Nearly 300 technical experts from the most important companies in Almeria field attended the 2006 Technical Symposium organized on November 21, 2006, by S&G, Syngenta Seeds’ horticultural seed brand, at its Research and Testing Centre in El Ejido (Almeria, Spain). The discussion entitled “Quality and Integral Safety” emphasized the importance of Food Safety and Integrated Control, with particular reference to peppers, in overcoming the challenges faced by growers in Almería.

7% of peppers in Almería grown using IPM strategies

The co-ordinator of the department of crop cultivation methods at Coexphal, Jan van der Blom, predicted that the plantation area of peppers grown under IPM strategies will reach 4,000 ha (50% of the total area) in the 2007-2008 season. The current proportion is 7% (some 560 ha), but the success obtained raises hopes for a spectacular increase in the application of integrated control strategies. This represents a challenge not only for the supply companies, but also for the technical experts within these companies.

Both Jan van der Blom at Coexphal and Manuel Gómez Romero, a technical expert at Syngenta Bioline, insisted on the importance of applying a joint strategy with the neighbouring greenhouses in order to be successful with integrated control, given the high density of greenhouses in Almería. The co-ordinator from Coexphal stressed that the introduction of integrated control “is a change that is totally necessary” if Almería is to maintain its pepper plantations.

Importance of biological control

María Antonia Elorrieta, Technical Director of the Phytopathology Area at Coexphal’s Innovation and Technological Development Centre, described the virulence and enormous variability of TSWV, which makes it a virus that is particularly difficult to control all over the world. An expert on Spotted, Elorrieta highlighted the inadequacy of chemical treatment in controlling thrips, the main transmitter of the virus in Almería, and she underlined the need to apply integrated control techniques for this purpose. Elorrieta also confirmed the presence of a new strain of the virus, and to combat this “it is important to have resistant varieties, but control of the virus and of the vector must be maintained at all times,” she observed.

Quality and safety for the consumer

Jorge Moreno Virto, Managing Director of Pentaflor Hortícola, which is part of the Florette group, stressed the importance of satisfying consumer demand for high-quality, safe food products. In this respect, he emphasized that in order to make a Food Safety System successful, it is essential for the management of a company to make a sincere commitment to certification, identification and traceability systems throughout the product chain, from seed to table.

Globalization and power of large-scale distribution

Juan Luis Pérez, S&G Sales Director for the South of EAME, spoke of the harm that is being done to peppers from Almería by the European campaigns, and he declared that  “we must make an effort and commit ourselves to everything that has been said in the course of this symposium, otherwise we will have difficulties.” Juan Luis Pérez spoke of globalization as a process that is generating uncertainty in the principal fruit and vegetable-growing areas of Spain. The need to cut production costs and to guarantee a continuous supply, together with the cost of labour, is modifying the market, but the critical points of the globalization of markets, such as logistical problems, administrative obstacles and the lack of labour skills cannot be underestimated. As an example of survival in this context, Pérez cited the commitment to modernization and progress made by the Dutch. In response to the control that large-scale distribution exercises over the market at present, the S&G executive defended the need to establish a constant two-way flow of communication between all the members of the chain in order to provide solutions.

Juan Luis Pérez made a very positive evaluation of the Technical Symposium, in terms of both the content and the attendance of the event. He concluded: “The challenge we face now lies in the preparation of the next symposium. I believe that the points we have covered have been interesting, but we need to go further and see whether what we have talked about is put into practice. Next year, it is not only the effect of the symposium that we must evaluate and analyse, but also the practical application in the field of what we have talked about here.”

Following the addresses, all those present were invited to visit the tomato, pepper and courgette plantations at the Syngenta Seeds Research and Testing Centre, where S&G presented the latest developments in these vegetable species for the forthcoming campaign.

An informal lunch provided an opportunity for technical experts, professionals and speakers to exchange their ideas and opinions.