Producers, representatives from exporting companies, fruit receivers, and advisers gathered together in an activity organized by A.N.A Chile to see the interesting comparative advantages presented by Andes1 cv Clemenluz® Clementine. In addition, they were able to observe orchards of different ages, a few days before the start of the harvest.
Johanna Martiz, a professor at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, presented the characteristics of the variety and its productive potential. "The Andes 1 cv. Clemenluz® variety is a spontaneous mutation of the Clemenules that was identified in Chile. It stands out because it has an early ripening, and its harvest starts 3 to 4 weeks earlier than the variety it originates from," Martiz said. The variety has a better color by harvest, it loses its green color very well and has a higher caliber distribution than the Clemenules fruit. This happens, Martiz said, because this variety has the tendency of producing fruit at the tip of the shoots.
Julio Cornejo, an advisor for citrus at Agroconsultores, gave a guided tour of the orchards. Cornejo highlighted the productive precocity that has been achieved with an adequate
management of the variety, as well as a standard production that is exempt of alternation or tendencies, which fluctuate between 35 and 40 Ton/ha when the orchards reach full production. The exporting and recipient companies stated that the variety had a very high commercial potential because of its early maturity and high caliber, and that they could reach the markets in the northern hemisphere when the offer of clementines was scarce, achieving better prices.
Another advantage of the Andes 1 cv. Clemenluz® over later varieties of clementines, is that it allows producers to harvest all of their fruit before the period of winter frosts. In colder areas, this early maturity allows producers to avoid the risk of exposing the fruit to frost, which allows them to obtain optimum quality fruit, said Cornejo.
Due to its characteristics, the planting of this variety is expected to continue strongly increasing in Chile during 2017, and in 2018, as there is already demand for this variety. However, the Andes 1 cv. Clemenluz® is also being developed abroad. Through the commercial management of A.N.A, there are currently some 80 hectares of commercial orchards in Morocco and South Africa. According to forecasts, this area will be doubled in 2017. Similarly, there are interesting projects for the development of the variety in Spain, Uruguay, Egypt, Peru, and Australia, countries where it was already protected and might soon enter into a commercial stage.