Chilean orchards assess crop damage following severe rain and hail

El Niño continues to dampen industry projections across South America. Earlier this week, severe rain and hail hit south-central Chile, where the Andean country concentrates most of its fruit production. 

Fruit guild Fedefruta President Víctor Catán told FreshFruitPortal.com that the Tuesday 13 event damaged multiple crops.

"We are currently assessing how many acres have been affected, especially since an earlier storm had already left orchards vulnerable," he said.

Photo by Fedefruta.

The industry leader said cherries at an advanced growth stage suffered damage, while other crops, such as newly set kiwifruit or those still in bloom, also show signs of impact. Concerns remain for the coming week.

"We are worried because more precipitation is forecast for Tuesday, October 20,” he stressed. “As the Chilean Meteorological Directorate and various experts have warned, this spring will bring a series of similar weather events, so we are staying vigilant and actively taking precautions."

Northern Chilean cherries take the brunt of the damage

Jorge Astudillo, a cherry agricultural advisor in the northern region of the Andean country, noted that early varieties close to harvest were the hardest hit. 

"Orchards were already feeling the effects of the first week of rain. Following Tuesday’s downpour, virtually all Brooks orchards have been impacted. Nimba is in a similar position—or at least what remained of it, given that initial fruit set was already light,"  he told FreshFruitPortal.com.

Other varieties such as Rainier and Glen Red, which had just turned color or were in the process of doing so, fared much better, with little major damage.

"The main challenge is that more rain is on the way next week. Everyone is working around the clock with ground management, protective sprays, and even active orchard drying efforts while the rain falls," he noted.

Ovalle cherries also hit

FreshFruitPortal.com also spoke with Miguel Ángel Lorenzini, Plant Manager at Teno Pack, which operates a processing facility in Ovalle. The northern city is often the first one to yield fruit for the Chilean cherry season.

He reported that rainfall in the area began on Monday, accumulating 0.6 to 0.9 inches from this latest storm system. 

"Harvesting had just begun on the earliest fruit, mainly the Nimba, Brooks, and Royal Dawn varieties. Assessments over the last two days revealed widespread fruit splitting across all orchards,” he stated.

Photo by Shutterstock.

Regarding mitigation efforts, he said all hands are currently on deck.

"We have deployed every cultural management practice available, from specialized anti-cracking treatments and calcium applications during rainfall to post-rain air drying. During harvesting, workers are pre-sorting fruit directly in the field to minimize the amount of damaged fruit reaching the packing plant," he detailed.

Local growers continue to monitor weather forecasts closely in anticipation of next week's expected rain.

South-central zone

In the O'Higgins and Maule regions, technical advisor Carlos Tapia noted that the impact has been far less severe. 

"The rainfall is typical for this time of year and poses minimal risk of fruit splitting," he stated.

However, he cautioned that localized hail remains a concern.

"While certain isolated areas saw a relatively high incidence of hail, it only affected a small number of acres," he concluded.

Written and reported by Cataliza Nazal. 

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