Yerba Mate Production Methods:

Each brand of Yerba Mate has its own unique growing and distribution methodology. La Esquina's yerba mate, for example, is a certified organic, non-GMO product that is produced by a cooperative of small family farms. Others, like Las Marias who make Taragui and Union, put greater focus on consistency of production from year to year, as they are the largest Yerba Mate producer in the world. Many brands are born of different regions, different countries, different histories, and different loves. Country of origin and other available farming details can be found by examining each products description.

Still, it can be said that the Yerba Mate farming industry is generally good for both the farmer and the sustainablity of farm land. As noted in Agroforestry Systems, February 2000: "In Misiones, in the northeast of Argentina, agroforestry systems of timber trees and perennial cash crops are becoming increasingly common. We evaluated the productivity of Ilex paraguariensis St Hill (South American holly or yerba mate, Aquifoliaceae) in association with indigenous trees: Enterolobium contortisiliquum (Vellozo) Morong. (timbó, Leguminosae, a N2-fixing tree), and two timber species, Balfourodendron riedelianum (Engler) Engler (guatambú, Rutaceae) and Tabebuia heptaphylla (Vellozo) Toledo (lapacho negro, Bignoniaceae). Five years after planting, the tree species were 2.7 to 5.0 m high and 3 to 7 cm in diameter at breast height, and the yerba mate produced its first harvest. Additionally, the production of associated crops of subsistence covered the annual needs of the farmer. These systems are promising for sustainable use of deforested lands in the region."

The differing farming practices of the entire industry are examined in the following article:

FROM: Neglected Crops: 1492 from a Different Perspective. 1994 J.E. Hernándo Bermejo and J. Leó



n (eds.) Plant Production and Protection Series No. 26. FAO, Rome, Italy. This chapter author is G.C. Giberti - Centre of Pharmacological and Botanical Studies, Buenos Aires, Argentina -

Ecology and phytogeography

Prominent among the ecological requirements of this subtropical species are climatic conditions, especially mean annual precipitation and an even distribution of rainfall throughout the year. This must not be less than 1200 mm annually and, during the driest quarter-which in the region is winter-the minimum must be 250 mm. I. paraguariensis' wild distribution area is always unaffected by water shortages. The mean annual temperature of the area is approxiMately 21 to 22°C. The absolute minimum temperature that this species is able to tolerate is -6°C, even though winter snows are frequent on the plateaus and mountain regions to the south of Brazil and east of Misiones.

It requires lateritic, acid (pH between 5.8 and 6.8) soils that are of medium to fine texture.

Figure 30 shows the natural distribution of I. paraguariensis. The area of economic cultivation of Mate coincides approximately with the main dispersion area of the var. paraguariensis.

In the wide and varied economic production area of maté, the practices for the cultivation or exploitation of natural maté vary considerably in their technical aspects, resulting in different yields per hectare.

Three methods of production can be distinguished which are arranged here in increasing order of importance reflecting the use of techniques and their yields:

Extractive exploitation of the natural forest

Here the richness of natural maté plantations is utilized. Harvesting is not mechanized and the pruning system is generally incorrect. This form of production is diffused mainly in Brazil.

Mixed system or system for the enrichment of the natural forest

This consists of increasing the number of natural plantations and reconstituting those that have been lost. In Brazil, where this method is most commonly practiced, it is called densifying the maté plantation. Since, generally speaking, this technique is accompanied by others that increase the yield, such as cultivation care and improved pruning methods, the higher production cost is compensated for.

Cultivated maté plantations

This is undoubtedly the best system, and came into general use in Argentina around 1915. In spite of higher costs, the yield per hectare greatly increases. Complemented by measures such as improvement in the layout of plantations (which have evolved from trees planted in quincunxes, with spaced out plants used by Jesuits, to cultivation following contour lines, with a high density per hectare and use of the corte mesa pruning and plant management system), with well-timed pruning, cultivation work and harvesting, this system enabled Argentinian production to exceed that of Brazil, in spite of the former being carried out in a very reduced area and even outside the environments most suited for maté. For example, rising from a density of 1000 to 1500 plants per hectare (still fairly widespread) to a density of 2500 or 4000 plants per hectare, production can increase from around 1000 to 1800 kg to 2100 to 3300 kg per hectare.

The corte mesa system not only increases the yield but is also better suited to mechanical harvesting.

Yields are improved by: planting following contours; the use of natural or introduced cover (rape, legumes, etc.); fertilization (NPK); weed control (mechanical and/or using herbicides); suitable phytosanitary treatments; and rational harvesting. The relevant experiments have been going on for some years but, regrettably, their results have not become generalized. The introduction into cultivation of improved cultivars is much less widespread.

Conventional propagation techniques

Sexual propagation ("seeds" = pyrenes). This is the most common reproduction technique. In the case of maté, the advantage of sexual propagation lies in the fact that the variability in descendants may give rise to individuals better suited to different environments (which on other occasions may not be desired).

The seeds are harvested in the region (from February to April). They must be stratified or sown immediately, otherwise they quickly lose their viability.

Stored at 5°C, they maintain a very reduced germinating capacity (1.7 to 6.6 percent) for a further 11 months. The relatively short period of viability together with the low germination rate (immature embryos, phytosanitary problems) have undoubtedly been the cause of the difficulties in its cultivation spreading to other continents in the past.

Agamic reproduction

Grafting, propagation by cuttings and layering are not very widespread. It is relatively difficult to obtain rooted cuttings and this is generally achieved by using young branches from the stools, irrespective of whether plant hormone treatment is used. Additional experiments are necessary if the intention is to increase the rooting percentage.

In vitro cultivation of I. paraguariensis is being tried out in Brazil and Argentina by various research groups, with varying results which still do not clearly indicate which are the economically viable techniques for the clonal reproduction of selected individuals.

According to the Under-Secretariat for Agriculture and Livestock, in Argentina in 1988, the average yield of semi-processed maté was 1220 kg per hectare.