Organic Fruit Growing

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The Fruitful company

Fruitful is a Dutch biodynamic fruit growing company in the municipality of Dronten (O. Flevoland). The Fruitful orchard became organic in 2002 after a conversion process, after which it was completely renewed in the spring of 2005 and 2006.

Fruitful only grows Elstar (9 ha) and only supplies wholesalers. The apples can be sorted and delivered washed throughout the season. Different packaging forms are possible.

Elstar Mantel

Fruitful replaced part of the orchard (1 ha) with an Elstar mutant in the winter of 2018/2019. This mutant ("Elstar Mantel") found by Fruitful (Rein Mantel) is significantly ready to be picked later and has harder flesh than the regular Elstar.

Confirmation Elstar Mantel ripe 10 days later

Experimental Garden Randwijk has confirmed in its newsletter of 31 Jan 2020 that the mutant Elstar Mantel is ripe about 10 days later than the other mutants Elshof, Van der Grift® and EKE® picked in 2019. The coloring was very good in all mutants in these young trees.

The table above shows that the Elstar Mantel is 0.5 to 0.7 kg/cm² harder than all other mutants at the same maturity.

The full article:

 Experimental Garden Randwijk - Late-ripening Elstarmutant - 31 Jan 2020 (NL)

Plant variety rights granted Elstar Mantel®

Proeftuin Randwijk has published in its newsletter of May 6, 2021 that the plant breeder's right has been awarded to Elstar Mantel®.

On March 15, 2021, the plant variety right for Elstar Mantel® was granted for the European Union.

In August 2021, the first certified oculation wood from Elstar Mantel® will be available. The first 2-year-old trees will be ready in the planting year 2022-2023. We are happy with the many requests we have already received for this.

A larger number of trees are now on Rein Mantel's fruit farm in Biddinghuizen, Flevoland, and are entering the 2nd and 3rd year of growth. In addition, a few trees are in the 4th year of growth on the same farm. The first test trees in the second year of growth are also located in the experimental garden at Schmitz-Hübsch in Germany. In particular, research is done here into cultivation characteristics and taste tests with consumers. www.schmitzhuebsch.de

This new mutant has been included in the research at various testing grounds in the Netherlands and Germany. In the coming year, test trees will also be planted in the experimental gardens in Germany, Austria, France and Scandinavia.

In 2019 and 2020, this apple was examined in the experimental garden in Randwijk for ripening, sugar and starch contents, coloring and hardness. In addition, a study is currently underway into the options for long-term storage.

More information:

 Tree nursery Roelofs - Flyer Elstar Mantel (EN)

 Tree nursery Roelofs - Webinar Elstar Mantel (nov 2021) (NL)