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Parentage
Amelia (formerly EM1103) was bred at East Malling Research and was first selected in 1998. It
has a complex pedigree, which includes Pandora, Marmolada, Kent and Providence.
Season
Amelia crops 7-14 days later than Elsanta.
Fruit Quality
Amelia has attractive, firm berries with a mid-red colour and pleasant flavour. The
Brix levels are similar to Elsanta but shelf life has been superior in trials at East
Malling. Splitting below the calyx has been noted in some trials but this can be
minimised by keeping the plants dry and does not unduly affect marketability.
Yield and Fruit Size
Plants produce moderate yields and fruit size is similar to Elsanta.
Marketing Suitability
Amelia is suitable for supermarkets, direct farm sales and pick your-own.
Plant Characteristics
The plants are more vigorous than Elsanta and quite dense but the fruit is well displayed
and easy to harvest.
Disease resistance
In tests conducted at East Malling plants of Amelia have shown moderate resistance
to powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca macularis) and crown rot (Phytophthora cactorum).
Use of the variety
The late cropping season of Amelia makes it a useful variety to follow on from
Elsanta and other mid season types. The fruit quality provides an advantage over
other late season varieties due to the attractive, regular shaped berries, which
show good firmness and shelf life and have a mid-red colour with pleasant
flavour. The good plant vigour will enable Amelia to be grown on low input systems
similar to Florence, but with the additional advantage of a brighter, lighter skin colour.
Accreditations
The breeding of this variety was jointly funded by the
Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), MEIOSIS
Ltd and the East Malling Trust for Horticultural Research. The
trialling of this variety was funded by MEIOSIS Ltd and the
Horticultural Development Council (HDC).
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