Meiosis attended the annual Fruit Focus event at NIAB EMR at East Malling, Kent, UK on 25^th July, where we enjoyed a brisk time meeting friends old and new at our stand.  Overall visitor numbers seemed to be slightly down on last year, possibly because of the very hot weather.  Our stand was in a different location this year, in a corner near the WET centre, and some visitors commented that they couldn’t find us !  Sorry about that – we’ll ensure that we are easier to find next year.

We had fruit samples of Malling^TM Centenary (from the EMSBC) and Magnum (from Marionnet) strawberries, and Paris raspberries (also from Marionnet) on the stand for everyone to taste. Fruit of the new EMSBC everbearer Malling^TM Champion was also available to try, and we received favourable comments on all the varieties.  Malling^TM Champion and the new late June Bearer Malling^TM Allure will be launched in 2019 but small quantities of plants are already being produced to order – please refer to the variety details on the Meiosis website for the names of licenced propagators.

Tony Holden and his team of APHA plant health inspectors shared our stand again this year, and discussed the major pests and diseases of berry crops with visitors, and also provided provided visitors with details of how plant health inspections and certification works in the UK.

Dr Mark Else and his collaborators in the WET centre offered very interesting tours and talks on managing water efficiency technologies in strawberry production, which was particularly relevant given the drought conditions being experienced in the UK and many other berry-producing regions.  Water saving is not the only benefit derived from the use of these technologies, as plant health, crop yield and fruit quality can all benefit from the precise management of water and fertiliser.

Meiosis Team

On 26^th of June Meiosis attended the Delphy International Soft Fruit Event in the Netherlands, which focussed on practical demonstrations of various berry crops such as strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and red currant. The event was held over three sites: Thwan Van Gennip, Genson and Verkuijlen Groente & Fruit. During the day various demonstrations and company presentations took place, including trials of  plant strengthening products on raspberries, an innovative crop covering system, and the opportunity to see several interesting new strawberry varieties.

Thank you to Willem van Eldik and the Delphy Soft Fruit Team for organising this interesting event!

Meiosis Team

Last week, representatives from Meiosis attended the 2017 Haskap Conference in Poland. Growers, propagators and researchers from Europe and Canada came together to share knowledge and experience of the crop.

Haskap variety ‘Aurora’, photo credit: Meiosis Ltd.

Haskap, otherwise referred to as ‘Honeyberry’, is the fruit of Lonicera caerulea var. kamtschatica. It is considered by some to have potential to become the ‘fifth berry’ after strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and blueberry. Berries are an elongated tear-drop shape and have a dark blue skin. Their flavour can range from tart to quite sweet depending on the variety. The high content of health-promoting compounds, such as anthocyanins and anti- inflammatory iridoids, make this fruit attractive to growers and consumers alike. Time will tell whether this new crop will find a place in the European market.

-MS

The Taste of Kent Awards 2018, organised by Produced in Kent, has begun with the first category, the Garden of England Champion tastiest soft fruit and cherry, judged at the National Cherry and Soft Fruit Show at the Kent County Show, Friday 7 July.

Magnum took first place in the strawberry category, produced by John Myatt & Co of Mockbegger Farm, Rochester. Magnum is a June-bearing strawberry variety, bred by Marionnet SCEA. It produces large, high quality berries with a sweet flavour.

The Taste of Kent Awards have been running since 2004 and are recognised as the outstanding annual showcase for Kent food and drink producers. The awards promote a wide range of categories and are open to all food and drink businesses across Kent. 

These top quality primocane raspberries from Marionnet were spotted at one of our Kent trial sites last week. Deauville presents a deep red berry which is both pleasantly glossy in appearance and flavourful to eat. Berries produced Paris are bright with large drupelets and the plants looked high yielding. The fruit of Versailles comes cleanly away from the plug and displayed a consistently large berry size and good flavour.

-MS