In order not to be left behind, every industry must make changes and adapt to current times, and fruit growing is no exception. New technologies to improve harvests and yields, control pests, and fruits adapted to climate change or resistant to diseases, set the tone in 2024, trends that will surely not stop in 2025.

The use of drones is becoming more and more common in agriculture. This year, in Mexico, the project “Detection and classification of mango fruits by means of RGB images captured with a drone” is being carried out with the aim of improving productivity, reducing costs, and mitigating the impacts of labor shortages in the fruit industry.

In Chile, the universities of Talca and Beijing launched an innovative project to transform agriculture, using cutting-edge technologies with artificial intelligence, drones, and satellites, to address the challenges of modern agriculture, especially in contexts of water scarcity.

“We have developed biomathematical models that allow -flying a drone-, to know how much water a vineyard or a corn field is consuming with a high degree of precision”, explained Samuel Ortega Farías, director of CITRA and the aforementioned project.

In line with artificial intelligence, a new system developed at the National Robotarium, together with scientists from Chile and Spain, counts the blossoms of fruit trees to predict the size of crops up to six months before harvest, making yields more efficient, sustainable, and profitable.

This has already been tested in peach orchards in Catalonia, Spain, where it produced blossom counts with 90% accuracy. “In countries around the world, farmers often rely on manual methods to estimate their yields, which can have a significant margin of error. By harnessing the power of AI and the convenience of commercially available technology such as smartphones, our approach integrates seamlessly with traditional farming practices,” commented Dr. Fernando Auat Cheein, associate professor of robotics and autonomous systems at the National Robotarium.

International collaboration is also seen in Argentina, where through biotechnology and the optimization of harvest and post-harvest handling techniques, the South American country and Vietnam are working to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of tropical fruit farming in northern Argentina in the FOAR 6809 project.

Returning to the use of drones, in Magdalena, Colombia, they are being used for fumigation, which not only reduces the cost for producers, but also allows better protection of the environment given their precision in reducing the dispersion of agrochemicals and minimizing the impact on strategic ecosystems and bodies of water near the plantations.

Robotics also stands out in this year's advances. Automation for fruit harvesting is highlighted here. One example is the robotic gripper developed by researchers at Washington State University, which is capable of gently picking most apples from a tree without damaging them.

Washington State is joined by work at Michigan State University, which is working to improve the operability of an apple-picking robot. The goal is to modernize the robot's functionality compared to others, using artificial intelligence to systematically harvest the ripest apples and take advantage of engineering technology to protect the pome from bruising.

There is also the work of scientists at Mississippi State University, who are looking to develop a robot that can harvest blackberries in an automated manner and thus provide feedback and assistance to growers given the delicate nature of this fruit. The robot's gripper is equipped with sensors that mimic tiny fingertips to grasp and pick blackberries without squeezing them. The system not only identifies blackberries ready for picking, it also gives growers estimates of the total harvest.

One of the big headaches, particularly for the banana industry, is the illicit acts to which it is linked. Ecuador is one of the most affected, and because of this, and given the importance of the sector, the government is working on “Safe Farms” to defend itself against the wave of crime affecting the country, which poses a serious risk to its banana production, as groups linked to drug trafficking use fruit exports to send drugs in disguise to different markets.

Technology and science at fruit's disposal

Innovation not only involves better agricultural practices, but also goes hand in hand with giving an “extra or special touch” to fruits already enjoyed by hundreds of consumers and facing, for example, climate change and the ongoing battle against diseases.

This year saw the release of the first small, soft-seeded blackberry developed with CRISPR technology by Pairwise, a pioneer in genetics-based innovation for food and genetics.

“Now consumers will have the option to choose a nutritious seedless blackberry that also reliably delivers great taste and quality,” said Haven Baker, co-founder and chief commercial officer of Pairwise.

How to combat climate change with more weather-resistant fruit led to the development of climate-adapted apples and berries. At the University of Maryland, they developed MD-TAP1 and MD-TAP2, which are heat-resistant, easy to grow and harvest, and more resistant to diseases triggered by warmer temperatures.

Likewise, in Chile, the project “Selection and recommendation of new berry varieties obtained through biotechnology in the Maule Region” seeks to promote changes in the national and international genetic composition of berry crops. The main characteristic of the research, which includes blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) and raspberry (Rubus idaeus) varieties, is their adaptability to climate change and increased yields with more sustainable management.

Similarly, the Hot Climate Partnership (HCP) presented the first apple in the world, specially adapted to climates with hot summers. This is STELLAR, a milestone in the early varieties sector.

Another sensitive area is disease and pest control. Here New Zealand's Prevar launched GoodnessMe, an apple that features dual-gene scab resistance, tolerance to downy mildew, European canker and a natural skin bloom that offers protection against sunburn.

And in a major breakthrough in the banana industry, Chiquita, in partnership with KeyGene, MusaRadix and Wageningen University and Research (WUR), developed Yelloway One, the first banana hybrid resistant to Fusarium R4T and partially resistant to Black Sigatoka. These fungal diseases are among the most important threats to world banana production.

We could go on and on with all the advances and developments of 2024, such as new high productivity walnut trees or a high productivity plum tree in Argentina, as well as studies in Brazil on citrus production to face drought or the creation of a sweeter and more profitable blackberry, adjusted to the needs of producers and consumers, or a thornless berry.

What new variety will surprise us? Will robotics be the great ally of fruit growing? Will artificial intelligence continue to gain ground in fields around the world? Scientists, researchers, geneticists and breeders will have the answer.