As Chile’s apple harvest and export season is well underway with good volumes to the US, new Fuji apple varieties are in the final stages of evaluation to be launched commercially in time for the next season.
Alternatives after Gala were also presented by Andes New Varieties Administration (AnaChile), a variety and evaluation company in Chile, who are holding several Field Days for the Fuji 2023 season as they see improved clones with high level and early colouration.
Lorena Pinto, Product Manager and an evaluator at AnaChile: “The new clones, which are currently being evaluated with very good results in Chile are Fuji VW cv., and Duke cv.. They stand out for their high colour efficiency very early in the season, up to a month before harvest. Fuji VW cv. and Duke cv. (ex Grofn fuji) were selected in Italy, and for some years now they are being tested in Chile. The fruit of both clones have an excellent colour development capacity, maintaining the shape of their fruit and attributes of firmness, juiciness and flavour characteristic of the Fuji type. The maturation of these clones coincides with the general ripening season of Fuji, acquiring its cover colour about a month before, as observed in origin and in Chile. It has been observed that the high colour intensity of these clones would help to cover and make sunstroke less noticeable.”
Duke cv. (ex Grofn fuji)
Pinto describes it is a very interesting Fuji clone due to the early colouring: “The trial of King Fuji(r) VW cv is near harvest. It is a spur type Fuji variety with high coloration, it gets full colour more than one month before the previous harvest! Once the 2023 apple season is over, there could be news about when any of these clones will be commercially launched in Chile, since they are in their final evaluation stage,” stated Pinto.
In Italy, both clones are already being marketed under the KING® brand. The field day was held on Tuesday 21 March 2023 at the Santa Ana Norte Farm, Yerbas Buenas sector, Maule region of Chile.
Alternatives to Gala
AnaChile held another field day at the end of February to showcase the Galy® Inobi cv. in which trial plants established in 2020 were presented. It is a variety of French origin from the INRA/NOVADI program, harvested 7 to 10 days after the start of the Galas harvest. “It is a variety with a very good colour level, excellent productivity and a calibre equal to or greater than Gala. It is juicy, its pulp is fine, with a good flavour and sweet,” says Pinto.
This field day was held at the ANA Varieties Evaluation Center, in Fundo La Favorita, belonging to the DOLE company, located in the town of Molina. On this same day, other varieties in the evaluation stage were also observed and tasted, whose harvest is between 7 and 12 days after Gala.
“Among them, the varieties Zingy® HC 2-1 cv. ; Isaaq® CIV323 cv. and Red Pop® CIV M49 cv. , these last two varieties of the ‘snack’ type that present a high coloration, good level of sweetness and adaptation to hot climates. In the case of Zingy® HC 2-1 cv ., it is a fairly aromatic bicolor variety, with a high level of °brix, which is recommended for areas that favor color development, in order to achieve the greatest coverage and intensity possible from its attractive pinkish-orange hue,” states Pinto.
There is already great interest from producers in Chile to have the new Fuji varieties available for planting for the new season later this year once they are commercially released.
For more information:
Lorena Pinto
AnaChile
Tel: +569 98182940
Email: Lpinto@anachile.cl
www.anachile.cl