Research carried out by Avium, with the aim of establishing better production forecasts, studied during the last six cherry seasons (2012-2017) the main quality characteristics of six varieties: Royal Dawn, Santina, Bing, Lapins, Sweetheart and Regina (table).
The variables studied were average fruit weight for each size category and its relationship with hardness (Durofel), dry matter (%) and soluble solids (°Brix).
With the information obtained, producers will be able to evaluate the weight of the fruit by size distribution and estimate the result on a more solid basis. This forecast may involve significant differences in the calculation of harvesters, materials, ladders, boxes, etc.
From the table, the results obtained by Santina, Bing and Regina can be highlighted, which confirm the customers' preference for their size, hardness and sweetness. However, the others are also good varieties with only different characteristics.
“One of the biggest challenges of the fruit industry is to be able to obtain more accurate estimates that allow for the establishment and programming of different tasks. In the case of cherries, it is perhaps even more complicated, because the large quantity of fruit that a plant can produce and the “low weight” of these, influence the recurrence of estimation errors. It is important to be able to establish that, depending on the characteristics of the different varieties, their quality parameters also present differences. This study, which has not been completed because work is still being done to evaluate a greater amount of data to further adjust the record, seeks to reveal the real face of the different varieties of cherries in Chile, in terms of quality parameters and fruit size.” said Carlos Tapia, director of Avium.
