In the new cherry landscape, it is vital to understand how to maximize the potential of the business. Having a clear understanding of the area where I am producing cherries and the most suitable variety according to the agro-climatic conditions of that place is one of the factors that technical advisor and cherry specialist Walter Masman indicates that producers must consider to achieve fruit that satisfies market needs at a given time.

In this sense, the first thing that should be done, in his opinion, is an analysis of the agro-climatic area where we find ourselves, which in the case of cherries relates to the period in which the harvest takes place.

Regarding the zone, the advisor establishes a division composed of early zone, intermediate zone, and late zone as a major division. Within that, he mentions the following subdivisions:

• Early early zone (weeks 42-44 backwards)
• Late early zone (weeks 47-48)
• Intermediate early zone (weeks 45-46)

When we talk about early or late concepts, are we referring to the time of harvest? Yes, and based on that, once the producer knows what they have harvested or what the rest of their zone is harvesting, they need to consider what potential varieties they could plant based on what they have. The better I understand which zone I am located in, the better I can choose the variety according to what it yields. This is what must be understood.

The first point is to understand that early varieties are for early zones, just as late varieties correspond more to late zones. Making this match is vital, because often the producer doesn’t do it and thinks that doing it differently will somehow yield benefits. In the old reality of cherries, that worked, but now it is not the case.

If you plant early varieties in intermediate zones, you won’t maximize the potential of the variety you are planting.

In Ovalle, a significant percentage of the planted area corresponds to Lapins, which is harvested between late November and early December, but do I have any comparative advantage by planting Lapins in an early zone? No way. The early zone shines and will continue to shine as long as early varieties are planted.

When we refer to the early zone, are we talking about the northern zone? Or not necessarily? Not necessarily, because in the early zone there is a logic that corresponds to latitude. The further north you go, the earlier it is—there’s some of that—but the early zone in Chile reaches roughly to the coast of the Seventh Region.

These sectors are classified as early with their respective sub-classifications. This metric, or division, is very relevant today because it strongly influences price trends, so it is crucial for the producer to understand this at some point.

What could happen if an early variety is planted in a late or intermediate early zone? It happens that when harvesting a huge volume of cherries, that variety, which was early, loses its attributes because, within the large volume of cherries, it lacks competitiveness.

Does an early zone, according to the classification, have climatic characteristics that make it more suitable for certain varieties? Absolutely. Early zones are places where it gets warm earlier and consistently (greater accumulation of degree days). This allows the maturity evolution of the fruit to happen faster. In late zones, the opposite occurs. Since it is cooler, there is a delay in the maturity evolution process, making it later, influencing the fruit’s characteristics and the behavior of the trees.

Based on this, how can one take advantage of the area where they are located? If I am in an area with excess volume, it may be time not to continue competing, especially if I have a less competitive variety. What I mean is that it is necessary to understand my situation and what my comparative advantage is regarding the variety I have planted or will plant to make it work effectively.

Based on these recommendations, could we discuss a size analysis? From the results we achieved this season, we realize that one of the attributes the market demands, and this will be the trend moving forward, is strongly related to size. If today we analyze the existing varieties, there are practically 10 important ones, and out of those 10, three account for almost 80% of the produced volume (Santina, Lapins, and Regina). It is clear that there are varieties whose genetic potential cannot meet the current demands of our customers. To achieve the sizes that producers want, they must make greater efforts, often without the expected results, ultimately leading to a percentage of smaller sizes than the market requires, thus not becoming a profitable business. This is the reality we face today.

What sizes should be considered? The average size should be above 30 mm. This is what the producer should aim for. Likewise, if tomorrow there is a variety in weeks 50 or 51 that could achieve sizes greater than Lapins—and I mention Lapins because it is a variety that also has good size—along.