Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
blackberries are tipped at 1-1-1.5 m to encourage branching that increases produc-
tivity. Well-managed fertility, irrigation, and pest management programs are needed
to maximize production and quality. For 'Tupy' production in Mexico where no
winter chilling is experienced, a unique system using chemical defoliation and
growth regulators is used to stimulate and program flowering and fruiting to target
market opportunities (Clark and Finn
2011
). The primocane-fruiting blackberries
are simply cut to the ground in the off-season and the primocanes are tipped at
0.6-0.7 m to encourage branching for greater productivity. Some floricane fruiting
of primocane cultivars is conducted by some growers.
Compared to most berries, blackberries have fewer disease problems. Viruses
are a major problem throughout the cropping range, and systemic rust fungi and
double blossom rosette (caused by
Cercosporella rubi
) can kill plants in the eastern
North America. However, most diseases are readily controlled with good cultural
practices and the planting of virus-tested stock.
Future Challenges and Opportunities
Blackberry consumption continues to increase worldwide and the future opportu-
nities are endless. Fruit quality, particularly berries with no off-flavours and with
less noticeable seeds, is of particular interest in new cultivars. As blackberries are
pushed out of their ideal environments into new production areas and systems, it
will be critical to develop cultivars and production techniques that will support this
expansion.
Currants and Gooseberries
Introduction
Fruits of the
Ribes
genus are divided into currants (black, red and white) and goose-
berries. They are predominantly used in processing, although there have been sig-
nificant rises in their popularity as fresh berries in some European countries, partly
as a result of their perceived health benefits (Brennan and Graham
2008
).
Blackcurrants are from the sub-genus Eucoreosma, and most commercial types
are derived from the species
Ribes nigrum
L. and its subspecies, notably
R. nigrum
var.
sibiricum
and var.
scandinavicum
. Domestication of blackcurrant has taken
place only within the last 400 years (Brennan
1996
).
Redcurrants were first grown as garden plants for fruit in the sixteenth century
in Holland and Denmark (Roach
1985
), at which time the main species progenitor
was
R. sativum
. Further red-fruited species that were subsequently introduced were
R. petraeum
and
R. rubrum
, and modern breeding has also incorporated
R. spica-
tum
and
R. multiflorum
from Scandinavia (Brennan
1996
). White currants were
described in the seventeenth century and are a mutant form of the red.
