"We've gone through quite a lot of climatic disorders with this year's growing season," Aurélie Ferrieux, Director of ASF Edition, French breeding company, reports. "A lot of hailstorms in the south of Spain and also in the north, combined with excessive rain after seasons of harsh drought."
These adverse conditions are affecting both yield and fruit quality. "The brix are not at the level we expect at this stage, and there's natural fruit drop being observed, not just in our varieties but across the board. Plum production is also going to be very low due to rain during the flowering time."
Despite this, she sees the silver lining. "It's a challenging season, but everything that performs well under these circumstances will stand out as up-and-coming varieties. That's important for the breeding side."
Exploring protected cultivation
In response to climate unpredictability, ASF Edition is exploring cultivation under nets and in greenhouses. "For example, for our Ondine flat nectarines, we recommend planting them under nets to improve skin quality, reduce defects from wind or sunburn and as a consequence to improve the pack-out," Aurélie explains.
However, she cautions that nets can impact sweetness. "When trees are planted under nets, it influences the brix level. The fruit tends to be less sweet due to reduced sunlight exposure."
Greenhouse cultivation has become a recent focus. "We've started trials to see how varieties can perform in greenhouses, especially in areas not traditionally known for early fruit production," she shares. ASF is working closely with a grower who provides the greenhouse infrastructure. "We are helping him manage the trees. It's not the same as growing outdoors, so we're entering new territory."
These trials are still in their early stages, but Aurélie sees strong potential. "If it works, it will give us a lot of new opportunities, especially in non-traditional growing areas. We need to evaluate how it will influence the fruit cycle and the tree life cycle. There are many factors, like fewer chill hours, different sunlight exposure, and humidity control, that we need to consider before we can draw conclusions."
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Greenhouses in breeding and R&D
Greenhouses are also proving invaluable for their research and development activities. "In our R&D process, growing trees in greenhouses helps us apply molecular markers early. When we get the first leaves from the seedling trees, we can collect samples and identify key traits, like sweetness in peaches and nectarines, even before planting outdoors." Other examples where the team is applying molecular markers in the greenhouses are for self-fertile apricots and scab-resistant apples. This saves time in order to focus on the most promising selections that already meet the internal specifications the company have fixed. It also saves the company some space as they can start their selection phase genetically this way, and not plant out all the selections and thus occupy more space.
This accelerates the breeding cycle significantly. "It helps us narrow down the selections earlier in the process and saves time and resources in the field," she adds.
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Under the Frutaria banner
ASF Edition, now operating under the umbrella of Frutaria Innovation (part of the Spanish Frutaria grower group), is expanding its reach and accelerating innovation in fruit breeding and commercialisation. "From the time that we have been incorporated within Frutaria, it gave us the opportunity to make a lot of new developments, to build our strategy and to get enough means to develop new programmes," Aurélie says.
This merger has not only enabled financial and structural support but also reinvigorated ASF's breeding efforts across stone fruit, top fruit, and cherries. "There's a lot of new development within the company," she said
Connecting at key trade shows
ASF Edition's visibility on the international stage was recently reinforced by participation in MedFEL in Perpignan (France) and Macfrut in Rimini (Italy), two key events for the European fruit industry.
"MedFEL used to be a small trade fair in comparison with Fruit Attraction or Fruit Logistica, and we used to participate because of the location. However, in recent seasons, it has been a very dynamic trade show. Many growers were present, and as in the 2025 edition, the atmosphere was very positive."
MedFEL also offered insight into European production trends. "The apricot production forecast is normally shared here, and for France, the current outlook is normal, which isn't the case for countries like Turkey or Greece, where frost and hail have impacted crops," she notes.
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At Macfrut, ASF presented its breeding programme publicly under the Frutaria Innovation banner. "That was a good way to introduce the company, explain how we are organised, and present the different breeding programmes we are developing to the industry. People used to know us as Maillard or Agro Selection Fruits, but now all these breeding lines, including Maillard genetics and new Frutaria varieties like their clingstone peaches and interspecific plums, are part of Frutaria Innovation."
ASF also used the occasion to meet with partners in their Ondine programme, refining commercial plans for the coming season. "The forecasts are good, and we've already sold almost all the fruit. There's a lot of interest from European retailers in flat peaches and nectarines," she confirms.
"These types of professional trade fairs really help raise awareness about our breeding work and ensure the industry understands the breadth of what we offer."
Frutaria Innovation/ ASF Edition
Aurélie Ferrieux, Director of ASF Edition
aferrieux@asfedition.com
frutaria.com