Fig tree – Certified nurseries

The Kalamata Olive and Horticultural Department is now the only national preserver of fig varieties, which are registered in the national list. The Collection of fig varieties, considered one of the largest in the Mediterranean, is located in the area of Eva Messinia and was established in the early 1980s (1981-1985). In summary, the Collection includes 40 Greek and Cypriot varieties and an additional 20 varieties of Italian, Spanish and Turkish origin. Most varieties are single-flowered (Kalamon, Vasilika Mavra, Vasilika Melissi, Lefka Megala, Kymis, Prasinoskia Lesvos, Mission, Brogiotto Nero, etc.), while there are also some two-flowered varieties (e.g. Mavri difori, Gentile Bianco, Dottato, Porto Gallo). Soon, in a new area at Velika Messinia, all the varieties of the existing Collection will be installed, as well as other varieties collected for this purpose by the scientific staff of the Department. 

The existence of the Collection is of vital importance for the cultivation of figs in Greece, as it supplies the nurseries and producers with rude propagating material, allows the recording and highlighting of varieties with resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, is necessary for the implementation of genetic improvement programs and finally, it contributes to the preservation and protection of the genetic material of the fig tree. However, the lack, mainly of labor and financial resources, is a brake on the effort to preserve, evaluate, improve and, in general, highlight and utilize the Collection.