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Tropical Fruit Crops in Spain and Portugal Víctor Galán Saúco and Iñaki Hormaza
One of the best kept secrets is that Spain and
Portugal produce and export tropical fruits, both on the Iberian mainland and in the Canary Islands and Madeira, autonomous regions of Spain and Portugal, respectively (Fig. 1 and 2). The subtropical climate of southern Spain and Portugal and the tropical climates of the two archipelagos make them suitable for the production of many tropical and subtropical fruit crops. These include banana, avocado, mangos, cherimoyas, papaya, pineapple, litchi, and carambola. Significant horticultural research efforts and innovations have been made in recent years. A special consideration common to all tropical fruits produced in Spain and Portugal is the reduction in the carbon footprint for the European market as compared to importation from other continents. This presently adds special value to these products, which increasingly command a greater appeal for European consumers.
BANANA The combined efforts of the horticultural industry and research have led to a sustainable and successful production of banana. In the Canary Islands, a combination of selected local cultivars and improved cultural techniques has led to some of the highest yielding plantings in the world. Greenhouse cultivation was one of the strategies utilized in the Canaries to improve production and offset competition in the European markets from less expensive fruit exported from Africa and the Americas. Banana greenhouses currently cover over a third of the total surface dedicated to banana cultivation in the Canaries and production is timed to coincide with peak market prices. Additional advantages of bananas under cover include negligible risks of weather extremes, improvements in fruit quality, irrigation efficiency, and organic and integrated product management (IPM) systems. The industry has focused on publicity extolling the excellent taste of the speciality bananas, mostly ‘Dwarf Cavendish’ cultivars, which are produced both in the Canary Islands and Madeira. They are greatly appreciated by both Spanish and Portuguese consumers. Since the early 1990s, Central America has supplied Europe with cheap, uniform, and unblemished bananas. As a result leading Canary banana growers have promoted their fruit by running successive advertising campaigns initially designed to extol their flavour, and to alert Spanish consumers to the fact that the slight spotting and less intense color of their smallersized banana was intrinsic to the type, and not indicative of under- or over-ripeness as com-
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pared to the high quality Central American imports. These promotional campaigns targeting wholesalers have ultimately been so successful at retaining consumer loyalty in Spain, that Canary bananas usually fetch higher prices than their cheaper, imported competitors and have led to a complete segmentation of the market. Spanish consumers distinguish very well
between “plátanos” from the Canary Islands, which are preferred over “bananas” from any other sources. This distinction is translated to retail shops where fruit is labelled accordingly to origin. Local growers are currently financing campaigns focusing on nutritional comparisons, which they hope will broaden their sales base even further.
Figure 1. Tropical and subtropical fruits produced in Portugal and Spain: A. banana, B. avocado, C. mango, D. papaya, E. cherimoya, F. litchi, G. pineapple (left ‘MD2’, right ‘Red Spanish’), H. carambola.
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Figure 2. Tropical fruits with promise: A. pitaya, B. guava, C. mamey.
marker-assisted selection, and in developing appropriate methods for genetic transformation. Biological control strategies are being developed against both the persea mite (Oligonichus perseae), first reported in Spain in 2004, and soil fungi (Phytophthora cinnamomi and Rosellinia necatrix). Studies are underway to obtain rootstocks capable of tolerating both fungi, which are fairly prevalent in both Spain and Portugal and for which no definite solution is now possible.
MANGO This delicious tropical fruit undoubtedly constitutes the greatest progress. Due mainly to advances in controlling flowering so as to coincide with good temperatures for fruit set, mango cultivation has experienced a boom in recent years, particularly in the Spanish mainland. Research efforts have managed to reduce the problem of Internal Fruit Breakdown (softnose) as well as to address specific problems typical of subtropical cool environments, like apical necrosis. An interesting breeding program is ongoing in the Canary Islands, with the aim of producing triploids from naturally-occurring tetraploids. Molecular markers are being used to optimize germplasm management in the Canary Islands and in mainland Spain. Fruits from selected cultivars not only satisfy local demand but are currently exported regularly by road from Málaga to France with excellent results. The proximity to markets allows Spanish mangoes to compete in equal conditions, particularly quality, with the air freight exported fruit from Latin America, Africa, or Asia.
