Berries
Everyone knows the fruit drink Ribena, but few people realise that the blackcurrant varieties used to produce this ever-popular brand were bred at JHI. JHI's blackcurrants are all named after mountains in Scotland, so you will find Ben Hope, Ben Dorain and Ben Alder berries grown throughout the UK and beyond. It has been estimated that JHI-bred blackcurrants account for more than 50% of the global crop, and new varieties are being launched most years.
Similarly, JHI's raspberries are all named after Scottish valleys or glens, so you will find Glen Ample (the number one variety in the UK) and Glen Lyon (the number one variety in Spain). JHI currently breeds raspberries for a consortium of companies involved in the UK raspberry industry with additional support from the Scottish Executive and the Horticultural Development Council. In addition, we also breed blackberries (named after Scottish lakes or lochs) and have the number one variety in the world in Loch Ness. We recently launched Loch Tay which is attracting strong attention from growers around the world.
JHI has achieved considerable success with its strawberry variety Symphony which is widely grown in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany and is now being planted by growers in Eastern Europe. The variety Rhapsody is currently being grown for the specialist Pick Your Own market.
MRS would like to talk to any growers interested in licensing any of the JHI fruit portfolio and to companies interested in initiating their own breeding programmes. The increase in interest in healthy eating coupled with access to plants with improved pest and disease resistance and improved pest control strategies makes investment in berries and soft fruit breeding an attractive option.
