Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
sumption, in proportions that vary according to crop, e.g. blackcurrants are predom-
inantly for processing while in many of the other crops the fresh market outlets are
more important. In all of the crops, sales and consumption are currently increasing.
The future for berry crops offers both opportunities and also challenges; the
latter are fairly consistent across the various crops, notably the possible effects of
a changing climate. The opportunities are often linked to the nutritional benefits of
berry fruit components, and as further research-based evidence emerges these can
lead to tangible benefits in the future marketing of berry fruits.
Keywords
Berries
·
Strawberry
·
Raspberry
·
Blackberry
·
Blackcurrant
·
Blueberry
·
Fragaria
·
Rubus
·
Ribes
·
Vaccinium
·
Production
·
Genetics
·
Breeding
·
Fruit
quality
Strawberries
Introduction
Strawberries are the most widely grown of all the berry crops with commercial
production in 76 countries and on all continents except Antarctica. In 2010 the total
production worldwide was 4.4 million tonnes from an area of 241,974 ha, with
a gross value of $ 9,390 million (FAO
2012
). Fifty years ago strawberries were
widely grown but were considered to be a seasonal crop best suited for production
in temperate regions. However, the development of varieties with a low requirement
for winter chilling led to a dramatic increase in acreage in regions with warm win-
ters, such as California, Florida and the Mediterranean countries. The combination
of short-days and warm temperatures meant that the season could be extended to
give cropping through late winter and early spring, giving greatly increased yield
per hectare. In areas where there is a combination of warm winters and temper-
