Zerya, trial shows vitality of zero-residue berries

Zerya is a research-focused quality standard that has specialised in zero-residue production for over 20 years. It abides by the conviction that safe affordable products are possible while also meeting consumer expectations and using environmentally friendly production. Zerya collaborates with the fruitCARE group, which sets up programmes to replace plant protection products (PPPs) on the EFSA CfS (Candidates for Substitution Active Ingredients) list with solutions better for health and the environment. The project is working on more comprehensive protection strategies against diseases to prevent resistances arising. In trials during the strawberry season last April, an experimental treatment produced fruits with excellent vitality, intense colour, and more vertical vegetation than those grown with conventional treatments, which showed signs of exhaustion. “For raspberries, when the first fruits were about to start blossoming, there were no major differences except for the large fruit load,” said sustainable agriculture specialist Javier Arizmendi Ruiz, Zerya’s chief of operations.