ISHS Acta Horticulturae 297: II International Symposium on Kiwifruit
THE KIWIFRUIT INDUSTRY IN CHILE: CHARACTERISTICS AND RESEARCH PRIORITIES. |
| Author: | A. Plaza |
| Keywords: | yields, areas, research priorities, fruit production |
| Abstract:
The Chilean kiwifruit industry has experienced significant growth during the last 10 years. In fact, it is the fruit species which has had the most accelerated growth in comparison to other fruit species grown in Chile. The first orchard, 9 hectares, was planted in 1978. For 1989, it is estimated that the planted area will be approximately 10 000 hectares. Production has grown from 35 tons in 1982 to 25 700 tons in 1989 and exports have increased from 600 boxes in 1983 to 7.2 million in 1990. This rapid growth was due to high international prices paid for fresh kiwifruit making it an attractive business for Chilean producers and exporters. An economic policy which gave incentives to investments in this area also aided this growth. Because of this rapid growth and the lack of national experience in kiwifruit production, many research programs have been undertaken, mostly by universities and institutions which support the agricultural sector. Since 1985, approximately 35 graduate theses, which represent the main trends in research in Chile, have been published, more than half of them dealing with production technology and crop handling of kiwifruit. These studies also cover the technology of pruning, trimming, ringing, sizing, the use of shade nets, irrigation and plant protection. Some of these studies also refer to the application of exogenous products or hormones such as hydrogen cyanamide, paclobutrazol, ethepon and daminozide and their effects on the production of this species. Another area of investigation which drew the attention of investigators at the very beginning was the "in vitro" technology used to discover the organogenic and embryonic capacities of different kiwifruit tissues. In the area of phytopathology, studies have been focused principally on root rotting problems. The current trend is for an increased focus on postharvest research. The first studies were on the reaction of kiwifruit to different storage conditions, production and ethylene, identification of fungi and evaluation of the causes of fruit losses. Today, research is being carried out on controlled atmosphere storage technology, those factors which affect the final technologies which will lead to the successful postharvest handling of kiwifruit. | |
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