Sweet cherry production in South Patagonia

In South Patagonia, the total sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) area has increased from 176 ha in 1997 to 507 ha in 2004, of which 232 ha are located in Los Antiguos (46°19¿ SL; 220 m elevation), 158 ha in the Lower Valley of Chubut River (LVCHR) (43°16¿ SL; 30 m elevation), 52 ha in Sarmiento (45°35¿ SL; 270 m elevation), 35 ha in Esquel (42°55¿ SL; 570 m elevation) and 30 ha in Comodoro Rivadavia (45°52¿ SL; 50 m elevation). The most common varieties are `Lapins¿, `Bing¿, `Newstar¿, `Sweetheart¿, `Stella¿, `Sunburst¿ and `Van¿ grafted on `Mahaleb¿, `Pontaleb¿, `SL 64¿, `Colt¿ or `Mazzard¿ rootstocks. Trees generally are drip-irrigated and planted at high densities, using training systems such as Tatura, central leader and modified vase (2700, 1100 and 1000 trees ha-1, respectively). Growers in Los Antiguos are more traditional, planting mainly as vase (400 to 1000 trees ha-1) or freestanding trees (280 trees ha-1) and irrigating by gravity (74% of the area). Only 4.4% of the area of Los Antiguos is frost protected, as growers rely strongly on the moderating effect of Lake Buenos Aires. Frost control systems are absent in Comodoro Rivadavia because the established orchards are located next to the sea, in an area with low risk of frost. The frost-protected area is 49% in Sarmiento, 35% in Esquel and 57% in LVCHR. Fruit are harvested from November (LVCHR) to the end of January (Los Antiguos and Esquel), and the harvest-only labour demand during the 2004/2005 season was 100,000 h. In that season, seven packinghouses exported 390 t (45% of the total production) to Europe. Most orchards have not yet reached their mature stage and new ones are being established. Therefore, fruit volumes will continue to increase and shortages of labour and packing facilities may become a constraint