Thermal Pest Control (TPC) is the solution to the industry's drive to minimise pesticides, according to Chilean table grape producer, Florencio Lazo.
TPC involves blasting the fruit with heat up to 100°C throughout the growing period to exterminate populations of mites, acid rot and other pests and diseases.
Lazo developed the technology over the last five years, in association with Chilean research institution, Inia, and government body, Fontec.
And results indicate TPC presents significant advantages over conventional methods using pesticide control.
"TPC-treated grapes have harder skins and taste different because they are guaranteed to be clean and pesticide-free," said Lazo.
Fruit production is also enhanced, with Lazo's own volumes up from 220kg per hectare to 300kg per hectare after TPC treatment, he claimed.
Despite the need for more frequent applications TPC is also a more cost-effective solution, according to Robinson Vargas, director at Inia.
In tests, treating grapes with conventional pesticides cost nearly three times as much as using TCP for the same area.
New Zealand grape producer Mike Lane testified that the areas of his plantations treated with TPC in preliminary trials this year produced grapes of a far superior quality than those which had been chemically treated.
And he agreed the process provided many practical advantages: "It is easier to clean the canopy over the vines and you can extend the season. You have the option of harvesting earlier or later to get riper fruit because you don't have the same problems with decay."
In addition Lane claimed the technology would be particularly welcomed by supermarket buyers in the UK, where pesticide residue specifications have become increasingly stringent.
As Chile's number one fruit export, Lazo believes the impact of TPC on grape production could be enormous. However he emphasized he has already achieved similar success with plums and cherries.
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