Peach Industry in Spain

Abstract

Peach ( Prunus persicaL. Batsch) is the main stone fruit grown in Spain. The area devoted to this crop has increased slightly (4%) over the past 15 years; however, its production has doubled in this period. Spain ranks fourth in world production after China, Italy and the USA, producing 25% of the total peach crop in the European UnionSix regions of Spain produce 95% of the peaches (1,261,000 MT): Cataluña, Aragón, Murcia, Andalucía, Extremadura and Valencia. Fruit type distribution is: non-melting peaches 41%, nectarines 33%, melting cultivars 24% and platycarpa (flat) types 2%. The Spanish climate is diverse among peach producing regions. There are areas with 200-400 chilling hours, like Andalucía, and other regions like Aragón or Cataluña with 700-1100 chilling hours, allowing one of the longest harvest seasons in the world, from April to November. Currently, there is a notable renewal of the cultivars grown, i.e.the range of cultivars is changing, there is a large increase in nectarines and platycarpa types, a slight increase in melting peaches and a decrease in non-melting cultivars. Regarding rootstocks, the hybrids from almond x peach (GF-677 and G x N series) are the most widely used (64%). Although peach production is increasing, consumption in Spain is decreasing, as it is in other western countries (Europe and USA). The lack of internal fruit quality is the main reason claimed by consumers for declining to buy fresh fruit. In addition to fruit quality, the main limitations of this crop are poor adaptability of many cultivars from foreign countries to the Spanish environment, dependency on cultivars bred in other countries, the incidence of pests, diseases and abiotic stresses and the high cost of crop management. These problems can be overcome, in part, by developing scion breeding programs based on controlled crosses.