UC Faculty Member Advances In Chilean Cherry

Marlene Ayala, a researcher at the Faculty of Agronomy and Forest Engineering, has been directing a traditional genetic improvement program for cherries since 2010 to generate new cultivars adapted to the Chilean climate and the export market. To date she has made enormous progress: she already has 30 advanced selections grafted and under study.

Better size, flavor and consistency are some of the qualities sought in the project directed by Professor Marlene Ayala.

The academic from the Faculty of Agronomy and Forest Engineering is the one who leads a program of traditional genetic improvement in cherries to generate new cultivars adapted to the Chilean climate and to the export market .

This initiative began in 2010 with the support of the Consorcio Tecnológico de la Fruta, which is made up of the Association of Fruit Exporters of Chile, various export companies and the UC.

The professor details the achievements obtained from 2010 to date:

“Since then, I have been working on improving this species, and to date we have over 30 advanced, grafted, and study selections. Twenty-four of these have been evaluated for yield, quality, and postharvest life.”

“The Chilean cherry industry needs its own varieties. Until now, we only grow imported varieties. However, Chile needs new germplasm adapted to its own climatic, logistical and commercial conditions to maintain its competitiveness as the main exporter in the southern hemisphere,” he says. the teacher.

Ayala’s career, who has been a UC academic for 24 years, has been dedicated to the study of physiology and management of deciduous fruit trees, working closely with Chilean cherry producers and exporters.

“I am a cherry advisor on specific topics, such as innovation projects, orchard management, product development and research,” she explains.

Ayala points out that, in addition to producing high-quality fruit, the new varieties of cherry trees must adapt to the complex climatic conditions in Chile.

“They must be low-cold for areas with warm winters, such as in the north, but they must also tolerate rain and frost, in addition to not splitting during storage. It is also essential that they can adapt to climate change, especially in terms of to tolerance to abiotic stress”, he explains.

Another crucial aspect is that the new varieties do not have excellent quality at harvest, but are also capable of managing the logistics chain to distant markets.

“Chile needs new early and late varieties to avoid a large volume of fruit being harvested and processed during December and early January of each season. We harvest most of our commercial orchards (mid-season varieties) in a very short and concentrated, which generates logistical problems of packaging, storage and shipping. In addition, the accumulation of fruit in a short period reduces returns to the producer. We have to decentralize our production, encouraging the production of fruit earlier or later in the season.” says Ayala.

“Chile needs new germplasm adapted to its own climatic, logistical and commercial conditions to maintain its competitiveness as the main exporter in the southern hemisphere” – Marlene Ayala, UC researcher

He points out that markets look for the following characteristics:

“A new variety for Chile must have a good size (>28 mm), sweetness (>17 Brix) and high firmness (above 85 durofel units). It must be heart-shaped, crunchy, with a long pedicel. The color dark red skin and flesh are also important characters.

A very important aspect for Chile is storage capacity, since we are far from distant markets in Asia. The shipping and storage potential of a new sweet cherry variety is key for the Chilean industry. Early and late varieties fetch higher prices per kg. The best prices are obtained with cherries harvested before November 20 and after January 30. Currently, the early harvests in the season are the most profitable for Chilean producers,” says Ayala.

Consultant, teacher and researcher
In addition to focusing on the genetic improvement of the cherry, Ayala addresses in his research the physiology of the cherry and its productive management.

This includes work since 2010 in different training systems associated with high-density and pedestrian orchards. The absorption and distribution of Calcium and Nitrogen to increase the quality and storage potential of the cherry.

In 2012, he began to study plastic covers to prevent splitting in cherries, but currently “we are focused on manipulating the time of harvest and the quality of the product (firmness). We have physiological and production trials in the Central Valley of Chile , where we are studying the effect of plastic covers on water use efficiency, harvest date and fruit characteristics.”

But an important part of his job is teaching:

“It is very challenging to teach future Chilean fruit growers and the contact with the industry allows me to enrich my knowledge and experience, improving my ability to deliver applied knowledge, not only to undergraduate and graduate students, but also improving my ability to find solutions to problems. daily and strategic challenges faced by Chilean producers.”

Areas where companies need more help
“In my opinion, Chilean companies need help in innovative productive management strategies, since the yield, quality and storage potential of sweet cherries depend mainly on good agronomic practices.

Traditionally, we have produced cherries in the Central Valley of Chile, but new orchards have been established further north and south of the country. The new conditions require adopting different strategies.

This is even more important if we consider that climate change is affecting them, making evident new technological needs associated with emerging biotic (pests and diseases) and abiotic (droughts and extreme temperatures) stresses. Also, companies need to keep pushing on post-harvest technologies, as reaching our main market (Asia) requires a long journey abroad.”

“My research work has always been linked to solving the problems of the Chilean cherry industry and my career has grown at the speed of industry development.

Most of my research projects consider applied research, focusing on finding the bases to solve the problems that are reducing or limiting the competitiveness of the industry. A close relationship with cherry growers and other stakeholders has allowed the research and development efforts made at UC to be quickly transferred to growers and exporters,” concludes Ayala.