In Argentina, quince production is promoted as an alternative crop to other fruit trees

For over a decade, INTA San Pedro has been aiding local producers in Argentina to cultivate quince as an alternative to traditional stone fruits and citrus. The National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA) has played a crucial role in developing quince plantations, which provide raw materials for the candy industry. Local nurseries support family-scale plantations, and INTA offers expert advice and training to tackle regional cultivation challenges, including fungal diseases and pests. The most popular variety, INTA 147, yields 24 to 30 tons per hectare. Since the first commercial plantation in 2015, the cultivation area has grown to about 50 hectares. Additionally, an ongoing pruning experiment since 2018 aims to improve performance and sustainability.

For more than 10 years, INTA San Pedro has been supporting local producers in the development and implementation of strategies to promote the cultivation and commercial plantations of this fruit, as an alternative production to stone fruit and citrus. The National Institute of Agricultural Technology of Argentina (INTA) explained that in San Pedro, for 60 years, quince has been a fruit that is used for industrialization and that, currently, four companies are supplied with raw material from the northwest of the country, to process it as a solid candy in cans and bars. On the other hand, the nurseries in the area produce and market quince trees destined to supply family-scale plantations. Gabriel Valentini, a fruit researcher at the INTA San Pedro Agricultural Experimental Station, explained in statements collected by the entity that, given the initiative of fruit growers in the area to advance with the cultivation of this species and the lack of local information on ...