María Teresa Pino assumed the role of acting national director of the Agricultural Research Institute (INIA) after more than three decades linked to research, innovation and scientific cooperation within the institution.

An agronomist from the University of La Frontera and with a Ph.D. in Horticulture from Oregon State University, she served as National Deputy Director of Research and Development before assuming leadership of INIA. Her expertise has focused particularly on plant genetics, climate change adaptation, and applied innovation.

Upon taking office, Pino placed institutional modernization among his priorities, with an emphasis on new technological tools and greater engagement with the productive sector.

“My focus will be, essentially, on modernizing the management of the institution,” he said, mentioning among his lines of work digital agriculture, artificial intelligence and the updating of genetic improvement and conservation programs.

These priorities align with ideas that Pino had already raised in April with the industry. blueberry, during his participation in the XL International Seminar of Blueberries Consulting held in Chile.

Differentiation as a competitive space

During the meeting, Pino stated that Chile faces difficulties in competing solely on volume, prices and costs, and therefore identifies differentiation as a relevant area to strengthen its position.

“Chile must not only strengthen its volume because we already have volume; we have no room to gain in terms of volume, prices, and costs, but we can work very hard on differentiation,” he said.

For Pino, research and innovation can contribute to that differentiation through quality, technology and solutions applied to the production system

Post-harvest and quality for more distant markets

One of the areas that Pino highlighted during the seminar was post-harvest, especially due to the need to maintain the condition of the fruit during long journeys.

Among the lines mentioned are the development of smart packaging and technologies aimed at protecting quality throughout the logistics chain

The goal, he explained, should be "to reach the most distant markets and niche markets with fruit of optimal quality."

For the Chilean industry of blueberryThis point is especially relevant due to the distance from some of its main destinations and the need to maintain quality and condition during transit.

María Teresa Pino, XL International Seminar of Blueberries Consulting Chile

Genetics and new varieties to compete

Genetics is another of the axes that connect Pino's career with the current challenges of the industry.

During his participation in the seminar, he raised the need to support the incorporation of new varieties of blueberries and strengthen the development of solutions capable of responding to production and adaptation demands.

His experience in plant genetics and climate change is also linked to one of the priorities he has outlined for INIA: modernizing the programs for the improvement and conservation of genetic resources.

Pino also identified other areas where research can contribute, including nutrition, plant health, smart agriculture, and quality assurance.

Their approach thus covers different aspects of the production system, from genetics and agronomic management to post-harvest and decision support technologies.

Digital agriculture and artificial intelligence

The digitization of agriculture and artificial intelligence are among the tools that Pino seeks to incorporate more strongly in the modernization of INIA.

The institutional challenge will be to translate these capabilities into applied and transferable solutions for the productive sector, consistent with INIA's role in research, innovation and technology transfer.

For horticulture, the value of these tools will lie in their ability to respond to specific needs of production systems and provide useful information for decision-making.

From knowledge to technology transfer

Among the priorities expressed by Pino is also strengthening the relationship between research and production.

“At INIA, we will continue to contribute through applied science, innovation, and technology transfer to an increasingly competitive, sustainable, and resilient agriculture,” he said upon taking office.

His career also includes experience in international scientific cooperation, particularly in areas related to innovation, genetics, climate change and new technologies for agriculture.

The appointment is temporary, so it is still too early to anticipate the scope of this new institutional phase. However, the priorities that Pino has outlined—modernization, genetics, digitalization, applied science, and technology transfer—align with challenges already present in horticulture and, particularly, in the Chilean industry. blueberry.

The ability to translate these priorities into applied solutions for producers and production chains will be one of the main aspects to observe during this stage.

Read also:

• INIA warns of a new stage for the blueberry industry: focus on quality, efficiency and differentiation
• Director of INIA Chile analyzes skin disorders and alterations in blueberry fruits
• Juan Hirzel: “In blueberries, no single nutrient is more important than another.”
• Juan Hirzel: "New blueberry varieties demand precision nutrition"
• From data to decision: the workshops by Claudia Moggia and Juan Hirzel that organized criteria for Lima 2026