The Santa Teresa, Santa Catalina and Santa Clara varieties, which are in the process of being registered, were developed under the Raspberry Breeding Program with the aim of increasing the competitiveness of Chilean raspberries in international markets. This program started out eight years ago with support from INIA, FDF and InnovaCorfo. In 2013, the program entered its second stage and has had the support of the Research and Development in Action Program (IDeA) of the Fund for the Promotion of Scientific and Technological Development (FONDEF) and INDAP.
"We have three varieties of raspberry that have better characteristics in terms of size, flavour, texture, colour, and that are easier to grow in national soil than the normal raspberries," said Ronald Bown, president of ASOEX and chairman of the Fruit Technology Consortium.
Bown added: "Our goal with these new raspberry varieties is to contribute to sustainability, understanding is the real and full inclusion and participation of each link in the production chain. We are glad to know these new varieties will be a great contribution to the producers and exporters of our fruit industry."
In turn, the national director of INDAP, Octavio Sotomayor said: "We have many expectations for this project because it is an innovative Chilean genetics project, and because it includes small farmers. In this regard, I have to praise the clarity that ASOEX has had to include small producers, which has given this project a broad social component. We as INDAP have around 3,500 users working in raspberry, so this project is perfect for us."
"This is a project of great interest for us, as it is part of what we call the second stage of the IDeA Projects, which aims at moving forward the final research stages closer to the commercialization period. The idea now is to transfer these developments to farmers and nurserymen, inviting them to acquire new varieties," said Consuelo Bruno, responsible for Monitoring and Control of Fondef.
Sebastian Correa, manager of Hortifrut's breeding program, one of 27 member companies of the Consortium, said: "The primary objective of this program is to have an excellent product, both domestically and globally, for producers and exporters, and in this sense these new varieties are succeeding."
The new varieties
Chile is the third largest producer of raspberries worldwide. However, Chile is mainly cultivating one single variety of this. "About 85% of our plantations are of the Heritage raspberry variety, which is very risky because a plague could end with it all. This also limits the increase in production. We also need to have more varieties because the Heritage raspberry variety isn't very suitable for the fresh market. Additionally, if Chile wants to improve its leadership in this market, it is essential to have more varieties, as well as varieties created in Chilean growing conditions," said Dr. Marina Gambardella, director of the Raspberry Breeding Program.
"The development of these new varieties is the result of a long long process, which isn't finished, because we have to accompany them, i.e. we have to train producers how to grow them and prevent them from being cultivated without a license to do so. There still is a process that goes on and that requires resources, and that is the stage where we are now, inviting producers and exporters to participate in its growth," Gambardella said.
Santa Catalina is a variety that can be grown in different floors with a semi-erect growth of up to 1.75 meters tall, a medium sized fruit that has an average weight of 4.23 grams and a maximum weight of 7.3 grams, and that yields fruits a little earlier than the Heritage variety. Its performance can reach 832 grams/plant in the first year, which is twice of what can be obtained by the Heritage variety. It has a Brix of 10.10 and an acidity of 1.2%.
Santa Clara is a variety that can be grown in different floors with a semi-erect growth of up to 1.85 meters. Its fruit is medium-sized, weights an average of 4.13 grams, and has a maximum weight of 6.2 grams. It's harvest is a little earlier than that of the Heritage variety and has a very good performance, reaching 764g / plant in the first year, twice than the Heritage variety. It has a Brix of 10.13 and its acidity is 1.4%.
Finally the Santa Teresa variety can be cultivated in different floors and has a semi-erect growth of up to 1.70 meters. Its fruit is large, averaging 6.09 grams, and has a maximum weight of 9.3 grams. It is an earlier variety in comparison with the Heritage raspberry. Its performance is very good, as it can yield up to 758 g/plant in the first year, twice than the Heritage variety. Its Brix is 9.80 and its acidity reaches 1.9% or 9.80.