Valencia regional government research organisation IVIA has unveiled three new pomegranate varieties to growers.

Developed from Mollar and Valenciana, IVIA-Grana-111, IVIA-Grana-49 and IVIA-Grana-55 can extend the season and present an alternative to traditional crops for growers in the eastern Spanish region.

Variety 111 is a good yielding, medium-sized variety which matures at the end of August to the beginning of September. It has small seeds and high juice content.

Mollar accounts for 80 per cent of the production in Alicante in the south of the Valencia region and is the parent of both of IVIA’s other selections, 49 and 55. Variety 55 is a medium-sized late cropping from the end of September to the beginning of October, very sweet and with soft seeds. Its skin is pink and its interior a deep red.

And selection 49 is high yielding and stores well. It has a similar harvest window to 55. It is also sweet with a high juice content and soft seeds but its exterior is bi-coloured cream and red with a red interior.

All three varieties are well suited to the fresh market and to the soil conditions and climate throughout the region, not just in the Alicante area.

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