Nov 5, 2021
Hot climate group introduces a hot new apple varieity

The name is a bit of a giveaway – ‘HOT84A1’ – but this apple is different. It’s the first release from the New Zealand-Spain collaborative Hot Climate Programme (HCP) tailored for growing in hot climates.

Apple growers in the Catalonia province of Spain had major problems growing traditional apple cultivars in their warm growing region. We were invited to collaborate with Catalonia’s Institute of Agriculture and Food Research Technology to breed new apple and pear cultivars for hot climates.

Catalan grower group Fruit Futur joined the partnership in 2003, and T&G Global (managed through its VentureFruit business) as the strategic commercialization partner in 2019. ‘HOT84A1’ was first planted commercially, in Spain, in 2020.

The elite selections in HCP will ensure that apples and pears with the taste, texture and visual appearance sought by consumers will thrive as the world’s climate warms. It may also create new opportunities for growers in areas that are currently too warm for apple production.

The release of HOT84A1 is the first step toward ensuring that Plant & Food Research, in a warming climate, retains its reputation for breeding high-quality apple and pear cultivars that sell for premium prices in export markets.

– Plant & Food Research