A five-year LINK project on protected raspberries, sponsored by DEFRA and the Scottish Government has culminated in the production of a new fact-sheet produced by the HDC for raspberry growers.
The project has been co-funded by several industry partners including marketing groups, agrochemical companies, supermarkets and the Horticultural Development Council, and was completed earlier this year. Scientists at East Malling Research, Scottish Crop Research Institute (now James Hutton Institute), Natural Resources Institute and Adas UK Ltd carried out the research.
Consumers and retailers have been increasing pressure on raspberry producers to provide them with fruit free from pesticide residues. Growers therefore need to find ways of controlling pest and disease while reducing their reliance on inputs close to harvest.
The scientists focused on the five principal pests and diseases: aphids, raspberry beetle, raspberry cane midge, powdery mildew and fruit and cane botrytis. The early years of the project assessed new methods of control and developed some novel technology for use by growers for monitoring and managing raspberry beetle and raspberry cane midge. In the latter years, these methods and technologies were implemented into an IPDM system that was trialled on commercial production sites under protection and proved to be successful.
The new fact-sheet summarises the new methods and technologies developed for each of these pests and diseases under protection.
Berry Gardens Growers agronomist Steven Kember said: “This is the type of new information and advice raspberry growers require to meet today’s challenges of reducing the level of residues appearing in our product. Berry Gardens are supportive of the HDC funding the production of this fact-sheet following the completion of a project which has seen positive collaboration between so many key industry players.”
All those who took part in the project are Agrisense BCS, Assured Food Standards 2003, Bayer Cropscience, Berryworld, British Polythene Industries PLC, Co-operative Group (CWS), East Malling , East Malling Trust for Horticultural Research, HDC, Berry Gardens Growers, LEAF, Marks & Spencer, Total Berry, The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers and Waitrose.
The fact-sheet is available from HDC.
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