Scots growers taking a look at blueberries

AT PRESENT, only 3 per cent of the blueberries that are eaten in this country are grown here, but moves are afoot to increase production in the UK and get more soft-fruit growers into a crop where demand is rising rapidly year on year.

More consumers are now attracted to eating blueberries because of the health benefits; they have four times the level of antioxidants of bananas and apples.

In order to meet the current demand, major retailers are importing the berries from all over the world.

However, a group of 12 UK growers, fruit processors and major retailers is funding a five-year project at the Scottish Crop Research Institute aimed at raising home production.

SCRI has been growing blueberries for more than 30 years, but it is only in the past two or three years, following the public's rising enthusiasm for healthy eating, that the blueberry boom has taken off.

Speaking yesterday at the institute, Julie Graham said the project would be looking at which blueberry varieties were best suited for this country.

SCRI was already collaborating with research stations in both the United States and New Zealand in the sharing of information on germ plasm and the molecular makeup of blueberries.

The aim is to breed varieties suited to the UK climate, and SCRI will be looking in particular at which strains would provide a long harvesting period, as that is an essential element in supplying today's markets. Nowadays, the knowledge of the molecular makeup of the plant helps to bring new varieties forward.

The project will also look at mechanical harvesting of the crop, as hand labour costs are significantly higher in this country than they are in other blueberry growing areas, such as Chile, Poland and South Africa.

A number of the main Scottish soft-fruit growers already have acreages of blueberries under polytunnels, but these are at an early stage in their life and few plantations have reached full production so far.