Boosting Cherry Production
June 3, 2022 | By My Ag Life Daily News Report
On today's episode, we hear about changes in cherry breeding to boost California production. Additionally, Kylie Harlan asks UCCE Strawberry and Caneberry Advisor Mark Bolda about the possibility of using microbes in place of fertilizers given high input prices.
New grape varieties strike balance between consumer wants and grower needs
May 23, 2022 | By FreshPlaza.com
Candy Snaps™. Jack’s Salute™. Sugar Crisp™. And of course…Cotton Candy™.
Everyone following the grape industry, very likely recognizes these names as a sampling of the newer varieties of grapes in the marketplace today. As Andy Higgins, CEO of table grape breeder IFG in Bakersfield, California, points out, consumers have had increased access to multiple varieties of grapes recently--particularly so in the past five to six years. Here, he shares insights on variety developments and where the industry is headed in this regard.
When it comes to producing a new variety, that takes some seven to 10 years in development, with two or three of those years alone dedicated to growers putting it into commercial production at volumes large enough for retail distribution. IFG recently introduced three new varieties of grapes: Torch™ (a larger, early red seedless with mild muscat flavor); Bebop™ (a mid-season red seedless with nuances of cherry); and Julep™ (a mid-season black seedless with Labrusca spicy flavor and hints of herbs and mint). IFG groups its varieties into four classifications of flavors: Tropical/Fruity, Muscat, Toffee and Exotics.
IFG to Debut Several New Varieties of Grapes This Summer – Bebop, Julep and Torch
May 6, 2022 | By perishablenews.com
It is time for summer and IFG, the world’s top fruit-breeding and licensing company and creator of the Cotton Candy Grape, has several new and delicious varieties of table grapes that about to hit store shelves including Bebop, Torch and Julep.
Below are the many new and favorite grape varieties consumers will be able to see in the stores over the next few months (including Cotton Candy which has been delighting consumers for nearly two decades).
How a fruit producer is adapting to climate change with genetics
May 5, 2022 | By Jack Ellis
The team at International Fruit Genetics (IFG) is no stranger to ‘customizing’ crops. The Bakersfield, California-based company uses natural breeding techniques to come up with its cultivars, which it then licenses to growers and fruit brands.
Founded by fruit geneticist and former US Department of Agriculture researcher David Cain in 2001, IFG set out on a mission to develop sweeter and larger table grape cultivars – culminating in the creation of its flagship Cotton Candy grape, which went on sale in 2011.
More recently, IFG has been tackling a new and more pressing challenge for the fruit industry: climate change.
IFG adds cherry focus to influence industry progression
May 2, 2022 | By fruitgrowersnews.com
International Fruit Genetics (IFG) breeding programs could change the cherry growing industry and help it adapt to a changing climate.
The fruit breeding company’s new low-chill cherries could change how growers grow cherries and drive demand by adapting to new consumer preferences.
Known for its Cotton Candy and Sweet Globe table grape varieties, the Bakersfield, California-based IFG is giving more attention to cherries.
“Cherries are such a special fruit,” said Alwyn van Jaarsveld, IFG’s international commercial cherry manager. “It’s something that takes a lifetime to get right.”
Compared to other fruits, like apples, cherry production is smaller, with a corresponding focus on breeding programs.
Mealtime Magic: The World of Cherries
April 8, 2022 | By Motherhood Moment
If you watch people in a store while they buy fruit, you’ll note they can’t resist the allure of the cherry. It seems to be magnetic. Perhaps it is the look of the fruit: plump, shiny, ruby-red. Or, it might because they eat so easily, bite-sized with a perfect little green handle by which to dangle them. Maybe our palate knows what to expect? We love their crunch and we don’t mind a little tartness as long as they’re juicy and sweet. We don’t even mind the fact that they’re not seedless and we have to spit out a stone.
Kern cherry growers turn to breeders as climate warms
March 27, 2022 | BY JOHN COX
Help is on the way for Kern County cherry growers slammed in recent years by warmer winters and hotter springs.
Breeders including locally based IFG are working on new cherry varieties that ideally require fewer "chill hours" during the course of a winter. The intent is also to spin off trees with fruits that ripen on an earlier schedule, potentially offering local growers a time advantage, and breeds that are less susceptible to stress damage from soaring temperatures in May and early June.
But there's more to it. The fruit must also have the firm texture consumers demand, good flavor, an attractive appearance and the ability to withstand weeks in a shipping container bound for Asia.
Q&A with Andy Higgins, CEO of International Fruit Genetics
March 24, 2022 | By TOM KARST
The Packer’s Tom Karst interviewed Andy Higgins, CEO of Bakersfield, Calif.-based IFG, in February about trends in grape variety breeding and new introductions from the company in recent years.
Higgins said that proprietary fruit breeders such as IFG, Sun World and others are increasingly important in new variety introduction.
“The levels of investment that are required to create a new variety are going to be increasing over time,” he said. “There are so many technologies that we can apply to our work. Something that used to take 20 years, we could probably do it in 10 years because of good molecular techniques. However, all of those techniques take time, resources and money, which the private programs are in a better position to fund and develop them (compared to) public programs.”
What's the future for the global grape business?
March 22, 2022 | By Fruitnet.com
The international table grape industry came together on 17 March for the online Global Grape Congress, streamed live in two separate parts from Melbourne and London.
Focusing on the Asian market, the first part included discussions on India, Australia's export growth, South African promotions on the Chinese market and Korea's retail sector
Nitin Agrawal of India's Euro Fruits stated that the domestic market was a big untapped opportunity for the Indian table grape industry.
'We see a huge change in the coming years in the domestic market, which will favour branded grapes,' he said. 'India's grape industry lacks new varieties. It will take some time for them to come in – partly due to industry fragmentation. But we expect this to improve in the coming years, providing premium opportunities.'
AM FRESH Group to acquire IFG and merge it with SNFL
March 8, 2022 | By foodengineeringmag.com
AM FRESH Group and Special New Fruit Licensing (SNFL) announced a definitive agreement under which AM FRESH is acquiring International Fruit Genetics (IFG) and merging it with SNFL, creating a combined company that significantly advances SNFL’s and IFG’s abilities to develop further their breeding capacities and add to their portfolio to address industry demand. AM FRESH will be the controlling shareholder of the combined entity, with significant minority investment from EQT Future and continued investment from Paine Schwartz Partners.
The combined company will accelerate varietal breeding, development and commercialization, benefiting licensed growers, partners and consumers with more sustainable alternatives and improved varietal options. Together, AM FRESH, SNFL and IFG will propel innovation at large, ease production management for growers and facilitate commercialization to retail partners in order to deliver innovative varieties to consumers on a year-round basis.
