60 tons of apples per hectare or the Dutch recipe for success

Within the framework of the initiative "Dutch Solutions for Bulgarian Fruits," a team from Agri.BG visited the Netherlands and talked with consultants and farmers about successful practices in apple cultivation. They shared how the correct choice of variety, rootstock, pruning, and fertilization can lead to stable and profitable results. What the market wants Dutch supermarkets do not seek large fruits – the preferred apples have a diameter of 75–80 mm. This also determines the strategy of producers for regulating fruit yield and maintaining optimal quality. The Magic Star variety – an impressive start In 2019, a Dutch farmer's farm bet on the Magic Star variety for the first time. The chosen spacing was 3.20 m x 90 cm. Usually, this variety develops more slowly, but on "fresh soil" (new land without a previous orchard) the trees grow quickly and evenly. The rootstock used was M9. However, it turned out to be too weak for replanting, so G11 is now being tested in research stations ...