Frosts were experienced in many of Chile's table grape-growing regions at the start of spring, but an industry head does not believe there will be a noticeable effect on the season's volumes.

A representative of industry organization Uvanova said the lowest temperatures were recorded on August 25 and 26, but she added the plants were not in a particularly vulnerable stage of development. 

"For example, the most heavily affected areas were the Metropolitan and O'Higgins regions, where temperatures reached -1.8°C for three to five hours. As for the buds, there was no major damage that could be seen," Uvanova president Carolina Cruz told www.freshfruitportal.com.

"Some effects were reported in the Coquimbo region for sensitive varieties like Superior and Flame in the area south of Vallenar. But these were isolated incidents."

She said there had been no major damage reported in the Valparaiso region either.

"Even when we have had serious frosts, the loss percentages are much lower that what we originally estimate, especially for highly productive varieties like Red Globe or Flame," she said.

Cruz also mentioned that until the recent cold spate of weather, the industry had predicated the season may kick off up to 12 days earlier than last year.

"The truth is that it will all depend on what happens from now on," she said.

"These colder temperatures meant that the accelerated rate of growth has slowed down a bit, so we still don't know whether we will be harvesting fruit earlier than other seasons. We will have to see."

Cruz said volumes for the upcoming season looked set to be 'normal', partly because many growers had been warned about the cold weather and had taken precautionary measures.

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