By: Emilio Martínez Gy Carlos J. Tapia T. Agricultural Engineers. Avium Technical Team
Edited by Daniela Balagué. Journalist. Communications Manager at Avium.
The establishment of an orchard is undoubtedly the stage in which the future productive potential of a cherry orchard is largely, or entirely, at stake, and when analyzing each task, material or technique in detail, serious errors may come to light that are not initially perceived, but which will surely have a significant impact on that potential.
Productive potential is a term that has a predominant value in the production of cherries for export, and which must be understood in order to be able to express this condition to the maximum, depending on the climatic resources that exist in the area, the plant material used in terms of the variety/rootstock combination, the type of soil in which the orchard will be established, and a number of other determining factors that combine and guarantee the success of the business in the long term. In this last point, which is the “cornerstone” of the project, we must not stop having a strategic view and visualize this as a “business”, which surely a large part of producers have assimilated within a logic of the appropriate use of resources. However, there are projects that had a good start, or at least that is what was perceived, but as the seasons went by, various difficulties began to appear in the establishment and design of the plantation.
One of the details to be analyzed recurrently is the vigor/fertility relationship. When you have a fertile rootstock with a fertile variety, cultural practices such as pruning and load regulation must be very important to be able to promote vegetation and thus sustain the fruit that is in the fruiting points. When having a contrary condition, a strategy of not intervening in the plant must be made to calm the development of the rootstock and thus be able to achieve fruiting, especially focused on varieties with less setting potential on high vigor rootstocks. Thus, the choice of variety/rootstock It is a basic component that allows for greater opportunities for the business to be attractive.
For self-incompatible varieties (those that need pollination), a good challenge is the choice of pollinating varieties, which in many cases do not have synchrony in flowering, and which produces a limited supply of pollen, but even more serious is that there are projects in which the degree of compatibility that exists in the different cultivars is almost zero. For example, when carrying out a project to plant cv. Regina, varieties that are from the same pollination period, that is, from group V, should first be considered, but varieties from group IV pollination should also be considered so that there is an overlap in the supply of pollen at the beginning of Regina flowering. But that is not all, since the choice of pollinating varieties must be within the compatibility group for that variety in terms of its alleles, so it is very important to take maximum consideration in this regard.
Experiences in Chile in recent years regarding the design of new projects have been mainly focused on the planting density, In terms of having the largest number of fruiting units per plant available for production, that is, if it is estimated that a project needs between 450 to 500 thousand shoots/ha to have an estimated production according to the productive potential of the orchard, the question we must ask ourselves is under what circumstances is it more difficult to obtain that number? At a density of 1,000 or 1,500 plants/ha? In general, that is the approach we have given to new projects, in which we must direct our efforts to the maximum from the first year so as not to regret errors that can often be the end of the project.
There will certainly always be external factors and specific climatic circumstances that cannot be controlled season by season, but when starting a project it is important to put on the table the main and most important elements that we can manage and/or control in an intelligent and profitable way for the sake of the productive potential of our garden and our investment.
Some relevant factors of current plantations.
1. Soil preparation.
Physical, chemical and biological preparation. Must be ready by May 1st to prepare for the planting process from June 1st onwards.
2. Type and quality of plants.
A major factor in the success or failure of the project. It is estimated that at least 50% of the failure of plantation projects is due to the poor quality of the plant material.
Problems may be associated with the source material (rootstock or grafted variety), plant development in the nursery and pathological problems associated with the nursery. Without a doubt, the “all of the above” option is also an option.
3. Planting date.
Technically, planting can begin when the plants are already leafless, in winter bare root format. The optimal date to finish planting in central Chile is July 31st. For the southern area, August 20th.
For plants from bag or pot cultivation with active sprouts, the deadline for planting in the central zone is November 15 and for the south, December 1.
4. Irrigation
Until a few years ago, having irrigation installed and working in winter was not a major concern. However, in recent years there has not been normal/minimal rainfall to maintain optimal soil moisture for plantations.
For this reason, the design and installation times of irrigation must be planned for the beginning of the plantations, since it seems that it will be mandatory to irrigate before and during the planting process of a new project.
