9ITGS: CHILE SETS THE BAR HIGH

The International Table Grape Symposium (ITGS), one of the most important events on the international table grape calendar, was hosted in Santiago, Chile from 16 – 21 February 2020.

TARRYN WETTERGREEN reports

This was the ninth instalment of the event, which is held approximately every three years. The symposium was organised by a committee comprising representatives of the Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA), the Commission for Research and Development of Table Grape (UVANOVA) and the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC), and drew approximately 600 participants from all over the world. It was a great success.
They key features of the programme were scientific presentations and posters, forum discussions and technical tours.

Delegate breakdown:

Peru (102)
Brazil (46)
Spain (77)
Egypt (7)
Australia (9)
Chile (278)
USA (29)
Mexico (13)
Italy (10)
Israel (8)
South Africa (22)

Forum discussions

Forum discussions was a new addition to the programme. These were sessions where representatives from various table grape industries were invited to deliver presentations relating to the statistics for each country, and the challenges that each faces. Mexico, India, USA, Peru, SA, Chile, Spain and Italy each delivered a presentation.

Technical tours

There was a choice between a technical tour to Aconcagua Valley or Metropolitan Region. Production under plastics, cultivar range from each of the cultivar programmes, and alternative trellis systems were exhibited. On the Aconcagua Valley Tour however, pruning systems, colour management (using PGRs) and irrigation management under drought conditions were demonstrated. In contrast, the Metropolitan Tour exposed delegates to harvesting and packing and cold storage facilities. INIA, the government funded research institute in Chile is actively working on new table grape cultivars. INIA Grape1 has been released and is already licensed in SA, and INIA Grape2 is in the pipeline.

Scientific presentations and posters

The table below summarises the scientific programme, which is also available from the downloadable online presentations (please visit: https://9itgschile.cl/presentations-presentaciones/)