The Mexican industry of blueberry By 2026, the country's technical agenda has been shaped by varietal replacement, the search for more consistent fruit, competition from other origins, and more demanding climatic conditions. These factors have placed the focus on adjusting management practices according to variety, production area, and cultivation system.

Proximity to the United States remains a significant logistical advantage for Mexico. This position demands a consistent, reliable, and consistent supply, where size, post-harvest life, and commercial viability become increasingly important. Furthermore, Mexico faces competition from Peru and Chile, along with climate challenges and a projected 2025 season with lower production due to a shorter harvest.

For producers and exporters, these challenges translate into concrete questions: how to reduce variability between lots, how to maintain firmness, how to manage climate stress, and how to ensure that new varieties express their potential in each production area.

In this context, the 41st International Blueberries Seminar Mexico 2026 will continue a technical discussion that Blueberries Consulting has been developing in Chile, Lima, and Paracas. Through Jorge Esquivel Manterola, Gerardo Núñez, Daniel Díaz, and Reinaldo Campos-Vargas, this line of inquiry will reach Guadalajara with presentations on physiology, nutrition, plant stress, firmness, and fruit quality.

Jorge Esquivel: consistency, data, and efficient nutrition

In Paracas, Jorge Esquivel Manterola, director of Blueberries Consulting, focused on the consistency of blueberryas a condition for competing in international markets. His analysis linked that objective with knowledge of the variety, management practices, logistics, and the identification of critical points in the production process.

In his presentation, Esquivel emphasized the importance of measuring, evaluating, and observing the actual behavior of each variety under specific conditions of region, climate, and production system. From this perspective, stabilizing quality requires specific data, crop analysis, and management capable of recognizing periods of greatest vulnerability.

For Mexico, this approach connects with an industry undergoing varietal replacement and with diverse production realities. At Blueberries Mexico 2026, Esquivel will continue along these lines with his talk “Nutritional management in blueberries: a review of strategies for maximum efficiency”, addressing nutrition as a tool to reduce variability, adjust management by variety and sustain more homogeneous fruit.

Jorge Esquivel Manterola, director of Blueberries Consulting at the Blueberry Convention Paracas 2026

Gerardo Núñez: plant quality, physiology and nutritional management

In Chile, Gerardo Nunez, Ph.D. in Horticultural Sciences from the University of Florida, established an idea especially relevant to the industry: fruit quality begins with the condition of the plant.

“The quality of the plant leads to the quality of the fruit,” he noted, referring to the role of irrigation, pruning, fertilization, stimulation, physiology and management in the expression of productive potential.

In Paracas, this perspective continued with the balance between photosynthesis and respiration: the former incorporates carbon and the latter consumes it. For Núñez, maintaining a positive balance between both processes allows the plant to better express its genetic potential and sustain the expected yields.

For blueberry In Mexico, where varietal replacement seeks fruit of better quality and higher commercial value, this perspective allows us to view genetics as a potential that needs a balanced plant to express itself. In Guadalajara, Núñez will address “Nutritional management in blueberries: rates, foliar standards and decisions for maximum efficiency”Connecting physiology, water, nutrition, and management.

Gerardo Nuñez at the XL International Blueberries Seminar Chile 2026

Daniel Díaz: climate stress, biostimulants and technical criteria

In Lima, Daniel DiazA Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from Michigan State University addressed the relationship between growth regulators, nutrition, water, and firmness. His approach pointed to a key relationship: physiological tools require an adequate nutritional base to produce consistent results.

“If there is no good nutrition, the effects will be inconsistent or will not occur,” he stated.

He also linked excessive vegetative vigor to fruit firmness. When the plant concentrates too many resources on vegetative growth, those nutrients can compete with the fruit's requirements, affecting its potential firmness.

In Paracas, Díaz delved deeper into heat stress and its effects on plants. He explained that high temperatures can disrupt internal processes such as photosynthesis, stomatal opening and closing, hormonal response, oxidant formation, and protein degradation. He also cautioned that when photosynthesis is impaired, the plant's recovery can be gradual.

For Mexico, this line of research resonates with production areas exposed to heat, climate variability, and pressure for fruit quality. At Blueberries Mexico 2026, Díaz will continue the discussion “Use of biostimulants and bioregulators to reduce stress in blueberry plants”, addressing these tools from the physiological condition of the plant, the availability of water and nutrients, the intensity of the stress and the time of application.

Daniel Diaz at the Blueberry Convention Paracas 2026

Reinaldo Campos: calcium, firmness and quality of arrival

In Paracas, Reinaldo CamposThe researcher from the University of Chile focused her presentation on firmness as a decisive attribute for a fruit's ability to be stored, transported, and accepted by the consumer. Her analysis shifted the discussion to the fruit's interior: firmness depends on the relationship between the water content in the cells and the resistance of the cell wall.

From this perspective, calcium plays a specific role. Campos-Vargas emphasized that it is not enough to simply observe the total calcium present in the plant or fruit; for firmness, its location and its role in the cell wall structure are crucial. Mineral nutrition must be considered in conjunction with the variety, the timing of application, and the plant's physiological condition.

For Mexico, whose fresh fruit has a key market in the United States, firmness and condition upon arrival are crucial commercial variables. In Guadalajara, Campos will delve deeper into this topic with his talk. “Strategic management of calcium, magnesium and potassium in blueberries: nutritional keys for fruit firmness and quality”, linking mineral nutrition, cell wall and destination performance.

Reinaldo Campos at the XXXIX International Blueberries Seminar Lima 2026

A technical approach to producing more consistent fruit

Taken together, these four talks allow us to understand the same concern from different perspectives: consistency, physiology, plant stress, mineral nutrition, and arrival quality. Esquivel provides a data-driven and efficiency-focused view; Núñez delves into physiology and nutritional management; Díaz addresses stress and physiological response; and Campos-Vargas connects mineral nutrition with firmness and performance at the destination.

The continuity between Chile, Lima, Paracas, and Mexico lies in the evolution of these themes and their relevance to the current moment in blueberry Mexican: new varieties, greater climate pressure, international competition and markets that demand firm, homogeneous and competitive fruit.

Luis Miguel Vegas at the XXXIX International Blueberries Seminar Lima 2026 © Blueberries Consulting

Information from the Blueberries Mexico 2026 Seminar

The 41st International Blueberries Seminar Mexico 2026 will take place on the following days 27 and 28 of May of 2026 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

You can Purchase your tickets here  y Check the full program here.  Companies interested in booths or sponsorships can contact the organizing team at contacto@blueberriesconsulting.com or +56 9 3469 3871

Check out our YouTube channel Blueberries TV Summary of the Blueberries Mexico 2025 Seminar

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