Early ripening everbearers are increasing in popularity and challenging traditional June cropping strawberry varieties, a leading breeder has said.
David Johnson, European representative of Plant Sciences Inc, responsible for the breeding programme which supports Total Berry’s growers, said: “Elsanta and Sonata have been showing poor results, particularly due to weather conditions this season, and our growers are looking for alternatives.”
Johnson was speaking at the traditional June farm walk held at Gaskain's farm in Selling, Kent, attended by some of the best-known growers in the UK industry who supply fruit to Total Berry for its major supermarket customers.
It is the first of three Total Berry growers’ walks this season, to see the wide selection of varieties from the UK and international breeding programmes, some of which will ultimately influence future strawberry and raspberry sales programmes.
Leading the strawberry shift is Red Glory, which is doing very well for growers this season. Dr Lindrea Latham, research agronomist for Total Berry’s research and development division, Redeva, is particularly impressed with its outstanding shelf life.
She said: “It is already producing excellent tasting fruit and well liked by leading supermarkets.”
Additionally, a relative newcomer, Premier, has also been cropping heavily through May and June, compared with its long-established competitors and producing as high as 98 per cent class I fruit.
The 25 growers on the walk also had a preview of three new strawberry varieties that, although still identified by code names, showed encouraging signs.
Latham added that the challenge in the past has been optimising flavour, but this year several in the trials were very promising, particularly selection Total Berry 1(TB1).
She said: “It appears to be a perfect, early everbearing variety, which has already presented well to supermarkets and is on semi-commercial growing sites this year.”
There was also an opportunity to hear of the progress being made in the development of larger, sweeter double-cropping primocane raspberries.
Latham said: “Grandeur could lead to a potential step change in shelf life, as it appears to have two to three days more than Tulameen. Together with Radiance, commercial planting is already increasing.”
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