Temperate fruit production in Guatemala

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Mar 22, 2010 - small farmer of Guatemala", and apple trees certified free of pathogens were ... the income of producers, new fruit crops have not displaced ...
New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science

ISSN: 0114-0671 (Print) 1175-8783 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tnzc20

Temperate fruit production in Guatemala J. G. Cruz‐Castillo , F. Rodríguez‐Bra Camontes , J. Vásquez‐Santizo & P. Torres‐Lima To cite this article: J. G. Cruz‐Castillo , F. Rodríguez‐Bra Camontes , J. Vásquez‐Santizo & P. Torres‐Lima (2006) Temperate fruit production in Guatemala, New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 34:4, 341-348, DOI: 10.1080/01140671.2006.9514424 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01140671.2006.9514424

Published online: 22 Mar 2010.

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New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 2006, Vol. 34: 341-348 0014-0671/06/3404-0341 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2006

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Review

Temperate fruit production in Guatemala

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J. G. CRUZ-CASTILLO Centro Regional Universiario Oriente Universidad Autónoma Chapingo Apartado 49, Huatusco Veracruz, 94100, Mexico email: [email protected] F. RODRíGUEZ-BRA CAMONTES Facultad de Agronomía Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala Ciudad Universitaria, Zona 12 Guatemala, Guatemala email: [email protected] J. VÁSQUEZ-SANTIZO Sub-Programa de Frutales Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología Agrícolas Km. 3.5 Carretera a Olintepeque Quetzaltenango, Guatemala email: [email protected] P. TORRES-LIMA Departamento de Producción Agrícola y Animal Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso 1100 Mexico, D.F., Mexico email: [email protected]

Abstract Advances in the adaptation, culture, and management of temperate fruit trees in the tropics of Guatemala are remarkable in comparison with fruit production developments observed in the tropical highlands of Mexico and other Central American countries. Several cultivars of apple (Malus domestica), pear (Pyrus communis), peach (Prunus persica), and plum (Prunus domestica) have been adapted and form part of home gardens or commercial orchard systems. The cultivation of

H05107; Online publication date 20 November 2006 Received 8 September 2005; accepted 8 October 2006

new fruit crops in Guatemala, such as persimmon (Diospyrus kaki), raspberry (Rubus idaeus), blackberry (Rubus spp.), grape (Vitis vinifera), and loquat (Eriobotrya japónica) has occurred when international prices for coffee bean have been low. The study of advances in temperate fruit growing achieved by Guatemalan producers should be considered for planning horticulture developments in tropical highlands around the word. Keywords high altitude horticulture; persimmon; loquat; tropical highlands; tropical viticulture

INTRODUCTION Guatemala is a country with c. 13 million people located in Central America between latitudes 14° and 18°N. This country, together with the south of Mexico, Belize, part of El Salvador, and Honduras, form the Mesoamerican region where the Mayan culture nourished before the arrival of the Spaniards. The land area of Guatemala is 109 000km2 which is equal to 97% of the land surface area of the Mexican states of Veracruz and Yucatan. New Zealand is almost 2.5 times larger than Guatemala. Tropical regions have been defined as areas located between 23.5°N and 23.5°S of the equator. Within this area, regions exist at altitudes higher than 900 m and these are defined as mountains or tropical highlands (Sánchez 1981). These tropical regions are characterised by high light intensity with high levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, little rain or high humidity, and more wind than exists in tropical lowlands (Fischer 2000). About 70% of Guatemala consists of mountains or tropical highlands, and available lands up to 3000m altitude are used for agriculture (Benitez 2003). In the highlands, temperate fruit trees have been grown for several centuries. In the 16th Century, the Spaniards introduced the first apples (Malus domestica Borkh), pears (Pyrus communis L.), and peaches (Prunus pérsica (L.) Batsch), planting them in small orchards or in home gardens.

