Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 11.1
Examples of Economically Important Soft Fruit Types.
Economic production
(MT; FAO 2003)
Common name
Botanical name
Blackberry; loganberry; mulberry; myrtle
berry; huckleberry, dangleberry
Morus nigra; M. alaba; M. rubra
;
Myrtus
communis
;
Gaylussacia
spp.
563 770
Blueberry
Vaccinium myrtillus; V. corymbosum
. 227 570
Cranberry
Vaccinium macrocarpon, V. oxycoccus
311 150
Currants (black, red/white)
Ribes nigrum; R. rubrum
. 644 950
Gooseberry
Ribes grossularia
177 014
Raspberry
Rubus idaeus
415 836
Strawberry
Fragaria
spp. 3 165 314
Note: Other niche berry species include: Cloudberry (
Rubus chamaemorus
), Rowanberry (
Sorbus aucuparia
), wild
strawberry (
Fragaria vesca
) (
cf
. Hakkinen
et al
. 1999).
Table 11.2
Examples of Some of the Most Popular Strawberry Cultivars for the Fresh Market.
Cultivar
Main area of production
Fruit characteristics
Research Organization
Camarosa
World-wide
Very large, firm fruit
University of California
Chandler
California, all mild climates
Large, firm fruit, prone
to white shoulder
University of California
Elsanta
Non-Mediterranean European
climates
Moderate size, firm fruit,
orange-red
Institute of Horticultural
Research, the Netherlands
Earliglow
Eastern US
Moderate size, excellent
flavour, relatively resistant
against
Botrytis cinerea
USDA Maryland
Honeoye
Mid-western and Eastern US/ UK
Large, dark coloured fruit
New York AES
Oso Grande
California/all mild climates
Very large, firm fruit; hollow
centre
University of California
Selva
California/all mild climates
Large, i rm fruit; somewhat
hollow centre
University of California
Source: Adapted from Hancock (1999).
(Coombe 1976), but is considered to be a false fruit
(Perkins-Veazie 1995) as it does not originate from an
augmentation of the ovary. Rather, the strawberry fruit
develops through swelling of the parental receptacle. Esau
(1977) describes the strawberry as an aggregate accessory
fruit as although it is formed from an apocarpous
gynoecium with each carpel retaining its identity on matu-
rity, the strawberry contains extracarpellary tissue. The
central core of the swollen strawberry receptacle is pith
(Plate 11.1). This is girdled by corticular parenchyma and
lightly waxed epidermis tissue. The epidermis bears a
number of embedded one-seeded fruits (achenes), which
are arranged in a spiral pattern (Abbott
et al
. 1970).
Achenes arise from many ovaries that surround the recep-
tacle (Darrow 1966). They are attached to the receptacle
vasculature by fibrovascular connections (Lis &
Antoszewski 1979). These connections are thought to be a
pathway for inter-organ communication governing fruit
growth and development.
FRUIT DEVELOPMENT
During development, soft fruit typically undergo an initial
growth phase followed by enlargement and then maturation.
Soft fruit growth and development, including maturation
and ripening, is characterised by changes in colour, texture
and flavour. Four to five stages of berry growth and
development have been described (Culpepper
et al
. 1935;
Huber 1984; Terry
et al
. 2004). For strawberry, in accord-
ance with the intumescence of non-ovarian receptacle
tissue (cortex and pith), these descriptive stages include
