Modelling the dormancy and chilling requirements in raspberry

The Raspberry Breeding Consortium (RBC) at James Hutton Limited is breeding a number of new floricane and primocane raspberry varieties. To help the industry successfully use these new varieties, a report has established their dormancy and chilling needs.

The global trend in raspberry production is for cold-stored, long cane material produced in pots of substrate.

This approach minimises costs and pest and disease problems. However, this technique relies on a good understanding of the dormancy and chilling requirements of each variety.

The information in the report will help you to:

• Match varieties to specific commercial needs, such as long cane production and use in cold or warm climates
• Optimise cold storage for long cane production by variety
• Manipulate crop timings to programme production
• Maximise yields by ensuring complete bud break
• Understand the resilience of varieties in different climatic conditions
• Harvest long cane plants at the optimum time to ensure successful cold storage and bud break

Full report produced by: Dr Louise Sutherland (Freiston Associated), Professor Simon Pearson (University of Lincoln) and Nikki Jennings (James Hutton Institute).

Image copyright Mrs J Allen, RSK ADAS Ltd.