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Historical records show that the first experiences with growing temperate fruit trees were not successful. eventually mountainous regions with low winter temperatures were located allowing adequate vegetative tree growth and fruit yield of acceptable quality (arévalo 1979). For centuries fruit from trees propagated by seed was harvested for consumption by local people. a t the beginning of the 20th Century there was interest in increasing the cultivation of deciduous fruit trees, and apple propagation material was introduced from California (united states) mainly focusing on fruit quality and frequently not considering the chilling requirement of the cultivars. one of the most important introductions of apple, pear, and plum (Prunus domestica l.) by the government of Guatemala occurred in 1961 (Vásquez & Hidalgo 1992), and the establishment of temperate fruit orchards was stimulated when the Central american Common Market began in 1970 (rodríguez 1982). during the last 20 years, several efforts have been made to improve the development of fruitgrowing in Guatemala. in 1984, the institute of science and agricultural Technology (isaT) initiated a project for the introduction of fruit tree species into the department of quetzaltenango which has a climate that is suitable for temperate fruit production. The following year, the united states department of agriculture ( u s d a ) and i s a T implemented the programme entitled "Diversification systems for the small farmer of Guatemala", and apple trees certified free of pathogens were introduced from experimental stations in Washington, Texas, and West Virginia (Menegazzo & Williams 1988). These introductions and related research work were fundamental to the actual fruit development that subsequently occurred in several temperate areas of the country. Four years later in 1989, within the Ministry of agriculture, animal and Food Production of Guatemala, a Project for the development of the Fruitgrowing and agroindustry ( P r o d F r u T a ) was created with the purpose of offering technical support and training for producers and to undertake fruit research. This programme is currently active although it mainly focuses on tropical fruit production. in the private sector, the exporters association of non Traditional Products has been established. This association is beginning to cultivate blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum l.), which is an unknown fruit for most Guatemalans. according to the national institute of statistics of Guatemala, the total value of exports classified as fruits in 2003 was more than us$124 million.

However, 46% of this total corresponded to income received from other Central american countries, mainly the republic of el salvador which uses the us$ as local currency. Compared to exports of coffee, which were us$300 million in 2003, the export of fruits and their derived products will increase as a result of crop diversification aimed at avoiding the large fluctuations in the prices of coffee, and because of government economic grants that provide incentives to fruit growers. However, although the adoption of new crops in Guatemala has improved the income of producers, new fruit crops have not displaced traditional crops such as maize and black beans from the range of species being produced (Katz 1994). despite advances in the culture and management of fruit trees in Guatemala, there are no formal undergraduate or postgraduate degree courses available on fruit production in any university in the country. The Faculty of agronomy at the university of san Carlos has developed techniques for the culture and management of fruit trees in the highlands. in the main, these investigations were derived from thesis projects undertaken as requirements for the Bachelors degree in agronomy that takes 5 years of study after high school. research and its implementation in adapting new cultivars and developing agronomic techniques for the culture and management of temperate zone fruit trees in the tropics of Guatemala, has been more successful compared to related achievements in the tropical highlands of other Central america countries and Mexico. To date these successes have not been documented. The objective of this paper is to present information on the development of temperate fruit production in tropical Guatemala, emphasising information generated through local investigation that has generally been ignored internationally to date.

TEMPERATE FRUIT TREES IN GUATEMALAN REGIONS The economic, sociological, environmental, and technological factors involved in temperate fruit production systems in the tropical highlands of Guatemala differ from those found in the mountainous regions of Mexico (díaz-Montenegro 1992; PérezGonzález 1997), the Philippines (ringor et al. 1997), and indonesia (Janick 1974). in Guatemala, with the exception of table grape (Vitis vinifera l.) production, the area where temperate fruit trees

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Cruz-Castillo et al.—Temperate fruit production in Guatemala are cultivated is a humid zone between 1650 and 2700 m altitude and where the accumulated degree hours do not satisfy the total chilling requirement for budbreak and flowering of many temperate fruit cultivars. it is known in the tropics that the limited chilling hours provided by altitude can replace, to some extent, those provided by latitude in temperate countries. Thus, the most suitable temperate fruit trees for growing in tropical highlands are those with low chilling requirements and high tolerance to diseases (Menegazzo & Williams 1988). Fruit produced in such locations often do not achieve the perfect external appearance of those produced in other latitudes. For example, 'Red Jonathan' and 'Red Delicious' apple trees growing in the highland region of Guatemala called "altiplano", do not have uniform vegetative budbreak after winter, so the time that fruit reach harvest maturity varies and fruit do not attain their usual intense red colour. The skin of such fruit is generally reddish in colour but it sometimes has a yellowish surface with small black marks. Fruit consistency, however, as measured by juiciness, flavour, and size are considered adequate for local market sales. The propagation of temperate fruit trees has been carried out in the valleys of the west and central altiplano, and in the mountains of the east. Most of the planted areas are on the slopes of deforested land. Temperate fruit trees have mainly been established in the following two geographical regions: (1) Mountainous zone of the south-east. This area covers the mountainous region of the departments of e l Progreso, zacapa, Jalapa, and Jutiapa and ranges in altitude from 900 to 2500 m. Temperatures over the year range from 10 to 24°C and the annual precipitation is 1265-1300 mm, mostly from May to november; with september being the wettest month. The volcanic soils have depths up to 0.40 m with a silty clay loam texture, whereas the topography is generally undulating with few plains and steep slopes (anon. 1980). (2) Mountainous zone of the west. This includes the mountainous region of the departments of Guatemala, sacatepequez, Chimaltenango, sololá, quiché, Totonicapán, quetzaltenango, san Marcos, and Huehuetenango with altitudes up to 4000 m (anon. 1980). This area has many farmers with small holdings who produce a mixture of maize, black beans, wheat, and several fruit tree species on the same farm. Temperatures are cool, ranging from 0 to 19°C, with an annual average of between 10 and 15°C. Frost and hail occur from december to February. average precipitation ranges from 1100 to 1300 mm, and is distributed from May

