The farm Güizzo Frutas Frescas S.A., based in Mendoza, started the commercial harvest of this fruit produced in Argentina yesterday, 19 October, and for the third year in a row it has succeeded in starting in week 42.
"We are starting the season with the varieties of the Royal series, which have shown excellent adaptation to be harvested in the northern area of Mendoza from week 42. This year in particular we are starting the harvest two days earlier than last season, which is the earliest in recent years," says Nicolás Güizzo, technical director of the Mendoza-based company.
Nicolás Güizzo also adds that 'Mendoza has the particularity of guaranteeing a good entry into the dormancy period with more than 400 hours of accumulated winter cold. Added to this is a good accumulation of cold hours. This allows most of the early varieties to show interesting yields with excellent quality and, above all, very early harvest dates compared to other production areas.
The farm, which has been present in Mendoza for over 40 years, specialises in the production of early varieties of cherries. These are marketed entirely by air to the European Union, the United Kingdom, the Middle East and the Far East, as well as supplying the main retailers and wholesalers in the Argentinean domestic market.
Today, they manage the production of cherries on 50 hectares distributed mainly in the areas of Luján de Cuyo and Valle de Uco, located in the province of Mendoza. The most cultivated cherry varieties are Royal Dawn, Brooks, Nimba, Pacific Red, Santina and Lapins, among others.
Engineer Nicolás Güizzo adds that "in the last few years, the company has been making an important reconversion towards cultivation with new varieties of early production, with the idea of being able to anticipate the start of the harvest to the 41st week in Mendoza in a few years".
He also stated that "trials are being carried out with varieties with low winter chilling requirements in a non-traditional area for the cherry tree such as the north-west of Argentina, where we believe that in about four years we could harvest cherries during the 40th and 41st week.
"We are very focused on bringing forward the start of the harvest season to the first half of October, as the consumer markets are practically free of this seductive fruit," he concludes
Source: Güizzo Frutas Frescas S.A
Images: Güizzo Frutas Frescas S.A
17 May 2024
"Expect nothing less as we prepare for another successful harvest - says Destiny Nash, cherry sales lead - "With a notable 30% increase in production capabilities, we are poised for continued growth and success".
04 Mar 2024
"We are trying to understand how X-disease pathogen exploits the grasshopper to facilitate its life cycle," said William Walker, USDA geneticist. "This could provide us with forms of disruption, such as biopesticides, to halt the insect's life cycle."
11 Sep 2026
Artificial intelligence is transforming fruit growing in Chile: computer vision, machine learning and data help measure quality, yields and waste, reduce errors and improve decisions from the orchard to packing lines and export markets, including cherries and other fruit crops.
11 Sep 2026
In Apulia, HTS identified Pomes virus Greece (PVGR) in sweet cherry for the first time in Italy. The virus was detected in 8.7% of the samples analysed, while one case of Cherry green ring mottle virus also marks the first regional report of CGRMV in southern Italy.
