The event will offer three interesting discussion forums and three master classes, which will be taught by renowned advisors and academics Luis Valenzuela, José Ignacio Covarrubias and Carlos Tapia.
15 leading industry specialists will meet on June 18 at the Sun Monticello events center to bring to life the second version of the largest technical event in the cherry industry: CherryTech 2024. Accreditation for the important event, which will bring together the different actors in the cherry industry, will begin at 8:30 in the morning, to then give way to the first master class, which will be taught by the renowned advisor and cherry production specialist 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 regarding climatic and physiological factors; in addition, we will update the latest research on agronomic management and its impact on said production potential, with a careful look at the recent season, in which as the Avium team we developed an interesting analysis of what happened,” Carlos Tapia, technical director of Avium, said during his master class “Updating key factors in the productive potential of cherry trees”.
CherryTech 2024 will feature two more master classes; the first one will be given by José Ignacio Covarrubias, Agricultural Engineer, M.Sc., Ph.D. and professor at the Faculty of Agricultural 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 that are ideal for improving the quality and condition of the fruit; we are going to talk about calcium, a nutrient that is essential for building firmness, among other quality variables; we are going to see how calcium is absorbed and transported to the fruit and, therefore, we are going to understand, with data, when is the right time to apply calcium, in what doses 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 fruit size, caliber, accumulation of soluble solids, color, etc.” Covarrubias explained.
“From the root to the fruit: Productive stability and quality in cherry production” is the title of the third master class, which will be led by the advisor and fruit growing specialist, Luis Valenzuela.
“My presentation at CherryTech 2024 will focus on what is not seen; 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, fruit buds, their cycles, etc.; all this aimed at enhancing productive stabilization and caliber, which are the main challenges of cherry production today,” the advisor noted.
Forums will address interesting current industry topics
Additionally, three forums will create relaxed spaces for conversation between different industry players; the first of these will be: “Post-harvest procedures and management. What is the opinion of the end consumer and what are the critical points to address?”, and will be moderated by Héctor García, co-founder and manager of Laboratorios Diagnofruit.
This block will feature 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 post-harvest forum, we will have two other discussion spaces that will be moderated by the founder and technical director of Avium, Carlos Tapia: “Availability, management and their efficient use in cherry cultivation” and “Rootstocks for cherry trees: Update and characteristics of rootstocks and experiences of the last decade”; both forums will have top-level panelists who will highlight and contribute to the discussion and analysis,” said Marie Bach, general manager of Yentzen Group.
The forum on “water” will feature the participation 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 “Managing Water” and “Chile Alimenta Sostenible” on agricultural and water issues.
The section dedicated to “rootstocks” will have a panel made up of three prominent advisors in cherry production: Walter Masman, Ricardo Miño and Jordi Casas.
Less than a month before the most important technical event in the cherry industry, which is expected 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
