In the heart of southern Gran Canaria, in the municipality of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, lies an agricultural landscape that, for generations, has paid tribute to a delicate and exquisite fruit: the Tunte apricot. These plantations, often vast expanses between 5.000 and 15.000 square meters, are not only an economic engine but also define an essential part of the island's rural identity. However, the future of this tradition faces one of the most pressing threats of our time: climate change.
The apricot tree, like many deciduous fruit trees, is a time traveler. It needs a period of winter chilling to break dormancy and ensure optimal flowering and fruiting. Each variety has its own requirements, ranging from 300 to 900 chilling hours. Traditional varieties from Gran Canaria, such as the highly prized Currot (or Mayero), Canino, Sayeb, and Rojo Tardío, require between 400 and 750 hours.
But the Canary Islands' climate is changing. Increasingly mild winters have become a direct challenge to the survival of these crops. The 2010 campaign, after an abnormally warm winter, was a grim omen: apricot production plummeted by a dramatic 95%. The symptoms are clear to the expert eye: buds that refuse to open on time, irregular sprouting, and seriously compromised productivity. Furthermore, the early arrival of peninsular apricots on the market adds another layer of economic pressure on local producers, who see their sales window narrow.
Faced with this situation, science and collaboration have taken the reins. The Agricultural Extension and Agricultural and Fisheries Development Service of the Gran Canaria Island Council, in a joint effort with the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council, has begun a pioneering trial of new apricot varieties. The objective is clear: to find cultivars that require fewer chilling hours and also offer earlier ripening, allowing Tunte farmers to overcome competition and adapt to the new climate cycle.
Since 2012, a 1.500-square-meter plot in the picturesque area of Manzanilla has become an open-air laboratory. There, within the Cabildo's Collaborative Farms program, promising varieties such as Flopria, Colorado, Madison, Mambo, and Mogador are grown and observed. These are what experts call "low-chilling" varieties, designed to thrive in less cold weather. Their characteristics are ideal for today's market: firm fruit with intense colors ranging from red to orange, good sizing, excellent flavor, and robust resistance to handling.
The first fruits of this trial are already showing signs of fruition. The planting, which began in February 2012, with a strategic design that ensures pollination (especially of the Mogador variety), yielded its first harvests in May 2014. And among them, one variety stands out above the rest: Mogador. Its apricots, of good size and an intense orange color with reddish hues, ripened even earlier than the traditional Currot, the earliest variety to date. Flopria, meanwhile, proved to be the latest of the experimental group, ripening in early June.
Although the initial data from Mogador are promising—early ripening and good production—researchers, such as C. Brito Alayón of the AEA Arinaga and JC Gómez Aranda of the San Bartolomé de Tirajana Town Council, are cautious. They know that agricultural resilience is a long-distance race. It is necessary to wait at least a couple more years, until the trees pass their formative period and reach full production, to obtain definitive conclusions. Meanwhile, on the sun-drenched slopes of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, the Canarian apricot tree is not just fighting to survive; it is transforming. This essay sows hope that innovation and adaptation will allow this sweet tradition to overcome the challenges of a changing climate, ensuring that the flavor of the Canarian summer continues to delight future generations.
