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 ( chart).
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 through the size distribution, the weighted weight of the fruit and estimate the result on a more well-founded basis. This forecast may imply important differences in the calculation of harvesters, materials, ladders, boxes, etc.
From the table, it is possible to highlight the results obtained by Santina, Bing and Regina, which confirm the taste of the customers for its caliber, hardness and sweetness. However, the others are also good varieties with different characteristics only.“One of the biggest challenges in the fruit industry is being able to achieve more accurate estimates that allow establishing and scheduling different tasks. In the case of cherries, perhaps it is even more complicated, because the large number of fruits that a plant can give and their “low weight” influence the fact that estimation errors are recurrent. 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 continues to evaluate a greater amount of data to further adjust the registry, 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, Avium director.
