- GOCITRUS was selected among more than 240 innovative projects for its funding
- The project, which involves eight entities from eight Spanish provinces, was publicly presented during the International Conference on Citrus Genetic Improvement
- GOCITRUS was also presented at the recent FRUIT LOGISTICA international fair in Berlin
The GOCITRUS Operational Group was created in 2018, with the aim of forming a group of experts to work on the proper identification and selection of citrus varieties as a basis for effective varietal management and production planning. Currently, GOCITRUS is facing, in the second phase of the project, the goal of reorganizing and defining the varietal foundations on which to support the citrus revolution that our productive and export sectors are heading towards due to the imperatives and demands of the new relations between markets. This objective will be undertaken through two main actions: a) The generation of an identification system supported by the Citruseq genomic database, for which the authentication experience gained so far will be generalized to other varieties and the possibility of establishing a varietal identification service supported by this genomic database will be studied. b) Assisting the producer sector in making decisions regarding varietal selection, considering their particular cultivation characteristics and adaptation to each area, for which an APP will be created that includes the maximum existing information related to current varieties and rootstocks. GOCITRUS involves the participation of 8 Spanish entities and its area of action directly involves 8 Spanish provinces.
Approval of GOCITRUS:
On February 26, 2019, the call for aid for the execution of innovation projects of general interest by operational groups of the European Association for Innovation in Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (AEI-Agri) was announced, within the framework of the National Rural Development Program 2014-2020 for the year 2019. The call had a high level of participation, with more than 240 innovative project proposals submitted for evaluation, among which was GOCITRUS. Subsequently, on November 5, 2019, the provisional resolution proposal was published, reflecting the 47 applications proposed for funding, including GOCITRUS, with a final score of 85.5 points.
First steps of GOCITRUS:
On January 17, the launch meeting of GOCITRUS was held at the Cajamar Experiences Center in Paiporta. The event brought together representatives from the 8 members that make up the Operational Group and served as the starting point for the innovative project and its dissemination actions.
Additionally, on January 28, there was a presentation of GOCITRUS during the International Citrus Genetic Improvement Day. This specialized event, held at the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA), served to present the genetic improvement programs for citrus that are having the greatest impact at different international research centers, including IVIA. The meeting included the presentation “Genomic Approaches for the Obtaining and Management of Citrus Varieties,” delivered by IVIA researcher Manuel Talón, who dedicated a section of his talk to present GOCITRUS, its objectives, and components to the attendees.
GOCITRUS at FRUIT LOGISTICA:
On February 5, 6, and 7, the FRUIT LOGISTICA 2020 trade fair for fresh produce took place. This international flagship event in the sector gathered more than 80,000 participants from over 135 countries, including members of GOCITRUS. Their presence boosted the internationalization of the Operational Group to support the dissemination of this innovative project.
