In our previous post, we introduced the campaign, highlighting concerns about the product shortage we are facing this year. Continuing with this concern, we spoke with Antonio Blasco, Blasco Fruit’s Field Director.
What does the new persimmon harvest look like?
Antonio highlights that this year the persimmon harvest has been reduced and there will be low production, largely due to the weather conditions we have experienced.
He also points out that this year, persimmons will generally have a small caliber. This is due, he explains, to the high temperatures this summer. This heat is one of the difficulties persimmon growers have faced this year. More irrigation has been needed to counteract this effect, and fields that have not been abundantly irrigated show a smaller caliber.
Have there been other difficulties besides the weather?
Pests, which depreciate the fruit and make it unsaleable. Sooty mold and mealybug are notable.
Sooty mold appears as a consequence of whiteflies, which lay their eggs on tree leaves. The larvae produce honeydew, which, when it falls on the fruit (or leaves), creates the fungus that later blackens the fruit.
The mealybug, for its part, is an insect that adheres beneath the sepals, creating a cotton-like substance that, although it does not spoil the quality of the fruit, does deteriorate its appearance.
What are the benefits of pruning? How many prunings are carried out per year?
At Blasco Fruit, in addition to marketing persimmons, we have our own harvest, so we carry out all the field care firsthand.
Regarding pruning, we perform one in winter, when the tree has lost its leaves and is in vegetative rest*. The main benefit of pruning is being able to control production, so that each tree produces fewer fruits, but of a larger caliber.
*Vegetative rest is a self-protection process by which trees try to save nutrients to face winter. It could be understood as a state of hibernation for the tree.
