Page 19 - October freshletter_UK

Chilean growers are looking forward to plant ITUM, even

thinking of uprooting old vineyards and replacing them with

new varieties. Varieties such as Itum15, Itum7 and Itum6 have
attracted the interest of growers as substitutes for the Flame,
Crimson and Thompson varieties respectively

commercially were selected on the basis What acceptance has met the ITUM
of lower labor need and maximum yield. grapes in the market?
For example, ITUM grapes, despite their We will know this from the 2020/2021
high productivity, do not throw away ex- season, when grapes from the first vine-
cess vines, so they do not need to spend yards will be reach the Market. So far, our
as much labor on their thinning/ pruning experience has been limited to the cultiva-
as on other varieties. They also get color tion stage, where, as we have said, we see
easily, which reduces the cost of applying excellent prospects.
relative care. In conclusion, we are talking However, we have welcomed Chinese
about varieties selected by and for produc- and Korean importers, who have shown
ers who are looking to reduce costs and in- particular interest in the new varieties, fo-
crease production. cusing on the crisp texture, size and pleas-
ant taste.
How would you evaluate their
post-harvest behavior and their ad- What is the future prospect of plant-
aptation to different supply chain con- ing ITUM varieties?
cerns? Chilean growers are looking forward to
The grapes of the ITUM program have plant ITUM, even thinking of uprooting old
excellent post-harvest behavior, as they vineyards and replacing them with new va-
withstand up to 90 days of reservation in rieties. Varieties such as Itum15, Itum7 and
fridges, they do not dissolve and main- Itum6 have attracted the interest of grow-
tain their crispness. In the A.N.A. CHILE we ers as substitutes for the Flame, Crimson
have carried out exhaustive tests, evalu- and Thompson varieties respectively.
ating bunches collected from different or-
igins and at different ripening stages, with Given your experience working with
brix levels of 18 and 21, and their durability the ITUM varieties so far, if you had
on long journeys was consistently stand- an ITUM Researcher in front of you,
ing out in all tests. what better or more would you ask
We compared these outcomes with him about the grapes?
those of the Crimson and Thompson Seed- Conserve the «provincial» genes of these
less varieties and in all cases their behav- varieties. The ITUM program is character-
ior was the same or better than these two ized by the selection of grapes under Mur-
traditional varieties. cia’s climatic conditions, which determines
How easy is it and how much does it Also, it is important to note that in order
cost to grow ITUM varieties compared to import into the US, Chile must disinfect the expression of the phenotype and al-
to other varieties? its grapes using bromomethane. The tests lows the evaluator to work with plants of a
wide range and adaptability. So I would say
Since these varieties were selected by we have done show that ITUM varieties re-
the producers, their cultivation is very easy spond better to this method than others, to the Researchers to keep this character-
istic that makes grapes so productive, ear-
to manage. The grapes selected to grow such as the Crimson Seedless. ly and adaptable.

OCTOBER 2019