Cristian Meriño-Gergichevich

• Dr.
• Academic at University of La Frontera

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is composed mainly of fossilized diatoms; its use is generally limited as an insecticide due to its abrasive nature. DE is rich in silica dioxide, so it is also considered a bioavailable source of soluble silicon (Si), known to enhance plant defense mechanisms. This has been most extensively investigated in crops such as whe...

El Centro para la Investigación e Innovación en Fruticultura para la Zona Sur (Corfo 16PTECFS-66647), busca enfrentar los desafíos tecnológicos y productivos de la fruticultura en el sur de Chile, abordando aspectos genéticos, de sostenibilidad productiva y postcosecha en tres portafolios de proyectos que incluyen estudios en tres especies: cerezo,...

The hard-shelled seed industry plays an important role in the global agricultural economy. In fact, only considering hazelnut and walnut, the global nut supply is over 5.6 tons. As a result considerable amounts are produced year by year, burnt or discarded as waste, bypassing a potential source of valuable compounds or features. This review deals w...

Due to the favourable agro-climatic conditions for hazelnut cultivation, Chile is key targeted to increase I+D+i in the field of nut production, considering a medium to long term vision that allows enclose the gaps of sustainability fruit crops. From 2021/22 season, the Laboratory of Physiology and Nutrition in Fruit Trees (LFNF), has been implemen...

Pre-harvest spraying of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K) it is a common practice on hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) plantations to ensure hard-shelled nut yield. The aim of study was to determine the effects on antioxidant capacity in shells as the main residue from this industry. For 2018/19 season, cultivar Tonda di Giffoni orchards...

Su aplicación puede ser una herramienta prometedora para avanzar y sincronizar la caída de frutos y homogenizar cosechas, principalmente en zonas de establecimiento donde las características de clima templado húmedo pueden afectar el secado de frutos.

The hard-shelled seed industry plays an important role in the global agricultural economy. As a result of nut industrialization, considerable amounts of by-products and residues are produced year by year, burnt as fuel or discarded as non-valued waste, by-passing a potential source of valuable compounds or features. Over the last decade nutshells h...

Annual world production of hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) exceeds one million tons (t) and Chile has become the main producer in the southern hemisphere with an off-season nut supply of approximately 32,949 t in 2021. In fact, by 2030 the market projections point to an estimated production of 127,000 t year-1. Indeed, 90% of hazelnuts produced in C...

Asphalt binder modifier based on hazelnut shell as main by-product of the nut industry. It delays the oxidative and/or aging damage effects in a road asphalt carpet. Class 19: Asphalt; Asphalt for road; Asphalt for construction; Asphalt and bitumen; Cement; Asphalt paving compositions; Asphalt paving materials; Non-metallic building materials; Ceme...

To determine the effects of pre-harvest calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and potassium (K) spraying on the antioxidant activity and capacity of hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) shells, as an approach to sustain the utilization of the main residue derived from this industry, four commercial hazelnut (Tonda di Giffoni) orchards located in Southern Chile (C...

It is well known that phosphorus (P) addition helps mitigate the adverse effects of water deficit stress on plants. However, the efficiency of spring wheat genotypes in the use of both components has not been addressed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of P and water limiting conditions over phosphorus use efficiency...

In the southern hemisphere, the commercial production of hazelnut has increased in recent years, with a concomitant detection of new pathogens associated with plant production, so-called emerging infectious diseases (EIDs). Gray necrosis (GN) is a hazelnut disease that causes 30% of economic losses in Europe. In this sense, we recently reported GN...

Salinization of soils and freshwater resources by natural processes and/or human activities has become an increasing issue that affects environmental services and socioeconomic relations. In addition, salinization jeopardizes agroecosystems, inducing salt stress in most cultivated plants (nutrient deficiency, pH and oxidative stress, biomass reduct...

La metodología de determinación de capacidad antioxidante ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), determina la habilidad de un compuesto antioxidante, mediante la transferencia de protones hidrógeno (H + ), de estabilizar a un radical libre sintético como el AAPH [2,2ʹ-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride] interfiriendo en la reacción entre...

