GoodBerry across the pond in Chile
With Chile being one of the most important berry producers in the southern hemisphere and the Catholic University of Chile a partner of the GoodBerry consortium, the ties between Europe and South America are as strong as ever when it comes to berries. So naturally we did not have to think twice before following the invitation from the Chilean Society of Fruit Growers and the Faculty of Agronomy and Forest Engineering of the Catholic University of Chile to present our project at the 3rd Chilean Congress of Berries, held at the San Joaquin Campus in Santiago, on the 28th and 29th of November 2017.
The congress gathered the main researchers and specialists in berries, highlighting the scientific and technological advances made in these species both in Chile and abroad. The work covered the different areas of berry production, including physiology, genetics, pathology, agronomic management, functional compounds, and many more.
Next to our Chilean team members Marina Gambardella, Javiera Grez, Elida Contreras and Soledad Sánchez (PUC), Italian partner Bruno Mezzetti (UPM) and German partner Annika Haugeneder (TUM) were on the ground sharing the GoodBerry experiences.
In addition to the congress, the team visited one of the field trials that Chile's partners have in Temuco, collected material from wild F. chiloensis at the foot of the Villarica volcano, and had the privilege of visiting one of the few productive fields of cultivated F. chiloensis remaining in Chile. An intense and fruitful experience!
