The Peruvian blueberry industry has not only grown exponentially in the amount of fruit produced and exported to the world, positioning itself in world leadership as an export power, but also its levels of knowledge regarding the crop and its reflections regarding the experience of producing They are at the forefront of the global industry in the sustainability aspects of the business.

The International Blueberries Consulting Seminar that was held in Trujillo on July 10 and 11 was the occasion for prestigious specialists to reflect on the state and future of the industry, and together with Peruvian producers and businessmen, they concluded that the care of the crop and the life of the plants are the strategic priority to ensure the sustainability of the industry and project it over time as a permanently profitable activity.

Climate challenge

The challenge imposed by the erratic behavior of the climate due to global warming and the agronomic, productive and commercial consequences that have occurred in recent campaigns, is a factor that Peruvian producers are addressing with responsibility and efficiency.

Abiotic stress in plants is the main concern of the Peruvian industry and shipment figures have taken a back seat. In fact, it is very likely that this season the Peruvian industry will not be able to exceed the numbers achieved in the last two campaigns, although other analysts project that they will exceed 300 thousand tons.

“In Peru we are more concerned about taking care of the crops than about the number of kilos on the market,” says one of the attending businessmen, adding that the Peruvian industry appreciates these spaces where high-level research regarding blueberry cultivation is shared, and that then we must bring them to our reality.

Abiotic stress

Plants have developed various molecular, morphological and physiological mechanisms to react to unfavorable environmental conditions. Abiotic stress is the alteration of physiological and metabolic processes of plants due to environmental factors, or any environmental variable that limits productivity (increase in biomass) below the genetic potential of the plant. Or simply the adverse forces or influences that tend to inhibit the normal functioning of the plant systems.

The main types of abiotic stress are chemical, due to the effects on plants of pesticides, heavy metals and environmental pollutants; due to low temperatures, which can cause frostbite or cold damage; due to excess water, which produces flooding, anoxia or hypoxia, or scarcity and lack of oxygen; due to salinity, which produces osmotic stress; by radiation, which affects the visible spectrum and ultraviolet (UV) radiation; and by high temperatures, which produce heat, thermal stock, heat waves and lack of cold hours for crop recess.

International Blueberry Seminar

In this scenario, the highest points of the Trujillo Seminar programming on both days were marked by the interest in knowing the best strategies to face stress in plants, produced by high temperatures and radiation.

All analyzes and projections ensure that in the next 5 years the 1,5°C, which world organizations set as a limit when facing climate change, will be exceeded. The temperature will rise from 1,8°C to 3,6°C compared to the pre-industrial era, endangering all human activity. And not only would the temperature rise, but in turn the number of days in the year or in the season with extreme temperatures will increase.

Be careful with the extremes

We must not forget that plants must be taken care of from the extremes, not so much from the averages. Sudden heat waves induce extreme stress and possibly plant death. These high temperatures shorten the crop season and this reduces the time in which plants can photosynthesize with good soil moisture.

Certainly, the Peruvian industry no longer plans based on optimal conditions for blueberry cultivation and is preparing for a reality of permanent challenges, many of them coming from the climate. In fact, optimal conditions vary depending on genotype (species, variety), phenological stages and crop condition (nutrition, irrigation, etc.). Environmental conditions vary continuously, therefore, it is difficult to define when a certain variable (temperature, radiation, etc.) becomes stressful for the plant.

Let's not forget that crops cannot be moved, they must remain in place. Although plants have a high degree of homeostasisThat is, they try to maintain the composition and properties of their internal environment thanks to the self-regulation mechanisms they possess. In other words, “plants must change so that everything remains the same,” says Dr. Jorge Retamales.