The event will offer three interesting discussion forums and three master classes, which will be led by renowned advisors and academics Luis Valenzuela, José Ignacio Covarrubias and Carlos Tapia.
14 leading industry specialists will gather on June 18 at the Sun Monticello event center, to bring to life the second version of the largest technical event in the cherry industry: CherryTech 2024. The accreditation of the important event, which will bring together the different actors of the cherry industry, will begin at 08:30 in the morning, and then give way to the first master class that will be in charge of the renowned advisor, specialist in cherry production, Carlos Tapia.
“On this occasion we will analyze the main factors that have influenced the productive potential of cherry orchards during the last seasons, updating important data in terms of climatic and physiological factors; In addition, we will carry out an update of the latest research on agronomic management and its impact on this production potential, with a careful look at the recent season, in which as an Avium team we developed an interesting analysis of what happened,” said Carlos Tapia, technical director of Avium, about his master class “Update of key factors in the productive potential of the cherry tree”.
CherryTech 2024 will feature two other master classes; the first of them will be given by José Ignacio Covarrubias, Agricultural Engineer, M.Sc., Dr. and professor at the Faculty of Agronomic Sciences of the University of Chile, who will speak on: “Nutritional strategies to improve the quality and condition of the fruit”.
“We are going to talk about some nutritional strategies, which are ideal to improve the quality and condition of the fruit; We are going to talk about calcium, a nutrient that is essential in building firmness, among other quality variables; We are going to see how calcium is absorbed, transported to the fruits and, therefore, we are going to understand, with data, what is the right time to apply calcium, in what dose we should apply it, etc. And we are also going to talk about potassium, another element that is absolutely crucial in different variables related to quality, such as the size of the fruits, the size, the accumulation of soluble solids, the color, etc.,” Covarrubias explained.
“From the root to the fruit: Productive stability and quality in the production of cherries”, is the title of the third master class, which will be led by the advisor, specialist in fruit growing, Luis Valenzuela.
“My presentation at CherryTech 2024 will have an emphasis on the unseen; Under this concept I refer to what happens with the roots, their development and importance in the production process, the relevance of irrigation, dormancy and its impact on the different processes of the plants, the fruit buds, their cycles, etc.; All of this is aimed at enhancing production stabilization and size, which are the main challenges of cherry production today,” said the advisor.
Forums will address interesting current issues in the industry
In addition, three forums will give life to relaxed spaces for conversation between different actors in the industry; The first of these will be: “Post-harvest procedures and management. What is the opinion of the end consumer and the critical points to be addressed?”, and will be moderated by Héctor García, co-founder and manager of Laboratorios Diagnofruit.
This block will have four panelists: Pamela Osorio, manager of quality and sustainable development at Ranco Cherries; Francisca Barros, post-harvest specialist and co-founder of Trío Kimün; Nicolás Zamorano, independent consultant for Asian markets; Raúl Orellana, post-harvest specialist and in charge of research and development of new varieties.
“In addition to the forum on post-harvest, we will have two other spaces for conversation that will be moderated by the founder and technical director of Avium, Carlos Tapia: “Availability, management and its efficient use in cherry tree cultivation” and “Rootstocks for cherry trees: Update and characteristics of rootstocks and the experiences of the last decade”; both forums will feature top-level panelists who will enhance and contribute to the discussion and analysis,” said Marie Bach, CEO of Yentzen Group.
The forum on “water” will have the participation, as panelists, of Tomás Vicente, Regional Manager of Wiseconn and member of the board of directors of the Irrigation and Drainage Association, Agryd; Lucas Ferrada, specialist advisor in plant nutrition and soil management; and Francisco Contardo, Journalist, Executive Director of ComunicAgro, director and host of programs such as “Gestionando el Agua” and “Chile Alimenta Sostenible” on agricultural and water issues.
For its part, the space dedicated to “rootstocks” will have a panel made up of three leading advisors in cherry production: Walter Masman, Ricardo Miño and Jordi Casas.
Less than a month before the most relevant technical event in the cherry industry, which expects to bring together more than a thousand attendees for the second consecutive year, there are very few tickets available. Tickets can be obtained at www.cherrytechconvention.com