Blueberry Culture in Chile—Current Status, Future ProspectsJames Hancock1, Jorge Retamales2, Paul Lyrene3, Claudia Moggia2, and Mauricio Lolas2

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Additional index words. Vacciniumcorymbosum, V. ashei, arándanos

Summary. There is great interest in growingblueberries in Chile. Although only a fewhundred hectares are now planted, thou-sands of hectares are predicted by the turn ofthe century. There are many areas in thecountry that are adaptable to blueberryculture, and labor costs are extremely low.Chileans feel they have a golden opportunityto make a profit by producing blueberriesduring the North American off-season.

Over the last few years, interestin planting blueberries (arán-danos) has grown tremen-dously in Chile. Where therewere only a few experimental

hectares a decade ago, there are now ≈ 280 haof commercial plantings (Table 1). Estimatesindicate that there may be as many as 4000 haby the year 2000 (Hanson and Hancock,1990).

This interest has stemmed from theunique geographical location of Chile. Be-cause it is located in the Southern Hemi-sphere, its seasons are the reverse of those inNorth America. This means that Chileanproducers can grow and ship fruit to theNorthern Hemisphere during its non-pro-ducing winter. Among horticultural species,the Chileans have successfully marketedgrapes, apples, pears, kiwifruit, and raspber-ries in this manner, and they hope to use thesame strategy with blueberries.

Chile stretches for ≈ 2500 miles in anarrow band along the southwest coast ofSouth America (Fig. 1). The snow-cappedAndes Mountains are on the east side of thecountry and the Coastal range is on the west;between these two mountain ranges is a longcentral valley where most Chilean fruit isgrown. The large continuum in altitude and

1Professor, Department of Horticulture, Michigan State Univer-sity, East Lansing MI 48823.2Professor, School of Agronomy, University of Talca, Chile.3Professor, Fruit Crops Department, University of Florida,Gainesville, FL 32611.

latitude provides Chile with a climatic rangesuitable for numerous fruits.

Chile is divided into 12 political regionsplus a Metropolitan Region (Santiago) (Fig.1). Regions 1 and 2 are primarily desert andtherefore unsuitable for most agriculture.Fruit is produced from Regions 3-10, includ-ing the Metropolitan region; in this area, theclimate ranges from an arid Mediterraneanclimate in the north to a temperate, moist cli-mate in the south. In Regions 11 and 12, thegrowing season is too short and cold for fruitproduction.

The various regions contain a broad di-versity of agriculture. Early ripening tablegrapes are grown primarily in Regions 3 and4. Grapes and stone fruits are produced mainlyin the Metropolitan Region and Regions 5and 6. Apples are concentrated in Regions 6and 7, along with pears, kiwifruit, and someblueberries. Regions 8 and 9 are primarilydevoted to cattle and forestry, althoughblueberries are beginning to appear. Rasp-berries and blueberries are produced in Re-gion 10.

Current SituationBlueberry production regions. T h e

highest density of blueberries is found in the10th Region, in a 25 × 50 km area sur-rounding Osorno (Fig. 1). Here there are 10to 15 growers, who account for ≈100 ha.Most individual farms have <5 ha of blueber-ries, a few have >25 ha, and the largest has 50ha. Almost all of the plantings are ≤3 yearsold, with the majority being newly planted(Figs. 2 and 3).

The climate in the Osorno area is veryfavorable for blueberries. Sufficient chillinghours are received for all varieties; addition-ally, winters are mild and spring frosts rare(Table 2). The soils are diverse, but a loamy-gravel (Table 2) with a high organic matter of10% to 12% is commonly found. Water tablesare moderately high; in some cases drainage ispoor, but the soil appears to be aerated suf-ficiently to sustain vigorous growth. Soil pHis in the range 5.0-5.8. The oldest commer-cial planting of highbush blueberriesin Chile (5ha) is near Osorno and is 6 years old (Fig. 4).

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Fig. 1. Geographical andregional situation of Chile.The country is divided into12 regions plus the Metropoli-tan Region (Santiago).