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to october, with July, august, and september being the wettest months.

FRUIT SPECIES Apple apple is the most important deciduous fruit in Guatemala, with a total planted area of almost 3300 ha, and an estimated annual production of c. 72 000t averaging from 15 to 24t ha–1(Vásquez 2000a). according to information from the General direction of agricultural services, P r o d F r u T a , and the Bank of Guatemala, the value of apple imports in 2003 was almost us$7 million. in contrast, the value of apple exports was c. us$0.5 million. The departments of quetzaltenango, quiché, san Marcos, Totonicapán, Jalapa, and Huehuetenango are the most important production areas. There is some production in the departments of sololá, Guatemala, sacatepequez, and Chimaltenango (Vásquez 2000a). in other places, such as san Juan del obizpo near antigua city, at altitudes from 1300 to 1600 m, the high incidence of diseases and poor flowering limit successful apple production. Most orchards are small with only c. 70 trees and very few are under technical management. These small orchards are located around farm households, and apple trees are grown together with peaches, plums, asparagus, bean, maize, or potato. Frequently, maize shadows the trees, affecting production and the quality of the fruit. The quetzaltenango Valley is the main apple producing area. This is at an altitude of 2300 m, has an annual average temperature of 13.3°C with average minimum and maximum being 5.9°C and 21.7°C, respectively. The number of chilling hours ranges from 300 to 625. However, the coldest period that corresponds with tree dormancy between december and February-March also has the hottest days in the year which results in inadequate winter chilling and erratic budbreak in the spring (Williams & Tax-Tzoc 1990). The growing season for apple trees is from budbreak and bloom in March-april through to the July-november harvest period. in some other regions, the bloom period is between January and February, and fruit harvest begins in april and extends until october. Trees can be induced to produce fruit up to 3 times during a calendar year, but fruit from the first harvest is usually affected by frost or hail, and in the third harvest fruit does not reach full commercial size ( M a s a 1988). The most important commercial

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cultivars are: 'Red Jonathan', 'Red Delicious', 'Wealthy' (known as 'Juárez' locally), 'Double Red Delicious', 'Winter Banana', 'Gloria Mundi', and 'Anna'. The prevailing growing conditions result in the first four cultivars above having fruit with a different skin colour than normal (Vásquez et al. 1998). The low-chill 'Anna' is grown at altitudes below 1650 m. some cultivars with good adoption potential include: 'Mutzu', 'Red Spanish Jonathan', 'Jona Free', and 'Stark Spur Royal Gala' (Vásquez & García 1998). However, there is no information regarding the relationship between fruit production and chilling requirements for these cultivars. The most common rootstocks are MM 106, and seedlings known as Criollos that have originated from healthy and high yielding apple trees ( M a s a 1988). To prevent sun (high temperature) damage to bark, tree trunks are painted with a mixture of lime and water so that the trunks appear white from november to January. This treatment may also increase calcium concentration in soils deficient in this element (Williams & Menegazzo 1988). The commercialisation of apple production for local consumption or for export sales has led to the formation of fruit accumulation centres which sort and pack the fruit. These are funded by the european union and managed by grower associations. Members of such associations are low income growers such as those in the quiché programme in Camanchaj, Chichicastenango. some fruit stores owned by the national association of deciduous Fruit Trees are equipped with coolstore facilities and are located in san Cristóbal Totonicapán, Caserío the Guacamayas, Xalapán, Jalapa, and Chimaltenango. The are a number of problems associated with the production of apples at these high altitudes in Guatemala including: a lack of new cultivars, lack of qualified personal to manage orchards, problems with a number of diseases including fruit diseases (Venturia sp.), and root rot fungi such as (Phytophtora sp., Armillaria mellea, and Rosellinia necatrix) (Williams & Menegazzo 1988), inappropriate pruning techniques, low apple fruit prices during times of high production that is related to a lack of coolstorage facilities to spread the marketing season, apple imports from the united states and Chile (Vásquez & García 1998), erratic budbreak/ flowering and hence irregular fruit set after warm winters (Williams & Tax-Tzoc 1990), and to fruit damage caused by birds, particularly Cissilopha melanocyanea. Guatemalan researchers have developed apple production techniques that enable chemical control

