Portrait of a sweet cherry breeder: Gregorio Lopez-Ortega
18 Jan 2024
n this article, José Quero García, member of the technical-scientific committee of Cherry Times, interviewed Gregorio Lopez-Ortega, breeder at the Chilean company Hortifrut.
"The cherry blossoms are all in full bloom with the arrival of spring and we really expect to harvest a bumper crop this year. In the village of Shanzhaolijia in Yantai, in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, a group of cherry tree growers are at work in their greenhouses.
Wang Weizhi, owner of 12 high-end greenhouses, said that cherry cultivation has led to a significant increase in income for local farmers. They once harvested large cherries with a diameter of over 32 mm and sold them at the high price of 220 yuan ($30.58) per pound.
Asked about the secrets of success, Wang said that the farmers use advanced technology to strictly control the temperature, humidity and light in the greenhouses.
"We have provided the cherry trees with the most favourable growing environment," Wang said. "We keep the temperature difference at 13°C to make the cherries sweeter. The sugar content of our products is generally around 24-25%, with a maximum of 29%."
Wang said that all fertilisers used are organic and of high quality, so the cherries taste great and are nutritionally complete.
Greenhouses can be subdivided into 'cold greenhouses' and 'warm greenhouses' according to their different location and the natural light received. Cherries grown in 'hot greenhouses' will be available for sale in early April, while the ripening time of cherries in 'cold greenhouses' can be artificially adjusted according to actual market demand.
Wang has recently introduced a new form of cherry tree called 'one stick' in its greenhouses. Equipped with short fruiting branches, these trees can enter a highly productive period earlier than normal ones, without the quality of their fruit being affected.
Embarking on a new path of rural revitalisation, Wang Weizhi and other local fruit growers are keen to further expand the cultivation scale and improve the quality of their produce, as well as increase their brand awareness.
Source: Shangdong China Daily
Image: Growing Fruit
