I have had the privilege of seeing how Chile has become an undisputed leader in the production and export of cherries in the Southern Hemisphere. The industry has evolved by leaps and bounds, thanks to the commercial vision of producers and exporters. There are already more than 25,000 hectares planted, which yielded a historic production volume of more than 187,000 tons in the 2017/2018 season, which showcased Chile's productive potential.
The three main challenges that the Chilean cherry faces nowadays include: complying with the main quality parameters (i.e. caliber, sweetness, firmness, lack of parting), arriving in excellent conditions at destination after a prolonged sea voyage (30 days by boat to the Asian market), and deconcentrating the offer beyond the month of December to achieve higher returns.
Currently, 100% of the cherry cultivars and rootstocks established in Chile come from foreign breeding programs. This dependence has involved constantly adjusting the technological package to optimize the productivity of each cultivar to our climatic conditions. The problem for the Chilean industry arises at the moment in which the optimization of the technological package is no longer enough or possible, and we are at the mercy of foreign genetics that wasn't developed adapted to our reality. This is a worrisome gap given that we are limited to a few cultivars (no more than 10) and rootstocks (no more than 5) that can be considered as safe alternatives to combine and establish new plantations for export.
Until the mid-2000s, we were immersed in trying to optimize the productivity of imported cultivars, without considering that we couldn't overcome every problem through agronomic and post harvest management (i.e. through the use of lethargy breakers, different types of rootstocks, use of growth regulators, pruning and thinning, etc.). However, there have been cases in which, despite trying to adjust the technological and post-harvest package, producers haven't been able to obtain a quality product that meets market demands. The Chilean industry, for example, is in urgent need of early cultivars with low cold requirements that ensure a good caliber and firmness for the Central Zone of Chile. The industry also lacks late cultivars, which guarantee a good fruit set and a greater tolerance to split under the cold and rainy conditions of the south of the country.
Fortunately, in mid-2000, thanks to the coordination of public-private initiatives, there was a boost to fruit genetic improvement, promoting a historic change for the development of the Chilean cherry industry. One of the projects that emerged in 2010 is currently being developed by the Fruit Technology Consortium and it's being financed by CORFO, ASOEX, and a group of exporting companies, and it's being executed jointly with the Catholic University of Chile. This traditional genetics program has been in existence for 8 years and has had advances with hybrid populations that are gradually being evaluated and selected according to the country's agro-climatic conditions and productive and commercial needs. Even though the cherry tree isn't an early physiology variety (> 18 years to obtain a cultivar), compared to other deciduous species, the country is taking firm steps towards obtaining cultivars of Chilean origin and already has interesting selections that are under study.
I am optimistic and visualize a new generation of orchards with at least one or two Chilean cultivars that will allow a gradual and continuous varietal replacement. The scenario will be very different in 10 years, when we have our own cultivars and precise technological packages for them. We can increase the number of plantation projects in warm areas or in areas that are transitioning as a result of climate change. We can even think about reducing or eliminating the use of hydrogenated cyanamide in orchards located further north. In addition, we expect to reduce the uncertainty of establishing orchards beyond the Maule Region by having cultivars that flourish later or have high tolerance to parting. Why can't Chilean cultivars have a longer post-harvest lifespan, and endure the long sea voyage needed to arrive in excellent conditions to the Asian market?
The new Chilean cherry cultivars that will emerge over time will reduce the commercial uncertainty of producers and exporters, they will allow us to continue incorporating new productive zones and will decrease losses in post harvest.
We have everything to consolidate Chile's leadership as an exporter of cherries. In the face of new scenarios, we have been able to incorporate pre and post-harvest technology in an impressive way, without falling behind in the optimization of agronomic and post-harvest management, which improve productivity day by day, reduce costs, and help the fruit during its transfer to its destination. Moreover, the industry, universities, and research funds have already aligned to support the genetic improvement of the species. All that remains is to persevere and to trust in the multidisciplinary work teams. There will never be duplicity in the achievements, on the contrary, I wish we could have several options of cultivars because our market needs diverse climate and production systems. That justifies making a joint effort that will ultimately benefit the Chilean industry
Our task now is to continue looking for the cherry that the Chilean industry requires and to deliver it to them with a specific technological package, which is quite the opposite of what we are currently doing and that is limiting our growth.
Source: simfruit.cl
