The frosts that took Chile by surprise last week are expected to cause varying damages for different crops, with significant losses for trees with fruit that had already set.

iQonsulting executive director Isabel Quiroz told www.freshfruitportal.com the RM (Metropolitana) and VI (O'Higgins) regions were the hardest hit, particularly for blueberry, cherry and stonefruit orchards.

"During the week of Sep. 18, several frosts were registered from the IV (Coquimbo) to VII (Maule) regions, with the most severe on Sep. 17, reaching -4°C (24.8°F) to -5°C (23°F) for five hours from the Metropolitana region to the VI region," she said.

"In cherries and blueberries, the most affected sectors could reach up to 80% losses in those plants that had fruit set, but in terms of regions (RM and VI), it is expected the reduction will be 25% of the potential.

"It must be noted that plants that were in flowering of up to 50% have great potential for recovery, and that's why it's not possible to ensure loss volumes at this point. In citrus fruits and avocados, damages of buds that had flowers could reach 25%. Walnuts in RM were also affected in a similar proportion."

She said the frost had affected grapes and blueberries in the IV region by 5-20%, while around 30% of avocados and blueberries in the V (Valparaiso) region had been affected.

Quiroz added that losses of up to 40% may be seen in some sectors of the VI region, above all for blueberries with fruit set. Some kiwifruit plantations were "very affected" in the region's Chimbarongo and San Fernando areas.

Further south, the VII region was the least affected with just some sectors in Romeral expecting average losses of 20% for blueberries and early cherries. A similar proportion of orchards have been felt in areas close to Curicó and Linares, but plants in that zone were in flowering, which implies a higher capacity for recuperation.

She said early varieties were the most affected in the grape category, such as Superiors and Flames, while the same was the case for pears with Forelle, Coccias and Abate Fetels impacted.

"A percentage of damages cannot be estimated due to the reread that needs to be analyzed. As is normal with frosts, the losses are variable depending on the sector and the protection. However, the biggest damages will be seen in cherries, blueberries and some plums."

The Chilean Association of Walnuts Producers and Exporters (Chilenut) has estimated that close to 5,000 metric tons (MT) of walnuts have been lost as a result of the frosts.

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons, JustyCinMD

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