The focus on sources of soft-fruit supply has undeniably changed in recent years, as illustrated by the previous article, and McNicol believes that an effective breeding process is crucial to the success of a 12-month supply calendar. “We are looking for varieties suitable for a range of environments, to provide insurance policies for the industry,” says McNicol. “Continuity of supply is ultimately what the consumer wants and if there is a big disaster with the climate in any major source, it is our intention that there will be enough plant material elsewhere that can be ramped up to substitute for any volume loss.
“To do that we have to ensure that we have the best possible testing conditions and a selection process that is driven by the needs of the industry and finds varieties that can perform well in different locations.”
Redeva develops crosses that are generally suited to its different trial areas and takes that material to make selections in Israel, Egypt, Morocco and Spain, as well as the UK. “The proof of the pudding is in the testing,” says McNicol. “Redbridge has made a significant investment in Redeva and to make maximum use of this, we have to expand the selection process across a series of environments. Without that, it would be impossible to identify which varieties will perform where and make progress. You can’t just guess. The acid test is obviously growing the plants in the environment in which you expect them to perform.”
While McNicol is quick to point out that he is a breeder and not a marketing man, he says that an integral part of the Redbridge strategy with Redeva is to ensure that marketing plans and varietal development go hand-in-hand. “We have to understand the objectives of the marketing plan in order to develop the varieties that have potential for sales in the UK market,” he says, “and varieties that we can bring into the UK when there are natural gaps in the market.”
As in other categories, the soft-fruit industry can put its recent success to a switch to consumer-driven production strategies. And Redeva is a prime example of the breeder to consumer approach. “We work very closely with the Summerfruit Company and its customers are also intrinsically involved in the programme. It is important that supermarket buyers and technologists see our work at the appropriate times and stages of development. The entire chain needs to be familiar with progress before we move through the stages and the customers are in a position at a very early point to say whether they are interested in the varieties or otherwise. We take the advice and knowledge of retail customers into very serious consideration.
“Redeva’s job is to produce the plants which allow Redbridge and the Summerfruit Company’s growers to produce a consumible product year-round, and to tailor the varieties to the needs of the marketplace. I am not certain that consumers necessarily want any one particular variety, what they do want is a product that has similar qualities whenever they take it off the shelf. If a breeding programme is properly constructed it will produce selections that fit this criteria, as well as meeting all the flavour and sugar level requirements etc..”
The assurance of year-round supply is one thing, of course, but the ability to improve the overall varietal mix is paramount. “If we cannot make the product better than the existing product, then people would have every right to challenge why we are doing the job in the first place,” McNicol says. “There are no guarantees in breeding, but to keep justifying our wage bills we need to make the selections that bring better tasting and performing fruit to the consumer.”
Redeva will generate between 15,000 and 20,000 strawberry seedlings in the UK this year, which will be whittled down to the select few that are potentially suitable for the UK market.
Already the programme, established in September 2002, has identified 19 varieties - dubbed the Dirty Dozen and the Magnificent Seven - that are at an advanced trialling stage, and, according to McNicol, one or two are heading towards planting at the end of this year, for commercial release either next year or in 2007.
“We are moving at the speed of light,” he says. “And investment is continuous to ensure that we can continue to keep up with the speed. We are propagating all 19 varieties this year, even though we know we will not proceed with many of them. That ensures that we will have sizeable quantities of the varieties that are chosen next year.”
Advanced selection overseas is taking place with a further 52 varieties - and Redeva already has secured preliminary release on three, all of which are still named by numbers. “We will not be making a song and dance about any material until we have plants to deliver, but there has been excellent progress.”
That progress has also started to show through in raspberries, and plants of one variety will be distributed to growers later this year for propagating, with another two set to follow. McNicol says: “There is a lot of material in the pipeline, and in both strawberries and raspberries we are very excited. We are getting to the interesting stage - we have done all the hard work on these varieties and now it’s down to the fine-tuning. We now have to ensure there have been no flaws in the decision making process, that we have the right product for our customers and we can make it consistently available to them.
“A lot of credit must go to Redbridge; their commitment to Redeva was a bold step, partly into the unknown.”
If McNicol and his team have got it right, Redbridge, its partners, customers and the end consumer will all reap the benefits of the original long-term vision.
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