Director of the Center for Plant Biotechnology and Fruit Production of the Andrés Bello University. He has developed his research line in postharvest physiology and technology, plant physiology and plant biotechnology.

Dr. Campos maintains that "Peru and Chile are important countries in fruit exports, we have similar problems and we must work together to overcome them using biotechnology." On this occasion he will give the talk: “Firmness in blueberry varieties: basic aspects for the development of technologies.”

Mr. Miguel Bentín was in front of the board of the Association of Blueberry Producers of Peru PROARANDANOS for four years, and then took charge of the vice-presidency of the same. From this platform he has always sought the impulse and projection of the blueberry trade inside and outside this Andean nation.

He has been the General Manager of the company Valle and Pampa for a decade, and as the helmsman of the organization he has been able to highlight the agricultural potential of the Province of Pisco. In the area they have been pioneers in hyper-efficient irrigation systems, as well as technologies for sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Bryla's research has focused on irrigation and nutrient management in berry crops. The objective has been to identify the practices that increase plant growth and yield potential; improve fruit quality and food safety; promote the efficient use of water, fertilizers and soil resources, reduce problems caused by pests and plant diseases; and limit the labor requirements associated with pruning, weeding and harvesting.

For more than 35 years he has dedicated himself to researching the physiology of minor fruit trees, in particular blueberries, and has participated in genetic improvement programs. He was deputy director of the Frutilla working group of the International Society of Horticultural Sciences (ISHS), in which he represented Chile for 12 years and president of the Chilean Fruit Growing Society. Within his long career, he obtained in 2002 a scholarship from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Japan to study strawberry physiology at the University of Yamagata. He has published numerous articles and in mid-2018 the second revised and updated edition of the book "Blueberries" was published. Copies that will be for sale at the seminar.

The main research area of ​​Dr. Juan Hirzel is soil fertility and plant nutrition. As a leading researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) and as a professor of the Doctorate in Agricultural Sciences of the universities of Talca and Concepción in Chile, he has collaborated in research projects for the development of methodologies for sectorized management of farms, application of techniques of multispectral image analysis to optimize crops, among others. He has also developed tools for decision making in the organic production of blueberries for export, as well as work on the effects of organic fertilizers on the vegetative, nutritional and productive parameters in blueberries.

The researcher expert in postharvest of the Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA), Bruno Defilippi, was selected to integrate the editorial committee of the journal Postharvest Biology and Technology, the most important in Biology and Post-harvest issues in the world, becoming the first researcher South American to assume this position.

In this way, the INIA researcher joins the editorial committee, composed of researchers from Europe, the United States, China and now, South America.

Chilean researcher and plant pathologist Dr. Andrés France from the Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) points out that "Botrytis not only causes problems in post-harvest, but throughout the fruit cycle, including the flowering season, because it generates fewer flowers and less fruit. Subsequently, during maturation, it affects quality, performance and business, "adds France, who stresses that there are no isolated measures to control it, but that it must be a comprehensive and systematic effort.

Industrial Civil Engineer graduated with distinction from the University of Chile and Postitulate in Retail Management of the same house of studies. He has more than 10 years of experience working in organizations and projects related to innovation, entrepreneurship, digital transformation and business development, among them, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Laboratory of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Chile. He currently participates as Professor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Faculty of Agronomy of the U. of Chile, as a Director member of the Network of Industrial Engineering Alumni of the U. of Chile and as Managing Partner at DynamicLab, a company dedicated to providing advice and services in digital transformation, use of big data and artificial intelligence applied to the agricultural industry, food industry, advertising media, retail and service companies.