Este proyecto tiene como uno de sus objetivos diseñar e implementar estrategias nutricionales, en esta especie, para la zona sur de Chile. En este sentido, un aspecto crucial es evaluar la acción de enmiendas calcáreas destinadas a incrementar el pH del suelo, sin embargo, estimar la dosis correcta y cómo se comportan estos materiales en distintas...

To test an assumption that organic soil can ameliorate nutritional disorders associated with metal and salinity stresses, we exposed salt-sensitive strawberry and lettuce to four salinity (0–60 mM NaCl) and three contamination (0.3–5 mg Cd/kg) rates in peat (pHH2O = 5.5). The results showed that, even at 20 mM NaCl, salinity stress exerted a domina...

Boron (B) and zinc (Zn) are essential micronutrients of plant nutrition programs in orchards for securing the crop quality and yield. Although orchard supplementation with B and Zn is a common practice to overcome deficiencies or maintain their optimal levels, the efficiency of combined B and Zn spraying in relation to European hazelnut (Corylus av...

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of foliar sprays containing boron (B) nano-fertilizer (NF) on the growth and physiology of lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo). Plants were grown under greenhouse conditions for 60 days on a modified Hoagland solution with the presence and absence of boron (+B or –B). A synthesiz...

Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is beneficial for human health due to its bioactive properties. Agronomic management includes boron (B) addition to promote its growth and development. We aimed to provide new insights into the effects of B supply on the phenolic profile and antioxidative capacity in the leaves of two common cultivars, B...

BACKGROUND New evidence has shown that arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can contribute to the aluminum (Al³⁺) tolerance of host plants growing in acidic soils with phytotoxic levels of Al³⁺. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of AM fungi isolated from naturally occurring Al³⁺ acidic soils in conferring host tolerance to Al³⁺ toxicit...

BACKGROUND By acidity, Al ³⁺ available form increases, being toxic for plants. Calcium amendments are widely used as an agronomic practice to reduce this effect. OBJECTIVE To determine the gypsum application effect on leaf morphological and physiological features on three highbush blueberry cultivars growing in acid soil and toxic Al level. METHO...

Calafate (Berberis microphylla G. Forst) is an endemic species of the Patagonian Andes of Chile and Argentina, with potential use for agroindustry. One aspect that could be restrictive for the production is the Calafate rust (Puccinia meyeri-albertii P. Magn), which the last reference in Chile dated from 1945. The objective of this study was to ide...

The biogeochemistry of soil organic matter (SOM), as a highly complex and dynamic soil property, is of vital importance for the health and ecological functioning of ecosystems, including managed and natural ones. Dominantly composed of carbon (C), SOM functions in global C cycling, including C sequestration and emission (e.g. soil respiration). Med...

Cuarto Congreso Argentino de Fitopatología Mendoza. 2017.

Boron (B) is an essential micronutrient required for physiological and biochemical processes in fruit crops such as highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.), well adapted species to acidic soils (pHwater ≤ 5.5) with relatively low B availability. However, an optimal range of B supplies is quite narrow, particularly among cultivars, making it ea...

Aims The effect of different MeJA doses applied prior to or simultaneously with toxic Al on biochemical and physiological properties of Vaccinium corymbosum cultivars with contrasting Al resistance was studied. Methods Legacy (Al-resistant) and Bluegold (Al-sensitive) plants were treated with and without toxic Al under controlled conditions: a) wit...

Boron (B) is associated with reproductive and antioxidant metabolism in plants, and in southern Chile, the deficiency of this micronutrient is ameliorated through foliar applications that are a part of agricultural management, thus ensuring the productivity of crops including highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). However, the appropriate B...

The effects of a long-term simulated spring-summer UV-B daily course on some anatomical, physiological, and biochemical features were studied in new and old leaves of blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) cultivars Legacy, Brigitta, and Bluegold. The results show that under UV-B exposure, leaf thickness increased in Bluegold due to an increased inter...

The prompt diagnosis of an attack by phytopathogens associated with the deterioration of the quality and condition of highbush blueberry is of great interest, particularly when dealing with Botrytis cinerea in preand postharvest stages. Real-time technologies that complement traditional diagnostic methods during the processing, storage and transpor...

Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is well adapted to acidic soils where aluminum (Al3+) can be linked to oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity (AC). Calcium sulfate (CaSO4) is used to alleviate Al3+ because it does not alter soil acidity. However, the role of Ca addition in AC, based on a single electron transfer reaction (SET), remains unkno...

En Chile, entre las regiones del Maule y Los Lagos, la producción y exportación de avellana europea (Corylus avellana L.) aumenta sostenidamente; constituyendo la calidad y condición, factores incidentes en el precio y exportación. El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar la calidad y condición de avellana europea cv. Barcelona proveniente de...

Boro: Entre la deficiencia y la fitotoxicidad. Cooprinforma. Edición 131. Septiembre-Octubre.

Algunos factores de sitio específico que inciden en la calidad y condición en pos cosecha de arándano. Cooprinforma. Edición 130.

roduction and exportation increases steadily, being the quality and condition of fruit a factor to enhance the prices and exportation. In this way, the information is scarce. The aim of this research was to evaluate the fruit quality and condition of hazelnut cv. Barcelona from 14 commercial plantations located in South-central Chile. Concerning...

In Chile, from Del Maule to Los Lagos regions, the hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) production and exportation increases steadily, being the quality and condition of fruit a factor to enhance the prices and exportation. In this way, the information is scarce. The aim of this research was to evaluate the fruit quality and condition of hazelnut cv. Bar...

The ericoid mycorrhiza is a symbiotic interaction that contributes to the improvement of the establishment and production of blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L.). The objectives of this paper were to assess the frequency (%) and intensity (%) of the colonization and growth of blueberry plantlets inoculated with ericoid mycorrhizae collected from t...

In Chile, from Del Maule to Los Lagos regions, the hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) production and exportation increases steadily, being the quality and condition of fruit a factor to enhance the prices and exportation. In this way, the information is scarce. The aim of this research was to evaluate the fruit quality and condition of hazelnut cv. Bar...

Coryneum en cerezo. Enfermedad prevalente en el sur de Chile. Cooprinforma. Edición 121.

Due to increased incidence of wood fungi from genus Neofusicoccum in highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) established in various locations in Southern Chile. The objective of this study was the identification of Neofusicocum species in two highbush blueberry cultivars from commercial orchards in Southern Chile. During 2011-12 season, stems...

Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is cultivated in Chile on the area of 8,500 ha with a total fruit production of 70,000 t during the 2011-2012. In Southern Chile, acid Andisols represent the greatest area of arable lands with 2,600,000 ha of which 2,000 ha are plantations of highbush blueberry. This fruit bush has been widely developed...

Primer Congreso Chileno del Cerezo. 22 y 23 de mayo 2014. Chillán.

Enfermedades en cerezo; Hacia el Manejo Integrado Fitosanitario en el Sur de Chile. Berries and Cherries. Nº20.

The effect of gypsum (CaSO4) amendment in the reduction of Al phytotoxicity of blueberry cultivars differing in Al resistance (Legacy and Brigitta, Al-resistant and Bluegold, Al-sensitive) was studied in a Hoagland's nutrient solution under acidic conditions for 2 weeks. Treatments were: Control (Hoagland solution), 2.5 mM CaSO4, 5 mM CaSO4, 100 μM...

Evaluation of the photosynthetic efficiency of three highbush blueberry cultivars, under stress by aluminum toxicity after application of different doses of calcium sulfate under controlled greenhouse conditions.

In Chile highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is developed in acid soils (pH ≤ 5.5). This species is good adapted to acid soils, but is sensitive to aluminum phytotoxic (Al3+). On the other hand, different calcium (Ca2+) sources are used to improve blueberry production, being essential for physiological and biochemical processes. In order t...

High aluminum (Al) concentrations as Al3+ represent an important growth and yield limiting factor for crops in acid soils (pH ≤ 5.5). The most recognized effect of Altoxicity in plants is observed in roots. However, damages in the upper parts (including stem, leaves and fruits) may also be present. In addition, Al-toxicity triggers an increase in r...