Climate change, digitalisation, available plant-protection products, market competition and much more influence the production and marketing of pome and stone fruit in Switzerland.
Apple, pear, cherry, plum and apricot producers must be prepared for the changing demands of society, policy-makers and the market, as well as changing production conditions. Variety selection is a key to success.
Agroscope, FiBL and various variety networks are already testing international varieties (post-registration testing) and new Agroscope cultivars (pre-registration testing) in terms of their agronomic suitability for cultivation and fruit quality. The ‘RESO’ project aims to improve coordination of the existing testing infrastructure, use it more intensively, and expand it in order to test new issues. The aim is to tap the full potential of process digitalisation, innovative measuring technologies (NIR, chlorophyll, Colour Pin, ethylene production, smart image processing) and the latest developments in growing techniques to increase profitability.
The existing networks within the sector should also be strengthened and used to improve the efficiency of variety testing, and in particular the impact of variety testing on the entire value chain. Through the inclusion of all stakeholders in the value chain in this project, we seek a new, pioneering form of cooperation that will help us cope with the challenges that lie ahead.
