Soft Fruit
Soft Fruit is a term which covers fruit that grows on bushes, such as berries and currants. They are also defined as small fruits that do not have a hard skin or large seed. These are high value crops with significant nutritional and health benefits, with high levels of vitamin C and fibre. The crops are commercially important in many European countries. Until 1998, in the UK, soft fruits such as strawberries and raspberries were seasonal crops that were available mainly in June and July. For the rest of the year, imported fruit was flown in. Today, modern production methods have extended the season from April/May to mid/late autumn.
Fruits within this group include traditional long grown and cultivated fruit such as strawberry and , blackberry but now also includes new arrivals like loganberries, tayberries.and sunberries.
The viability of the soft fruit industry depends on several factors, including improved means for pest and disease control that are in line with increasing demand for reduced pesticide use. Satisfactory fruit yields of acceptable quality and profitability cannot be produced unless pests and diseases are efficiently controlled. Soft fruit producers rely on pesticides for this purpose but pesticide applications are often made close to harvest, giving rise to detectable levels of pesticide residues in fruit.
It is no longer realistic or economic to grow strawberries in the UK climate to the standards of reliability and quality demanded by customers without tunnel protection. All the major UK supermarkets now require their suppliers to protect their crops with tunnels, in order to guarantee quality fruit supply. This has benefits. On average saleable fruit increases from 50%-70% for outdoor, open field strawberries, to 80-90% for protected fruit.
IPM techniques designed to minimise residues include using non-chemical control methods, especially cultural and biological methods; growing resistant varieties; avoiding or minimising the use of pesticides by frequent crop monitoring; using pesticides more intensively at certain times of the year; using products of shorter persistence; reducing the dose of applications closer to harvest; increasing the harvest interval; training the all those involved in decision making.
Examples of Soft Fruit groups:
Raspberries require a free-draining soil and do not like getting wet feet. Spring fruiting varieties fruit on the previous year's cane which must be tied up to support the crop. Autumn fruiting varieties crop on one year cane and should be cut back to ground level after fruiting. Pests include the Raspberry Beetle and Rasberry Cane Midge.
Strawberries are sweet and versatile and the essence of a British summer. The species Fragariabelong to the family Rosaceae. Technically these are a false fruit, meaning the fleshy part is derived not from the plant's ovaries but from the peg at the bottom of the bowl-shaped hypanthium that holds the ovaries.
Blackberries produce best in full sun, but they can tolerate partial shade. However, plants do not grow or produce well in heavy shade and are sensitive to wet soils. An aggregate fruit from a bramble bush, of the genus Rubus in the rose family Rosaceae.
Blackcurrants were traditionally used only for jams, pies and puddings, but more recently, there are varieties the size of small grapes (Big Ben) which can be eaten by themselves.
Redcurrent & Whitecurrents are heavy cropping bush fruit. Suitable for all soils and situations.
The Gooseberry is a species of Ribes, native to Europe. A straggling bush, the branches being thickly set with sharp spines. The fruit of wild gooseberries is smaller than in the cultivated varieties. It is generally hairy, but in one variety smooth, the colour is usually green, but occasionally deep purple berries occur.
Blueberries and Cranberries are heathland berries which must have moist and distinctly acid soil. Blueberries are full of vitamin C, packed with anti-oxidants.
The Japanese Wineberry is a climbing shrub that produces large trusses of sweet orange red to dark red berries. It is a close relative of raspberries, native to Korea, China and Japan. Like the raspberry it is biennial, with fruit appearing on second year growth.
The Loganberry is a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry. The fruit is dark red in colour and longer than a raspberry.
The Tayberry was bred in 1962 from a cross between a Blackberry and the red Raspberry at the Scottish Crops Research Institute. It is grown for its edible fruits which can be eaten raw, or cooked to make jam or other dishes. It is named after the River Tay in Scotland.is a cross between blackberry and raspberry.
The Sunberry is a recent hybrid from East Malling. Its main claim to fame is that the cropping period lasts for many weeks. Producing very dark glossy berries with good Loganberry type flavour.
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