Santa Teresa, Santa Clara and Santa Catalina are the names of the three new raspberry varieties developed in the Faculty of Agronomy and Forestry Engineering of the Catholic University. Academic, Marina Gambardella, has worked for seven years to achieve this result and her varieties have just been licensed in Spain. Soon they will also be sent to Italy, Mexico, Peru and Australia.
Chile is the world's third largest producer of frozen raspberries; however, its production per hectare is very low. This is due, in part, to the fact that the variety used is the Heritage, which is well adapted to the Chilean climate, but is low yielding and does not have the characteristics that consumers demand today. "In order for Chile to maintain its leadership in this market, the challenge was to create varieties in Chilean growing conditions that ensured a good yield, larger sizes and a very good flavour," explains Marina Gambardella.
With this goal of genetically improving Chilean raspberries and giving a boost to their production, the Catholic University and the Horticultural Industry Technological Consortium joined forces with a project that started in 2009, and which counted with the participation of several specialists of the Department of Fruticulture and Enology of the University. This made it possible to develop special technologies to accelerate the process of genetic improvement. "Normally, the creation of a new raspberry variety is achieved in a period of 10 to 12 years, but we knew that we should shorten this process, because it was urgent to increase the crop's profitability with a more productive plant and quality fruit," clarifies the academic.
Today there are already three varieties that meet these expectations. Their most noteworthy aspects are their precocity and capacity to bloom on the whole cane. Moreover, they are productive between February and late April; that is, almost a month more than the Heritage. Their production per hectare is also greater, which is advantageous for small producers, but also, in the long term, for the consumer, because it will reduce the fruit's price.
Regarding the genetic improvement of raspberries in Chile, Marina Gambardella explains that so far there has been some delay when compared to other competing countries. "This is causing problems in the Chilean market, because it is unable to access certain varieties. For example, there are some that are for the exclusive use of their creators and are not authorised for use outside a certain area. Recently, government institutions have become aware of this weakness in Chilean fruit growing and have been backing development policies for varietal improvement activities for species with a potentially high economic impact.
"Those working in genetic improvement must have a broad knowledge of the species in terms of their physiology, phytopathology, biotechnology, etc. and should consult experts to evaluate certain aspects of the variety that is being developed. For example, in order to determine whether a particular variety is resistant to pests, the assistance of a phytopatologist will be needed, and to evaluate if the variety is suitable for mechanical harvest, you will need a phytotechnician, and so on. At the moment, we do not use genetic engineering, but we are applying other biotechnologies, like molecular markers or meristem cultivation, among others. These tools are fundamental to support the work behind the development of a new variety," explains the academic.
