External Advisory Board invited to meet biodynamic blueberry orchard
The External Advisory Council (CAE) of INIA La Cruz toured this orchard and Cristián Gwinner Vidakovic related the experience of what it means to produce with all the practices and knowledge of biodynamic anthroposophical philosophy (Rudof Steiner, year 1924).
Dr. Lorenzo Pastrana, from the Iberian International Laboratory of Nanotechnology (INL), caught the attention of this sustainable blueberry garden certified by Matetic Farms as it is a fertile place, abundant in fruit and full of vegetation where all his agronomic practices are designed to Respect for the environment.
This orchard faithfully complies with the Demeter standard, an international body that certifies biodynamic agriculture. Pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers are not allowed here.
All the bases of biodynamic agriculture apply. For example, the agronomic management of the orchard follows a calendar of work according to the seasons and the cycles of the moon and the sun, so there are certain days that are more appropriate for certain management (fruit, leaf, flowers or roots) since everything has influence in plant growth.
Biodynamic preparations are made; and, the use of compost to ensure high soil fertility and meet all the needs of organic and biodynamic production.
The project incorporates biodiversity through the use of plant covers with sowing of grasses, legumes, turnips, mustard, among other species, which is maintained as a permanent cover in the inter-row. The effect of plant covers on this biodynamic system, explains Cristián Gwinner, "has been the addition of organic matter to the soil, providing significant amounts of nitrogen, improving soil quality and contributing to the formation of humus."
The main releases of natural enemies have been Cryptolaemus, Rhizobius and Lacewing to control scales, shell, spider mite and thrips, which have remained and established in the environment as there is a less intervened habitat, many of these biological controllers remain.
The members of the External Advisory Council (CAE), in addition to visiting this plantation of biodynamic blueberries of the Matetic Farms, met the Nano Bubbles project to improve the efficiency and water quality of the project “Commercial scaling of Nanobubbles applied for sustainable agriculture” that executes the Research and Development company, Los Pastores SPA, which integrates Benjamín Labbé Echeñique.
The External Advisory Council is an instance that allows INIA to maintain a direct link with farmers and the private sector in its strategic guidelines and areas of interest, gathering the demands of the media to channel them through the lines of action of the Institute.
For the INIA Regional Director La Cruz Patricio Fuenzalida, the idea is "to have objective visions that allow research to be oriented to the real demands of regional agriculture."
The CAE in the Valparaiso Region is chaired by the Humberto Lepe Agriculture Seremi and the Regional Director of the Patricio Fuenzalida Research Center, and session every three months that is when the members of the Committee are convened.
The members of the CAE for the period 2019-2021 are: Humberto Lepe, seremi de Agricultura, Tarragó; Fernando Torregrosa Alessandrini, Indap regional director; Juan Fernando Acuña Arenas, Corfo Regional Director; Carolina Fuentes, Regional Manager of Valparaíso and R. Metropolitana FIA; Ricardo Aliaga Cruz, President of the Science, Technology and Innovation Commission; Pedro García Muñoz, Fedefruta Regional Manager; Carlos Pruzo A., president of the Association of Farmers of the Province of Quillota and Marga-Marga; Víctor Javier Catan Dabike and José Zenteno Ramírez from the Santa Rosa de Los Andes Farmers Association, Stefano Viganego, General Manager of the Casablanca Valley Wine Entrepreneurs Association; Francisco Haeussler Fontecilla (President) and Cristián Gwinner Vidakovic, of the San Antonio Association of Agricultural Producers; Gregorio Correa Lecaros, Farmers representative of the Province of Petorca; Alfonso Acevedo Fernández, Hacienda Chorombo Manager; Francesco Venezian Urzúa, Cooperative Manager of Casablanca and Dr (c). M.Sc. Ing. Agr. oenologist Manuel Esteban Flores Cabrales, advisor Viñateros Aconcagua and Colegio Ingenieros Agrónomos.
Regarding the actions of the Center, this time he focused on the FIA consultancy "Potential use of nanotechnology in agricultural production systems" that brought Dr. Lorenzo Pastrana Castro, Director of the Department of Life Sciences, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL ), Braga, Portugal, with whom a collaboration agreement was signed to evaluate the possibility of working in nanotechnology and of supporting initiatives that go in this line for the benefit of regional agriculture.
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