Since its launch onto the plant market in 2018, ‘GVU Yvyrá’ has been surprising its own creators, due to its rusticity and a harvest date that is increasingly earlier in the season.

In the 2020/21 season, some farms in Uruguay and southern Brazil were able to harvest fruit from Yvyrá at the same time as the Condessa, which is the earliest harvested cultivar in the region, before the Gala group.

This was possible due to the adjustment of its pollinators - earlier flowering varieties - such as Eva, Princesa and Anna. In a cultivar that has long and early flowering, it allows the management of its harvest date based on the choice of its pollinators.

“For our clients in Brazil, it was doubly surprising this season, as they first suffered the strong frosts of August 21 with the fruit from Yvyrá already set, but then, at the beginning of January, sadness turned into happiness, when they obtained a more than acceptable production and the price premium that gives it the character of a Primor," says Roberto Zeballos, one of the Agronomists responsible for the project.

This adjustment of pollinators is still in the research process, with the support of the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) of Uruguay. "Next season we will be able to recommend one or more pollinating cultivars that are compatible, that coincide phenologically and that present a good effective pollination," says Maximiliano Dini, one of the Agronomists of INIA Las Brujas.

This low cold requirement (less than 300 U.F. Richardson method) together with its rusticity, give it a great environmental plasticity, which could enhance the development of the crop in areas that today are marginal or less suitable for growing apple trees. Added to this, let us remember that it is a cultivar with a type of fruit with characteristics similar to those of the Red Delicious group, with large size, 90% dark red overcolour, good cold storage and shelf life.

In addition to the actions already undertaken in Uruguay, Brazil and South Africa, Grupo Viveros del Uruguay (GVU) continues to seek new partners in other countries for the varietal development process of the ‘GVU Yvyrá’ apple.

For more information:
Roberto Zeballos 
Grupo Viveros del Uruguay
T: + 598 99 337 318
E: rzeballito@gmail.com