Resistance is the key to mechanized harvests
The expansion of the blueberry market is a fact. The varieties of the field are increasingly older, in addition to the fact that consumer demands pose great challenges for those engaged in the production of fruit.
Such is the case of the American company Oregon Blueberry Farm & Nursery, who during the 40 years they have been in the market, have invested significant amounts of money to research and improve their crops.
Jon Horton, director of corporate development and sales manager of the company, said that one of the biggest challenges for his organization has been to present a much fresher final product, taking into account that they use machines to collect blueberries from the land.
"One of the key points is to be consistent with the delivery of cranberry, because there are harvests that can go very well and others can not. That is why we have invested in deciphering how to make cranberries an increasingly stable and resistant fruit, "said Horton.
Horton said that one should walk in a direction in which the berries have a firmer skin, in addition to that they present a greater quantity of solids, characteristics that for him are translated in a resistance that will allow to obtain harvests with greater resistance.
Varieties
Oregon Blueberry Farm & Nursery seeks to maintain its leadership in blueberry production, but what are you focusing on in making it possible? According to Jon Horton, it is the genetic study of the fruit to make it a little more “massive”.
Horton explained that their main focus is resistance, so they are devising a wide variety of berries, so that they are able to develop their full potential in any climate.
"South America, for example, has become a good cranberry export market, so it is vital that this product resists long trips to the shelves, and be presented fresh to the final consumer," Horton said.
Among the varieties that Oregon Blueberry Farm & Nursery is looking to improve are Titaninum and MegasBlue, which have been studied by company scientists since 2005, according to Jon Horton.
The spokesman of the organization said that among the virtues of these two varieties of blueberries is the fact that they are able to withstand extreme climates such as cold winters or latitudes where the hot and dry is the imperative.
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