Strawberry breeder closer to putting systems into practice with new greenhouse
Strawberry and apple breeder, Fresh Forward, has moved locations. In a new, fully renovated greenhouse of four hectares, the first tests are in full swing. In the new greenhouse, the breeder can conduct tests on various cultivation systems. “With this, we can take the first steps in putting a system into practice for a new selection before testing it with the growers,” Koen Merkus explains.
Over the past couple of years, the breeding activities of Fresh Forward have expanded considerably. Both open field and substrate programs have been scaled up, leading to Fresh Forward growing too big for their location in Eck and Wiel. Reason enough to move to Huissen, where a greenhouse featured during last year’s NEXTgarden got completely readjusted and equipped to breed strawberries.
The Calinda s traits break away from the Spanish strawberry stereotype
The new Spanish Calinda strawberry season is about to start. We should export some 30.000 tons of Calinda strawberries to North-West Europe next season. That s roughly 20% more than last season. It s also in line with the controlled growth we are aiming for with this variety, says Koen Merkus of the Dutch fruit breeding company, Fresh Forward.
These strawberries are currently primarily cultivated in Spain. Our low chill breeding program is located in the Huelva region. The Calinda was also introduced there. So, most of the farming is still done in Spain. However, this strawberry can be grown in several other countries too. Obviously, those around the Mediterranean Sea. The Calinda is also cultivated in Morocco, Egypt, and Jordan. We re working on testing the Calinda in places like Chile, South Africa, and Australia soon too.