Kent-based research and breeding group NIAB EMR unveiled two new strawberry varieties today.
Launched at Fruit Focus, the Malling Champion and Malling Allure will fill “important niches” in the UK strawberry season with high quality, high-yield berries.
Malling Champion is a new ever-bearer variety which produces a high quantity of class one fruit, and has strong disease resistance, according to NIAB EMR.
The Malling Allure is a new June-bearer variety that crops 12-14 days later than Malling Centenary.
NIAB EMR senior fruit breeder Adam Whitehouse said: “These new varieties fill important niches in the cropping pattern for the UK strawberry sector. Industry hasn’t until now, had an ever-bearer variety with high yields of high-quality fruit.
“Similarly industry is demanding a new late season June-bearer that will come into peak production after existing varieties, the importance again has been on finding a selection that produces a quality product for growers and the consumer.”
The new strawberries are the first new varieties from the East Malling Strawberry Breeding Club since the release of Malling Centenary in 2013 – a June-bearer variety which is now selling over 60 million plants annually.
Professor Mario Caccamo, managing director of NIAB EMR said: “The launch of these two new varieties is the culmination of many years of dedicated work led by NIAB EMR’s researchers and breeders in partnership with industry.
“This is a great example of the impact of our work and the value of the collaborative innovation implemented by NIAB EMR’s breeding clubs.”