Widely distributed throughout the morenorthern regions (6, 7, and 8) are another 20to 25 plantings (Table 1). These have noparticular center, although a group of 15 to20 small hectareages (< 2 ha) are scattered inRegions 7 and 8. Most of these plantings arealso very young, with the largest (≈ 15 ha) be-ing newly planted.

Except for a strip of volcanic soilsstretching alongside the Andes Mountains ina north–south direction, most of the soils inRegions 7-10 are marginal for blueberriesand must be modified for optimal growth.Soil organic matter is usually low (1% to 5%)and pH is generally >5.8, but climatic condi-tions are excellent, as winter temperaturesrarely fall below 0C and summer tempera-tures seldom exceed 30C. Chilling hours(<7C) vary from 600 to 1200, depending onlocation (Retamales, 1991).

Cultural practices. Because most of theplantings are so young, few recommenda-tions have been developed for fertilization,pruning, and pollination. In most cases, plantshave been set at distances of ≈ 1.5 × 3.0 m,although some plantings are more dense,with one field spaced at 0.5 × 1.0 m (Fig. 5).Soil amendments are commonly used. Onthe better sites, 0.4-m3 holes are dug andfilled with various mixtures of organic matterand soil before planting. On the poorest sites,growers often lay down ridges of sawdust andset the plants directly into them (Fig. 6).Sulfur or sulfuric acid is used to acidify thehigh pH soils, although most that were low-ered to <5.8 were adversely affected. Irriga-tion systems vary widely, from furrow totrickle or overhead with portable pipes.Growers have relied on native bee popula-tions for pollination, and most pruning hasbeen restricted to training young bushes.Most of the plants are too young to deter-mine whether they will grow more quickly orslowly than those in North America.

Varieties. Both highbush and rabbiteyevarieties appear to grow well in Chile, withthe greatest density of rabbiteye being foundin the more northern regions (Table 1). Mostpropagation is by tissue culture for phyto-sanitary reasons and also to speed prolifera-

Table 1. Estimated blueberry area in Chile (Nov.

Region

VIVIIVIIIIXXTotal

Region(ha)

1630

61567

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tion of plants. In many cases, l-year-oldrooted cuttings are planted directly in thefield.

Most of the rabbiteye and highbushcultivars currently grown in North Americaare now in Chile, including the newest USDAreleases. The most commonly planted high-bush blueberries are ‘Bluecrop’, ‘Blueray’,‘Elliot’, ‘Patriot’, ‘Berkeley’, ‘Coville’, and‘O’Neal’. The most widely used rabbiteyeblueberries are ‘Premier’, ‘Brightwell’, ‘Cli-max’, ‘Beckyblue’, and ‘Bonita’.

Production costs and marketing. Al-though many sites are not in production yet,the harvest season is expected to extend fromlate November to early March, depending onlocation. The southern sites tend to be muchlater, due to the cooler conditions; proximityto the Andes and the microclimates in the

1991).

Highbush Total(ha) (ha)

4 49 25

16 4680 86

108 123217 284

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Fig. 2. Typical blueberry sitein Region 10 and surround-ing environs.

Fig. 3. A 3-year-old field atRio Bueno, near Osorno.Plant vows were made weedfree by applying paraquatdichloride.

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different regions also extend the harvest sea-son. Blueberry development appears to becompressed in Chile, with the cultivarsblooming and ripening over a much shorterperiod than in North America. Bloom datesof ‘Earliblue’ and ‘Jersey’ differ by only a fewdays, and the difference in harvest interval forthese two varieties is only a few weeks (Muñozet al., 1989). In North America, these culti-vars are separated by 7 to 10 days at bloomand almost a month at harvest (Hancock etal., 1987).