AVOCADO Although the first commercial orchards of avocado were established in Spain and Portugal over 50 years ago, this American fruit was first introduced in Iberia in the 16th century. Old germplasm, introduced several centuries ago, has been found in the Canaries, mainly West Indian avocado race, but Mexican and Guatemalan races have been found scattered throughout the Southeastern Iberian Peninsula. ‘Hass’ is the most widely used cultivar (as it is in most producing countries worldwide) and over 50% of the Iberian crop is consumed by the European Union. Shorter transport to markets gives Iberian fruit a competitive edge, as does minimal or zero use of pesticides. Research initially focused on cultural techniques to optimize orchard management, developing appropriate methods of pruning, fertilizing and irrigation. Recent multidisciplinary approaches that merge basic and applied research to address the main factors limiting sustainable production have resulted in a qualitative change in the avocado industry. Significant advances have been made by studies of reproductive biology to optimize yield, the use of molecular markers for genotypic characterization and
only survive by employing transgenic resistant cultivars but GM produce is currently anathema to European consumers. Pineapples, mainly of the Red Spanish group, are also a commercial crop in the Canaries, with efforts directed towards introducing new cultivars capable of adapting well to the subtropics. (Some pineapple, ‘Smooth Cayenne’ types, is still produced in greenhouses in the Portuguese Azores). Important efforts towards evaluation of litchi cultivars have also been made by public research institutions in collaboration with the private sector, and in recent years fruit has been exported from Málaga to France where it fetches excellent prices due to a production season (end of summer/beginning of autumn) during which virtually no other country is producing fruit. Research is in progress for other species, such as carambolas, pitayas, passionfruit, mamey, guava, litchi, and plantain, to further increase the diversity of tropical fruit production in both Spain and Portugal.
FURTHER READING Janick, J. and Paull, R.E. (eds.). 2008. Encyclopedia of tropical fruits & nuts. CABI, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, UK. Galán Saúco, V. 2003. Fruit: Tropical and Subtropical. p.70-78. In: S.H. Katz and W.W. Weaver (eds.), Volume 2. The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, Charles Scribners and Sons, New York.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
CHERIMOYAS Spain is the largest world producer of this South American fruit. About 90% of its production is marketed locally, with particularly high consumptions close to the main producing areas. The local cultivar ‘Fino de Jete’ constitutes the bulk of the production in Spain, while several local selections are cultivated in Madeira. Similarly to avocado, much effort has been devoted to optimizing cultural techniques such as pruning to extend the harvesting season, initially concentrated between September and December, to April. Other significant improvements are underway. Hand-pollination has been enthusiastically adopted by farmers to optimize production. Breeding is underway to reduce the risks attendant on the current dependence on a single cultivar and marker assisted selection is being researched. A great deal of these research efforts is made in cooperation with developing countries, mainly in South America.
OTHER TROPICAL FRUITS Papayas produced under greenhouses in the Canary Islands are free of ring spot virus (PRSV). This contrasts with the open air plantations used in other countries, where production can
Víctor Galán Saúco
Iñaki Hormaza
Víctor Galán Saúco is Research Professor at the Department of Tropical Fruits at the Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias, Apdo. 60, La Laguna 38200, Spain. He is a Past President of the Spanish Society of Horticulture, Vice Chair of the ISHS Section Banana and Plantain, Chair of ISHS Working Group on Tropical Fruits and presently Co-President of the 28th IHC Congress, Lisboa 2010. Email:
[email protected] Iñaki Hormaza is Research Professor of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Head of the Department of Subtropical Pomology and Phytopathology at “La Mayora” Experimental Station - CSIC in Málaga, Spain. He has carried out extensive research studies on subtropical and temperate fruit trees reproductive biology and germplasm conservation. Email:
[email protected]
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