Harvest – Giropoma

The forecasts are successfully achieved and Giropoma closes the harvest with an apple that stands out for its quality

Last week, Giropoma completed the 2023 harvest, which stands out for the high quality of its apples, good coloration and size, and excellent sugar content. Despite being a year marked by drought, weather conditions have been favorable for the apple producer and marketer, which has successfully achieved the harvest forecasts.

Despite being a campaign marked by the water restrictions declared by the Catalan Water Agency, the correct management of this has allowed excellent fruit and the desired quantity.

This has been possible thanks to the irrigation system based on soil moisture sensors that the company has implemented, a soil monitoring based on probes that measure the volumetric water content in the soil; and the thinning carried out to ensure that the fruits could reach the harvest with the expected quality.

This low water availability caused by the lack of rainfall has minimized the occurrence of fungal diseases and, therefore, apple trees have been less affected by these organisms.

Giropoma makes a positive balance of this year’s harvest, closes the 2023 harvest with satisfaction, but also with concern about the drought situation that is expected to mark 2024, if it does not rain soon.

About Giropoma’s varieties

Giropoma currently markets 8 different varieties of apples. The Gala, Golden, Red Delicious and Granny Smith varieties, which are under the umbrella of the PGI Apple of Girona, the Fuji and the club varieties, the Regalyou marketed under the Candine® brand, the Cripps Pink marketed under the Pink Lady® brand and the Cripps Red marketed under the Joya® brand.

Giropoma predicts a good season despite the drought

Since the beginning of the 2023 campaign, with the harvest of the Gala variety, Giropoma has predicted a good apple harvest. According to data from the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Poma de Girona, which groups the apple producing and marketing companies of the province of Girona, a harvest of 88,570 tons is expected, a figure very similar to that of the closing of the 2022 campaign.

Despite being a year marked by high temperatures and low water availability, this campaign is characterized by the high quality of the apples, good size and excellent sugar content.

In the symbolic act of the harvest of the first apple, held on August 10, 2023 and organized annually by the IGP Poma de Girona, Joan Bonany, IRTA expert, commented that drought has been a constant concern of this season, but through efficient irrigation systems and communication with irrigation communities, it has been possible to minimize its effects.

For his part, Jaume Armengol, president of the PGI Poma de Girona, shared that the drop in temperatures at night has allowed the apple to take its color and the relevant sugars.

For Giropoma, the drought has been very present at all times, but it has not been a decisive element in terms of the results of the campaign. Thanks to the irrigation system based on soil moisture sensors that the company has had in place since 2018, which consists of soil monitoring based on probes that measure the volumetric water content in the soil, and the thinning that was carried out to ensure that the fruit could reach harvest with the desired quality, it has been possible to lighten the effects of this situation.

Even so, despite the fact that the Catalan Water Agency declared an emergency for the Fluvià Muga aquifer, with the aim of preventing the 22 municipalities of Alt Empordà that depend on the aquifer from having supply problems, it has not affected apple tree production this season.

Giropoma’s 7 apple varieties: properties and benefits

Giropoma faces the final stretch of the 2022 harvest, which will end in early December with the Joya variety. Despite the difficulties in coloring some of the varieties due to this year’s hot weather, the harvest will be characterized by good apples, with an optimum level of sweetness and high quality.

The apple producing and marketing company kicked off the 2022 harvest at the beginning of August with the Gala variety, followed by Golden and Red Delicious during the month of September. In October, it was the turn of Granny Smith and Fuji, followed by the Cripps Pink variety marketed under the brand name Pink Lady® in November and Joya at the end of the same month and beginning of the following month.

These are the main characteristics of our varieties:

– Gala: red striated apple on a creamy yellow background. It is crunchy, sweet and has an acid point that gives it a very good taste balance.

– Golden: soft-skinned apple with a greenish-yellow color. It is crunchy, sweet, with very little acidity and white flesh.

– Red Delicious: deep red apple, usually of large caliber. It has a whitish flesh, sweet flavor and is very aromatic.

– Granny Smith: deep green apple, very round with whitish lenticels. It is crunchy, has a whitish flesh and a very characteristic acid taste.

– Fuji: light red apple on a green-yellow background. It is very sweet, crunchy and juicy.

– Pink Lady® (Cripps Pink variety): apple that stands out for its bicolor tone between reddish pink and pale green. It is crunchy, juicy and combines sweetness and acidity in a balanced way.

– Joya: an apple with an intense red color. It is crunchy, sweet and with a touch of acidity.

Each of the varieties with its own characteristics, apples can be considered the queen of all fruits. They are an indispensable part of a natural and healthy diet and are balanced and nutritious.

They help prevent cardiovascular problems and inflammatory diseases, as well as helping to digest the fats we consume. They provide a large amount of fiber that helps the digestive system to function properly, are rich in vitamins and minerals and have antioxidant and vitalizing properties.