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Redeva and The Summerfruit Company introduce new variety

Following the successful introduction of everbearer strawberries Elsinore and Elsegarde, and the more recent early variety, Clery, berry breeder CIV has patented an additional June-bearing variety. Previously known as selection A15-34, it has just this month been named as variety "Antea".

Introduced last year in the UK by Redeva, Antea has since been employed in trials by growers at The Summerfruit Company. It has proven suitable for different growing techniques and can grant a second summer yield. Early signs indicate Antea is a potential rival to market-leader Elsanta, with its large, firm, regular shape, and perfumed taste making a good impression among certain UK retailers.

Adrian Wallbridge, The Summerfruit Company technical director, agrees that Antea has the potential for good performance. "It is certainly showing promise, as are a number of other varieties that we have on trial," says Wallbridge. "We probably will take Antea forward to further trials, along with other selections from breeders' programmes as well as selections of our own."

In addition to the strawberries being grown commercially, The Summerfruit Company growers are also trialing other selections - unnamed varieties - from Redeva's breeding research and development programme. "We are now in our third year of trials, and from the initial 17,000 seedlings planted in 2002, we narrowed them down to a Top Ten, which are now being assessed on growers' farms, under both raised bed and tabletop cultivation methods" says Irene Geoghegan, Strawberry Development Manager at Redeva. "At the end of the 2005 season, we will determine which selections are to be named as new Redeva varieties. These will then be made available under limited release to The Summerfruit Company growers only."

Redeva has also enjoyed notable success with Suzana, a strawberry variety released as part of the Redeva Strawberry Breeding Programme, and granted European Community Plant Variety Rights in May 2004. "Suzana ripens up to 15 days faster than current varieties and transports well, yet is succulent to eat," says Geoghegan. "Having emerged from Redeva's breeding programme, Suzana is now in commercial production with Summerfruit Company growers for retail supply."

Wallbridge adds, "At Redbridge, we deal with catering, food processors and wholesale markets , so when we look at a variety, it may be that it's not suitable for retail but it may plug easily or slice well, making it ideal for our catering customers. The advantage of Redbridge Holdings is that we can look at all the different markets and assess where new varieties would fit best."

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