During the visit, we had the opportunity to observe the results of new and promising early-harvest varieties with a low chilling requirement, some even earlier than cv. Nimba.
These varieties are already present in Chile and are candidates for future commercial development in the country, thanks to ANA Chile®.
From May 14 to 20, the “2025 Spain Early Cherry Technical Tour” took place, during which we visited several orchards located between the cities of Lleida and Zaragoza.
Among the very early varieties with a low chilling requirement, a selection from the Ibergen program proved particularly promising, showing good yield and fruit quality in an area with 400–500 chilling hours—conditions similar to those in Ovalle.
In Spain, harvesting occurred 3 to 9 days earlier than cv. Nimba, according to evaluations conducted over three consecutive seasons.
We would also like to highlight Selection 10, a genotype already present in Chile and included in the new variety development program.
It stands out for its excellent size, good firmness, and high productivity, with a harvest date in Spain that coincides with Santina.
The fruits observed in the Mequinenza fields exhibited all these traits, 5–7 days before harvest.
We were also able to observe significant progress in the management of early varieties recently introduced in Chile, such as cv. Nimba, cv. Pacific Red, Sweet Aryana®, and Sweet Lorenz®.
These varieties already demonstrate established management, as well as increasing demand from the European market.
Lastly, it should be noted that this season's harvests began later than in previous years, with delays ranging from 7 to 10 days depending on the area.
This delay was mainly caused by a cold and rainy spring, which even led to hail damage in some areas.
Source: anachile.cl
Image source: ANA Chile
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