Resilient varieties for sustainable fruit growing in Switzerland

FiBL, Agroscope and various variety testing networks are already testing international varieties and new breeds for agronomic suitability and fruit quality. To meet new challenges, the existing testing infrastructure must be better coordinated, used more intensively and expanded to meet new challenges.

Project goals are:

• Resilient fruit production with adapted varieties: The existing fruit variety testing will be expanded to answer questions regarding resilience (tolerance to abiotic stress such as frost, heat or drought, robustness to pests). Testing protocols will be developed, validated and finally implemented in the regular testing process.
• Reduced plant protection with suitable varieties: Potentially robust varieties and new breeds are tested for their suitability for cultivation under reduced plant protection.
• Fruit quality for the point of sale: In the case of stone fruit, variety-specific post-harvest characteristics will be determined. The varieties are sensory tested in expert panels and their liking is tested in consumer tests. Furthermore, cost/benefit analyses are carried out with regard to the selected post-harvest procedures.

• Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG)

• Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) – Research, training and innovation

• Swiss Fruit Association (Schweizer Obstverband, SOV)
• Agroscope
• Fenaco
• Tobi Seeobst AG
• Cantonal Office St. Gallen

• Friedli Michael (Department of Crop Sciences)

• Baumgartner Fabian (Department of Crop Sciences)
• Boutry Clémence (Department of Crop Sciences)

Project partner

• Fruit production (Department of Crop Sciences, FiBL Switzerland)