Chilean growers estimate costs of$10,000-15,000/ha to establish a field, in-cluding land, labor, plants, and irrigation.One of the major advantages in Chile is thecost of labor: unskilled laborers usually re-ceive only $3/day, and hand pickers earnonly $0.05/half pint (400 g). Land pricesvary from $1200-2500/ha, depending onlocation. Plants, which cost about $2.20 each,are the only high-priced item. Packing mate-rials, fertilizers, and agricultural chemicalscost about the same as in the United States.Most growers feel they can grow, pick, andpack fruit for $0.50/kg, if they average 8 to10 tžha-1. They expect to recover their estab-lishment costs by the 6th year and estimateyearly profits of $25,000/ha by the 8th year

(Dinamarca, 1991). This assumes a return tothe grower of $5/kg for fresh fruit.

Most of the fruit is shipped by commer-cial airlines, although a limited quantity hasbeen sent by boat to North America. Ship-ping prices are about $3.50/kg by air and$1/kg by ship. There are several companiesthat plan to sell blueberries in North America,and all have previous experience with otherfruits, particularly raspberries. MBG Market-ing of the United States is planning to sell alarge quantity of the fruit in association withHortifruit and Agricola e Inversiones SanJosé of Chile.

Research infrastructure. The firstblueberry plants were imported into Chilefrom the United States in 1979 by the gov-ernment research agency, Instituto deInvestigaciónes Agropecuarias (INIA).Blueberries have been planted at five INIAresearch stations (Muñoz et al., 1989). Sev-eral INIA scientists are now involved withblueberries, including C. Muñoz (cultivarsand micropropagation), A. Campos (eco-nomics), A. Lavin (culture and nutrition),and J. Valenzuela (culture and micropropa-gation). University scientists studying blue-berries include: J. Retamales (nutrition andphysiology), C. Sandoval (pathology), andC. Moggia (postharvest physiology) at theUniversidad de Talca; F. Kiger (processing)and F. Sudzuki (culture) at the Universidadde Chile, Santiago; R. Hepp (virology), at theUniversidad de Concepción, Chillán; F. Medel(culture and irrigation) at the UniversidadAustral, Valdivia; J. Guerrero (insects anddiseases) and W. Lobos (culture and postharvest) at the Universidad de la Frontera,Temuco. A blueberry symposium at theUniversidad de Talca in 1991 was attendedby >50 scientists, growers, and exporters.

Current problems. As previously men-tioned, Chile’s favorable climatic conditionsmake successful blueberry cultivation likely.The unique soil conditions will probablydemand the development of specific nutri-tional and irrigation practices, but the currentvigor and condition of the plants suggeststhat the necessary cultural modifications willnot be too dramatic, at least in favorable sitessouth of Talca. The success of the Arkansasblueberry industry on upland, low-organic-matter soils indicates that blueberries can begrown on a diverse array of soils if sufficientamendments are made (Moore, 1979). Aparticular challenge to the Chilean growerswill be to balance fruit production and veg-etative vigor in the early establishment years.The present temptation to maximize fruityield while prices are high may reduce veg-etative growth and increase the number ofyears required for fields to reach full pro-duction.

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Table 2. Climates and soils of southern and northern production regions in Chile”.

zSources: P. González, personal comunication; IREN (1964); Tosco (1985).

“Severalfactors willdetermine thevolume of freshblueberries thatcan be marketedprofitably fromChile. ”

Fig. 4. A 6-year-old highbushplant in one of the oldestplantings in Region 10.

Currently, there are few pest problems.Heavy applications of paraquat dichloridehave eliminated most weed problems, al-though herbicide damage to blueberry plantsis widespread. Except for the larvae of a nativeweevil (Aegorhinus supercillosus germari),which has caused root damage in some fields(Muñoz et al., 1989), insect pests have notbecome a problem, and none of the typicalNorth American insect or mite pests haveappeared. Few North American disease prob-lems have emerged, with the exception ofBotrytis sp., Phomopsis canker, Pseudomonassyringae, and Phytopthora root rot (Guerrero,1991; Muñoz et al., 1989). Some of theplantings receive no pesticides.

Future ProspectsBlueberries are the latest in a series of

fruit crops raised by Chilean growers forexport to North American and Europeanmarkets. The growers’ experience with pre-vious export crops should serve the Chileanswell in developing this new industry. Theclimate is generally favorable for blueberrycultivation, and there is no reason the cropcannot be grown successfully.

