Elisa's test for PNRSV, recognition and monitoring of pests are part of the new services offered since this season by the Montefrutal Innovation Center (CIM), belonging to CAbud y Cía, both for company producers and external producers.
The Department of Research, Development and Innovation (R + D + i) was born in 2015 from the need to have a team in charge of researching and seeking innovative solutions to the main productive concerns of the national fruit industry. In 2019 it became the Montefrutal Innovation Center (CIM), diversifying its offer of services to third parties, promoting the dissemination and transfer of the results of its research and projects. It is currently under development, expanding its infrastructure and equipping a plant pathology laboratory.
"We seek to deliver a service of excellence in the fruit industry, for this reason CIM has launched these new services, after carrying out rigorous research and training, thus giving innovative responses to the main productive concerns of the national fruit industry," says Luis Ahumada, Director of CIM.
Christian Abud, Managing Director of CAbud y Cia, adds that one of the main objectives of the company's work is to maximize the productivity and quality of each fruit orchard through the use of technology according to each agroclimatic reality. “We are a company specialized in consulting, administration, research, technical support and management of fruit projects. We are known for offering a comprehensive service for producers, promoting –through the CIM– the dissemination and transfer of research and project results”, he comments.
CURRENT SERVICES
- Product validation:
One of our main services is the validation of products that is carried out through the establishment of tests with all scientific rigor, so that each test is established under an experimental design in order to carry out valid statistical analyzes. The trials are established in our own orchards with high production standards, where we can control risk factors such as agrochemical applications, irrigation, harvesting and other tasks such as pruning and thinning. In addition, we have the appropriate equipment for field measurements such as Scholander Pump, Porometer, portable soil moisture meter, radiometer, thermometer, SPAD, among others.
- Bud fertility analysis:
Bud fertility analysis allows producers to make decisions on winter pruning (load adjustment), informing about the potential flower offer that the orchard will have. On the other hand, bud fertility analysis can also quantify the damage caused by frost or other climatic events.
- Fruit analysis:
Understanding that many producers and companies in the field carry out their own field tests, but lack the necessary equipment to evaluate the fruit from these tests, CIM makes the fruit analysis service available by having a laboratory equipped with the necessary instruments for evaluations. firmness, soluble solids, dry matter, gauge curve, color curve, among others. Among the equipment CIM has, the FirmPro equipment stands out, which automatically measures firmness, color and size individually of each fruit, avoiding error and human influence.
- Pollen germination and purity analysis:
Assisted pollination is increasingly common in our fruit growing due to the shortage of hives and climate change that causes a great variability of environmental conditions in the flowering stage. However, the quality of the pollen to be applied is key when evaluating the effectiveness of this application and therefore CIM makes this service available that provides certainty to the producers of the product they own.
- Technology transfer group (GTT):
We have a Technology Transfer Group (GTT) in Cerezo called "Use of new technologies in cherry orchards", which has CORFO financing and is coordinated by our director Luis Ahumada, where a group of producers meets monthly in their orchards to exchange experiences, and in our case these meetings are always accompanied by professionals from C. Abud & Cia. who explain and substantiate in detail the operations carried out in the orchards to visit. Results of our research are also presented and specialists from other areas are invited to give talks on specific topics of interest to our producers.
- Technical Training Organization (OTEC):
We have a technical training organization (OTEC), called CIM OTEC, which provides services oriented to the agricultural world with Sence tax exemption.
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