For Macfrut 2023 it was an honour to host during the WS cherry tree Prof. Marlene Ayala of the Catholic University of Chile, the person in charge of the main genetic improvement project on the cherry tree, started in 2010 and carried out in the largest cherry exporting country in the world, as well as the third largest cherry producer in the world and, so far at least, among the first importers of technological and varietal innovations.
Thanks to PMGC, the breeding programme supported by ASOEX - Consorcio Tecnologico de la Fruta and CORFO, a group of Chilean fruit producers and exporters, by 2030 Chile will be able to grow its own varieties and, probably, start exporting not only cherries but also new plant patents!
Below is the video of the report presented at Macfrut 2023.
The market recognises a number of key quality characteristics: a brightly coloured fruit, a strong 'cherry' flavour, a green and turgid stalk. Several new technologies have been developed to prolong the fruit's shelf life.
Bumblebees play a key role in the pollination service, particularly during rainy or particularly cold periods. For this function they were one of the focuses of the 2025 edition of ‘Stone Fruit Day’, organised by Washington State University, on 22 January.
The 16in1 SSR system improves sweet cherry genotyping by strengthening varietal identification, parentage analysis and breeding. Tested on European and North American cultivars, it delivers far greater discriminatory power than the ECPGR marker set in laboratory use.
The first mountain cherry season shared by Melinda and VIP ended on a positive note: pooled volumes, processing and coordinated marketing improved efficiency, supported growers’ margins and strengthened the competitiveness of the cherry supply chain during a challenging market se