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Berry growers can do it twice a year
United Kingdom
Monday 24 September 2007
Growing primocane blackberries yielding two crops a year is expected to become a reality, growers were told by international breeder Professor John Clark, of the University of Arkansas, last week.
Clark’s presentation was given during an announcement from Hargreaves Plants that it has become an agent for four of the top proven US floricane varieties that will become available to the industry next year.
Named after native American tribes – Arapaho, Apache, Navaho and Ouachita – the plants are some of the latest thornless varieties in a series in development since the 1980s.
Blackberries are one of the few native US fruits, and Clark claimed Ouachita “is the most exciting that we have developed because it is so highly adaptive”.
Amongst the audience were growers from Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Poland, and Bulgaria. “The challenge is to grow supersweet varieties, focus on eating quality and extending the English season” said Jamie Petchell of Hargreaves.
According to TNS data presented by Adrian Wallbridge, technical director for The Summerfruit Company, the UK retail market for blackberries has expanded by 370% since 2004 and is worth 22.5 million EUR annually.
The introduction of Tupi and the classification of blackberries as a superfruit have both helped expand sales. The UK season runs from May to September and most of the UK retailers over-trade on the fruit compared with their overall fresh produce sales: Tesco has 24% of the total market in value terms, Sainsbury’s 23%, Asda 12%, and Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose around 10 per cent, revealed Wallbridge.
Clark’s presentation was given during an announcement from Hargreaves Plants that it has become an agent for four of the top proven US floricane varieties that will become available to the industry next year.
Named after native American tribes – Arapaho, Apache, Navaho and Ouachita – the plants are some of the latest thornless varieties in a series in development since the 1980s.
Blackberries are one of the few native US fruits, and Clark claimed Ouachita “is the most exciting that we have developed because it is so highly adaptive”.
Amongst the audience were growers from Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Poland, and Bulgaria. “The challenge is to grow supersweet varieties, focus on eating quality and extending the English season” said Jamie Petchell of Hargreaves.
According to TNS data presented by Adrian Wallbridge, technical director for The Summerfruit Company, the UK retail market for blackberries has expanded by 370% since 2004 and is worth 22.5 million EUR annually.
The introduction of Tupi and the classification of blackberries as a superfruit have both helped expand sales. The UK season runs from May to September and most of the UK retailers over-trade on the fruit compared with their overall fresh produce sales: Tesco has 24% of the total market in value terms, Sainsbury’s 23%, Asda 12%, and Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose around 10 per cent, revealed Wallbridge.