of apple scab (Venturia inaequalis (Cke) Wint) (anleu 1985); chemical fruit thinning using indole acetic acid to increase fruit size (Barrera 1987); use of lucerne (Medicago sativa l.) as cut pasture in apple orchards that is harvested and sold to increase profit (ozaki & Vásquez 1998); application of 2% hydrogen cyanamide 3 weeks before regular break to improve budbreak after winter (Williams & Tax-Tzoc 1990; Vásquez 2000a); reduced bird damage to fruit by using chemical repellents on branches (estrada 1978); application of G a 3 to delay senescence of 'Red Delicious' fruit in storage (Cotji 1985); and construction of simple fruit storage facilities that work without electricity (santizo 1985) with windows close to ground level that are manually opened at night and closed during the day (Maldonado 1984). researchers at the university of san Carlos and P r o d F r u T a teach short courses on organic farming, including fertiliser application using residues of maize, weeds, and manure of domestic animals, to small producers that belong to grower associations such as the Mayan agriculturists. Peach Peach is the second most important deciduous crop produced in Guatemala with 2500 ha planted and an annual production of c. 5000 t. Most of this production is from a yellow fleshed cultivar known as 'Melocoton'. Production areas are at altitudes ranging from 1600 to 2500 m in the departments of quetzaltenango, Chimaltenango, Jalapa, sacatepéquez, san Marcos, Totonicapan, sololá, Huehuetenango, quiché, and Guatemala (anon. 1999). Most peach growers have small areas and do not use any cultural practices other than harvesting the fruit (Williams et al. 1992). Minor production occurs with cultivars: 'L-26', 'L-27', 'June Gold', 'J9-37', 'Y-171336', 'Early Grand', and 'Red Globe'. There are other white fleshed Guatemalan selections of unknown origin that are traditionally vegetatively propagated and grown together with lima bean (Vicia faba l.). a rejuvenation technique to improve fruit production and quality has been developed for local selections of peaches using an integrated method that involves pruning after half the flowers have bloomed, limiting soil fertiliser application, hand fruit thinning, and application of the fungicides Manzate®, Thiodan®, or Bavistin® (Williams et al. 1992). l o c a l cultivars that are grown include: 'Salcaja', 'Xalapam', 'Tejutleco', 'Chuculjuyup', and 'Jalapaneco'. Generally, the rootstock used is

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Cruz-Castillo et al.—Temperate fruit production in Guatemala the seedling of the local white fleshed peach, and occasionally 14 DR 60 and 'Nemaguard' (Anon. 1999; Vásquez 2001b). newly introduced cultivars that have shown good production include: 'Flordaking' (medium-chill), 'Junegold' (high-chill), and 'Early Grande' (low-chill) (Vásquez & García 1998). average yields are between 10 and 18 t ha–1, with 'Salcaja' the most widely planted (Vásquez 2001b). scientists from P r o d F r u T a have introduced several low-chill peach cultivars in recent years. This includes the low-chill 'Diamante' that originated in Brazil and was first introduced to uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico. subsequent investigations have led to recommendations for 'Diamante' culture, harvest, and postharvest management. Peaches can be harvested from March to september depending on cultivar. The main markets for peaches produced in Guatemala are the other countries of Central america. Pear a t the end of last century, several pear types were introduced and successfully adapted in Guatemala. The commercial culture of pear trees is mainly in the departments of sacatepéquez in santa lucía, san Bartolo, and san Juan, and on a smaller scale in Chimaltenango, quetzaltenango, and quiché. Most production is carried out in family orchards or in plantations mixed with plum, apple, peach, hawthorn (Crataegus sp.), and cherimoya (Annona cherimola Mill.). in Guatemala, pears grow in the mountainous regions from 1950 to 2500 m altitude. in 1995,929t were exported, mainly to the republic of el salvador (Vásquez 2000b). The local varieties are named long or round according to their shape. imported cultivars are also grown, including: 'Balwin', 'Dwarf Anjou', 'Ayres', 'Kieffer', 'Pineapple', ' Summer Doyennet', and 'Hood'. In 1991, a number of cultivars from spain were introduced and evaluated by investigators from i s a T (Vásquez & Hidalgo 1992), and the cultivar 'Water of Aranjuez' was the best (Vásquez & García 1998). These introductions resulted in two Asian pears 'Shinseiki' and 'Hosui' as promising sources of planting material (Vásquez 2001a). The most common rootstocks are hawthorn (Crataegus sp.) and the 'Calleriana' pear (Pyrus calleryana decue), and sometimes quince (Cydonia oblonga) is used. P. betulaefolia and P. ussuriensis have been introduced recently and are under evaluation at isaT (Vásquez 2004). Harvest time is from april to october, and fruit is marketed throughout the entire Central american area. Pear trees yield from 26 to 30 t ha–1 using

