There is just over a month left for the first edition of CherryTech, the largest cherry technical event in Chile that will take place on June 29 at the Sun Monticello Conference Center. The important event that will bring together the most relevant experts in the industry includes, in addition to three master classes, three forums with different topics: varietal replacement, post-harvest and nutrition.
Noticia relacionada: ¿Estamos preparados para el recambio varietal? Descubre la respuesta en CherryTech
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The forum is titled: “Calcium and Potassium: their fundamental role in the productive potential, quality and condition of fruit” and will be moderated by Carlos Tapia, specialist advisor in cherry production, Founder and Technical Director of Avium.
“Within the essential nutrients for the production of cherries, in search of productive potential and enhancing quality, it is always in our interest to be very aware of the role of calcium and potassium as two very relevant nutrients to achieve, not only maximize production, but also everything related to the condition and quality of the fruit; For this reason, we want to stop for a moment together with a conversation table where there are experts in the field of nutrition and analyze the fundamental role that these two nutrients have, also thinking about what is the essence of our cherry production, that we are a exporting country of this species and that this implies having fruit of the highest quality capable of withstanding long travel times and that reaches its destination in the best possible way,” said the consultant specializing in cherry production.
Talk about nutrition…
The panel headed by Carlos Tapia will have the participation of four experts in the field: José Ignacio Covarrubias, Master in Agricultural Sciences, Doctor in fruit trees and specialist in nutrition, University of Chile; Rodrigo Ortega, specialist in soil fertility, plant nutrition and precision agriculture, academic at the Federico Santa María University, Concepción; Valeria Lepe, specialist advisor in nutrition of fruit species, member of GTT Frutales & Gestión and president Pomanova; Óscar Carrasco, specialist advisor in agriculture, orchard management researcher and professor at the University of Chile.
“My interest in participating in this meeting derives from my role as an advisor in cherry production for several years, which is why I have seen the evolution of the crop firsthand, including changes in production systems, that is, varieties, rootstocks. , training systems, advances in irrigation and nutrition technologies, protection systems (frost, rain), and an explosive increase in the crop area in new production areas (to the north and south), seeking to expand the offer of fruit throughout the season. The issue of nutritional management has evolved very intensely alongside the need to have fruit of increasingly better quality, which is capable of reaching the market in the best conditions for consumers, and not losing the prestige that has been around for so long. difficult to train, said Óscar Carrasco, panelist at the CherryTech nutrition forum.
The specialist advisor in nutrition of fruit species, Valeria Lepe, who will also be a member of the nutrition panel, highlighted CherryTech as an important opportunity to address transcendental issues in cherry production.
“It will be an event that will bring together the Chilean cherry production industry in an event of magnitude and world class, with the idea of addressing extremely relevant issues and with the objective of unifying criteria in some key management to achieve fruit with very high quality standards. quality and caliber that are required to remain a competitive sector in world markets. Given that the differentiating factor will continue to be the quality of the final product, estimates of production volumes as a country will continue to increase. The comprehensive concept of balanced nutrition is the starting point, always with a program perspective to achieve the productive and quality objectives of the fruit, the specialist said.
José Ignacio Covarrubias, Master in agricultural sciences, Doctor in fruit trees and specialist in nutrition from the University of Chile, for his part, thanked the invitation to participate in this interesting panel of experts who will analyze a topic as relevant as nutrition in the production of Cherry trees.
“I feel very happy to participate in this activity, I think it is very positive that this event is organized, that it brings together the different sectors that make up the cherry sector, be it producers, farmers, exporters, advisors and people who come from the academy, I think it is very good to bring together the different sectors, learn about the different visions and that way we can learn and enhance the field. On the other hand, it is an honor for me to share a forum with exponents of the quality of those who will be there, all of them great specialists in their areas, which is mineral nutrition; In this case, the nutrition forum will focus on two minerals that are extraordinarily relevant in the characteristics and qualitative properties of the cherry. Good quality today is an essential requirement for export; Production that is not accompanied by quality ultimately does not have a good end in the cherry market, therefore it is something that is extremely transcendental today,” Covarrubias warned.
Finally, the specialist Rodrigo Ortega, academic and founding partner of the International Society of Precision Agriculture, referred to the need to investigate and explore more about the topic of nutrition and the different alternatives, considering that the industry faces the onslaught of climate change and high production costs.
“We will participate in a discussion regarding cherry tree nutrition with emphasis on calcium nutrition, its effects on soil quality, yields and fruit quality. The topic is highly relevant because, in a context of climate change and high input costs, it is necessary to generate integrated soil management and cherry nutrition strategies; These will allow better adaptation and greater tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress to achieve the productive objectives of good yields and high quality, with high productive efficiency,” concluded the professor at the Federico Santa María de Concepción University.
The forums will be held after each of the three master classes included in CerryTech, and will be led by experts Carlos Tapia, Jordi Casas and Walter Masman.
Tickets for the event are now available and can be purchased by writing to the email entradas@yentzengroup.com.