NOVAGRIC Projects
Successful Kiwi Growing in a Nursery
A nursery, located in one of the most arid areas of Europe, has successfully grown kiwifruit and extended its presence to new areas of Spain.
“We can change our lives by changing our mental attitudes” is the first thing you read when you enter Diego Díaz Viveros.
Accustomed to working with another type of crop and despite being a plant that is not suitable for production in the Region of Murcia, they decided to start its cultivation in 2020 and “always outside the control zone because that is where it grows,” says Didier, in charge of the farm.
There has not been a model to follow for kiwifruit cultivation under the Murcian climate. This is due to the fact that the nearest nursery is in Valencia and with totally different conditions. Therefore, facing the challenge of cultivating this species for the first time and in extreme latitudes for its production required a positive attitude.
The nursery, located in Murcia, specializes in stone fruit, almond and olive trees for agricultural producers. Their long history in the sector, more than 30 years of experience, has helped them to embark on the adventure of growing kiwifruit.
Kiwifruit is demanding, requiring a series of particularities and conditions. On the one hand, it is a grateful crop because it has a great vascular dynamics and an exuberant vegetative habit, but on the other hand it is very sensitive to the local climatology they have.
It is a plant that does not tolerate dry heat, cannot be grown in calcareous soils, does not tolerate saline water or very low relative humidity and in Murcia all these conditions are met. This has required them to be very attentive and forced them to invest in their facilities in climate control, for which they requested the services of the company Novagric.
The installation of the Climatec equipment arose from “the need to control the temperature and humidity parameters inside the greenhouse, due to the fact that it is a very delicate crop in the latitudes where we are” explains Manuel, Novagric’s sales technician and in charge of the installation of the project.
The climate controller designed by Novagric is a device that, in addition to controlling temperature and humidity, is capable of regulating structural elements such as ventilation, heating, thermal or shading screens, humidification, etc.
“In this type of crop it is very important to have a temperature that does not exceed 35º max. and a relative humidity that is above 35%, we counted on Novagric because it was at the forefront in this type of system,” explains Francisco, the crop control technician.
During the last two years, the nursery has worked hard to develop new grafting and cultivation techniques, which has made them one of the leading nurseries in the production of kiwifruit plants in southern Spain.
Some pictures of our project in Cieza, Murcia (SPAIN)
Project details
Type
Nursery Climate Control Project
Location
Cieza, Murcia (SPAIN)
Cultivation
Kiwi
Surface
Without this information for this Project
- CLIMATEC climate controller to regulate ventilation, heating, screens and humidity.
- App for mobile control
- Foggers underneath the cultivation tables
- Air destratifiers
- Reinforcement of roofs with shading nets to prevent plant insolation.
Kiwi Growing Guide
We are the northernmost and southernmost nursery in Europe growing kiwifruit in the most arid conditions ever.
Didier, nursery manager
Company