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800 trees ha–1 at a density of 5 × 2.5 m (Vásquez 2000b). Problems of fruit cracking are avoided by increasing organic matter and boron in the soil (Miranda 1987). The main foliage disease is caused by Erwinia amylovora and control is achieved by pruning and chemical applications of bactericides (Muñoz 1987). Plum The little available information on plum trees in Guatemala indicates that they are mixed with apple and peach in small household orchards. Plum exports in 2001 were 430 t. Cultivars that have adapted adequately include: 'Satzuma', 'El Dorado', 'Santa Rosa', 'Beauty', 'Kelsy', 'Americana', 'Plum 3N’, 'Reyna Claudia Amarilla', and 'Reyna Claudia Verde' (Vásquez 2001b). Persimmon (Diospyrus kaki L.) Persimmon trees are grown in household orchards in the cities of Coban, alta Verapaz, Panajachel, sololá, and Magdalena Milpas altas in sacatepequez. Fruit is marketed in Guatemalan cities. in Magdalena and Guatemala City, grafted plants are sold in nurseries. 'Hachiya' and 'Fuyukaki' cultivars are grafted onto the rootstock 'Lotus'. Altitudes between 1400 and 2100m are adequate for persimmon cultivation. Persimmon production in Guatemala has a competitive advantage with the potential to provide fruit to international markets at a time when other producing countries do not have fruit available. The harvest season in Guatemala extends from July to october, compared with March-May in Chile, april-May in new zealand, november and december in the united states, and november in italy. The first evaluation of persimmon cultivars and rootstocks occurred in 1987 in four towns located in the west altiplano of Guatemala. in general, persimmons grew well although hail damage destroyed the trees (anon. 1988). each fruit weighed c. 250 g, and 7-year-old trees produced from 150 to 300 fruits (Benitez 1998). studies on in vitro propagation of persimmon have been carried out in the Faculty of agronomy, university of san Carlos; positive results obtained should encourage the establishment of nurseries producing different cultivars (aspuaca 2004). Persimmon growers are focusing on markets in the united states, Canada, and south america for selling most of the fruit, as well as smallscale supermarkets in other Central american countries.

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Raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) experimental plots with different raspberry cultivars were established in several Guatemalan towns during 1990. Currently in Guatemala, it is recommended that raspberries should be established in tropical highlands between 1000 and 1800 m altitude. The departments with largest cultivated areas of raspberry are: Guatemala, Chimaltenengo, and sacatepéquez. Together with the departments of santa rosa, Jalapa, and san Marcos, which have smaller areas, there are 264 ha of raspberries planted. recommended cultivars are those that produce fruit in autumn including 'Autum Bliss' (developed in england) and 10% of all commercial plantations use this variety. in evaluation trials the cultivar 'Summit' originating from Oregon (United States) was best adapted to Guatemalan conditions (anon. 1995). annual yield per ha is 2500 trays (with dimension of 43 × 32.3 × 5.7 cm, and approximate weight of 2kg with capacity for 12 layettes). This type of tray is also used for blackberry (Rubus spp.) marketing (Mass 1995). in 1996 there was a human outbreak of Cyclospora in the united states that was traced back to raspberry farms in Guatemala (sivapalasingam et al. 2004). in 1997, raspberry exports to the united states were stopped and only 3 of 85 raspberry growers produced fruit in 2001. it was calculated that losses following the Cyclospora outbreak amounted to us$20 million between 1996 and 2001. Blackberry The blackberry cultivars 'Rosborough', 'Brison', 'Chejime', 'Cherokee', and 'Brazos' were introduced from the united states in 1988, and 'Brazos' adapted best. Blackberry can be cultivated in Guatemala from 800 to 1800 m altitude. Best temperatures for growth are between 10°C and 23°C, with precipitation from 1000 to 1200mm per year. in 1994 and 1995, 180 and 250 ha, respectively, were planted with the 'Brazo' cultivar in Guatemala. The department with the largest area of cultivated blackberry was Chimaltenango with 96 ha, followed by Guatemala, sacatépequez, santa rosa, and Jalapa (Mass 1995). Blackberries are planted in February or March and produce fruit during october and november but mainly december. annual yield is 1500 trays ha–1 (anon. 1999). The Cyclospora outbreak in the united states associated with Guatemalan raspberry production in 1996 negatively affected blackberry exports. only 52% of the blackberry growers continued exporting fruit in 2001.