There is much interest in predicting thenumber ofhectares of blueberries that shouldbe planted in Chile to satisfy world demandfor fresh blueberries during the Chilean mar-ket window without depressing prices to un-profitable levels by overproduction. In thepast , raspberr ies and kiwifrui t wereoverplanted in Chile to the extent that theless-productive farms became unprofitable.

Several factors will determine the vol-ume of fresh blueberries that can be marketedprofitably from Chile. These include length

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of the marketing season; the price at whichberries must be sold to cover the costs ofproduction, harvest, packing, shipping, andbrokerage fees; competition from otherproduction areas that share the same mar-keting season; quality of the fruit as judged byconsumers; and the extent of investment inadvertising and promotion of winter blue-berries in Northern Hemisphere markets.

Blueberry growers, export companies,and research personnel in Chile appreciatethe importance of a long marketing season.In the area from Los Angeles to Osorno,where soils and climate seem most favorablefor blueberries, most of the crop will ripenduring January and February. At the south-ern end of this production area, growers areinterested in planting the late-ripening culti-vars, such as ‘Elliot’, to extend the harvestseason into March. Refrigerated export shipsto transport the fruit will not only greatlyreduce transportation costs but will also delaythe arrival of the fruit in the Northern Hemi-

Fig. 5. A 5-year-old field ofrabbiteye bushes near LosAngeles, Chile. Plants werevery closely spaced (0.5 × 1.0m).

“Year-round

availability ofblueberries mayhelp changepeople's concept ofthe fruit from aspecialty item toa regularcomponent oftheir diet.”

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sphere by ≈ 2 weeks, which is considereddesirable for the fruit harvested at the end ofthe season.

There is much potential for extendingthe harvest season into October and Novem-ber. Because low-chill highbush cultivars canproduce fruit during April and May in theNorthern Hemisphere, it should be possibleto use them to produce fruit during thecorresponding months of October and No-vember in the Southern Hemisphere. But inorder to get sufficient heat units in the earlyspring for early crop development, it is nec-essary to plant low-chill varieties farther north,possibly even north of Santiago, where soilsare generally unfavorable for blueberries dueto high pH and low organic-matter content.Research is underway to determine if suchplantings can be successful.

The volume of fresh blueberries that canbe sold per week is highly dependent on theprice the consumer must pay. Although it istrue that U.S. consumers will pay $5.00 ormore for 200-g packages of fresh blueberriesat times of the year when blueberries are in

Fig. 6. Growing blueberries on suboptimal soils. Plants wedirectly into sawdust strips and trickle irrigated.

low supply, the amount of product sold atthese prices and the total income from thesale of these berries is relatively low. At theother times of the year, when large volumes ofblueberries are being sold (1 June-l Sept.),consumers normally pay less than $2.00 per400-g package, and growers receive about$1.00 per 400-g package for fresh blueberriessold in the United States. If Chilean growerscan sell fresh blueberries at similar prices inNorth American markets from Decemberthrough February, the potential market is verylarge. The exact relationship between price andvolume of sales is, however, hard to predict.

Competition from other production ar-eas for the November through March freshblueberry market may also affect market size.Favorable climate and soils and low laborcosts make Chile a strong competitor withestablished regions like New Zealand. Inaddition, there are many other areas in Southand Central America and in Mexico whereblueberries may be planted in the future, andit may eventually become necessary for Chileto share part of its market with one or morenew blueberry production areas.

One question remaining about SouthAmerican blueberries is how North Americanconsumers will respond to fresh blueberriesin the winter. Year-round availability of blue-berries may help change people’s concept ofthe fruit from a specialty item to a regularcomponent of their diet. The blueberry pro-duction season has been extended 2-monthsthrough varietal development over the last 10years, and this expansion has not negativelyaffected sales. In fact, per capita blueberryconsumption has increased by 50% over thelast 10 years (Eck, 1988). Chilean growersare counting on North Americans to furtherexpand their appetites for fruit as they didwhen strawberries and grapes became avail-able on a year-round basis.

re set

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