The superblueberry! Scientists busy creating new fruit that’ll thrive even in a Scottish climate – and it’ll be the size of a STRAWBERRY
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The super blueberry! Scientists are creating new fruit that will thrive even in a Scottish climate – and it will be the size of a STRAWBERRY
- Scientists at the James Hutton Institute (JHI) are creating a new blueberry
- More than 40 different blueberries are crossed to find the perfect fruit
Scientists are creating a new variety of blueberries that will grow in Scotland and will be three times the size of normal.
Experts cross-breed over 40 different blueberries to discover the perfect fruit to grow in the Scottish climate.
The new fruits are not only three times the size of the usual supermarket versions – bigger than a grape or a small strawberry – but promise to be crunchier, juicier and tastier.
Blueberries are already considered a “superfood” – credited with everything from lowering blood pressure and preventing heart disease to improving memory and speeding up muscle recovery after exercise.
Now scientists at the James Hutton Institute (JHI) in Invergowrie near Dundee are working on a variety that will thrive north of the border. The leading scientific research center turned its attention to blueberries about a decade ago after a disease wiped out the raspberry industry.
Over 40 different blueberry varieties are crossed to find the perfect new fruit
The JHI found that blueberries sourced from North America did not produce the same yield or quality of fruit if grown in the UK.
Now there are contenders, including a fruit as large as 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter.
Dr. Susan McCallum, blueberry researcher and breeder at the JHI, said the scientists wanted to help growers understand which selectively bred plants were best suited to Scotland’s climate.
“We were able to advise them pretty well on which cultivars were best suited for the soil, the conditions, the pH we had — but it still wasn’t perfect, so we started crossing and growing our own blueberries,” she said.
Dr. McCallum, who tends 5,000 plants at Invergowrie, said a Scottish blueberry would ideally provide a good yield for growers to make money from, as well as size, flavour, firmness and crunch. ‘A large size not only makes it more attractive to the consumer, but also to the pickers. It makes filling the container easier, it’s a more attractive fruit and tends to have more flavor,” she said.
‘It has to have a good balance between sugar and acid, it has to be firm and nice and crunchy.
‘I think we’re getting there. There is certainly one leader that has the yield and plant architecture, but also a fantastic fruit size and taste.’