Grape Table grape production was initiated in the 1980s with 10 ha and by the beginning of the 1990s, 60 ha were planted (H. Villeda, isaT pers. comm. 2004). Table grapes are grown in a region at less than 300 m altitude that includes the towns of zacapa, el Progreso, salamá, and Chiquimula. However, the most important production areas are found in the towns of usumatlán, Teculután, estanzuela, r í o Hondo in the department of zacapa (H. Villeda, isaT pers. comm. 2004) where average precipitation is 660 mm and the average temperature is 27.2°C, with minimum and maximum temperatures of 20.5°C and 33.5°C, respectively. The main varieties grown are: 'Tokay', 'Italy', 'Ribier', and 'Cardinal' with some small plantings of 'Blanca of the Valley' (De Gauquier 1984). some cultivars are grafted onto american grape rootstocks but most are self rooted cuttings; to date there have been no indications of Phylloxera radicicola attacks. using appropriate pruning techniques, it is possible to obtain two crops per year, the first harvest in July and the second in december. average annual harvest yield is up to 30 t ha–1 (de Gauquier 1984). Fruit quality is increased by applying G a 3 (Hernández 1997) and/ or ringing the trunk or branches, based on local experiments (Castillo 1996). leaf infections by Plasmopara vitícola are controlled using chemical fungicides (Flores 1989). Table grape producers have received financial support from the local banks and international funds to increase the number of plants per orchard. Loquat (Eriobotrya japónica Thunb Lindl) loquats were introduced to Guatemala c. 50 years ago. in the past, fruit were sold only in small traditional markets like antigua city, but today selected loquat is found in supermarkets in fancy packages. Main local production is in the community of san Juan del obispo located near the antigua city at 1530 m altitude. Varieties produced are locally named, and include 'Alargada' (long) and 'Redonda' (round) that crop between october and december. annual production is 1000-2000 t. Members of the Belgium organisation "social Working economic Cooperation" initiated a successful business programme organising local small-holding farmers with low incomes to produce loquats for supermarkets. Currently this organisation works in coordination with researchers from the university of san Carlos, and the university of Valencia, spain, to improve loquat production techniques in tropical highlands through new cultivars, pruning,

Cruz-Castillo et al.—Temperate fruit production in Guatemala and fruit thinning. aspects of loquat industrialisation and commercialisation for export are also being considered.

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CONCLUSIONS The processes of adaptation of temperate fruit species in Guatemala is supported by growers, government, local and foreign agencies. advances have occurred in the diversification of new cultivars and species that are not observed in tropical regions elsewhere in the south of Mexico or in any other country of Central america. a study of temperate fruit production in Guatemala provides a useful model for horticultural development in other tropical regions of the world where the culture of temperate fruit is proposed to improve the quality of life of growers with low income. Future temperate fruit production studies in Guatemala should focus on biological and economical factors that influence particular fruit production systems in rural areas. one of the most important factors to consider for introducing new fruit species or cultivars in tropical highlands is the chilling requirement. The investigation of the properties and dynamics of the ecosystems used to produce temperate fruit not only implies production methods but also socio-economic and marketing factors. new fruit commodities like persimmon require more land areas for cultivation to achieve sufficient fruit volumes for effective marketing. Fruit production for export needs an orchard technological management that is rarely observed. However, temperate fruits in local markets are consumed irrespective of international fruit quality parameters on external appearance. it is recommended that for each type of fruit production system the ecological components be quantified to plan strategies for sustainable management of fruit production.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank academic exchange project Mexico-Central america a n u i e s - C s u C a , and secretary of external Relations of Mexico for financing the present study.

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