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Parentage/Origin
The strawberry variety Bolero was raised in 1987 by Dr David
Simpson and Judi Bell. It has a complex pedigree involving Redgauntlet,
Wiltguard, Gorella, Cardinal and Selva. Selected in 1988 because of
its very high fruit quality, Bolero (formerly EMR 63) was released to
the industry in 1996 following extensive trialling.
Fruit Quality
The fruit is very firm and has a good shelf life; consistently
better than the standards in tests. The flavour is superior to Evita.
Berries have a very regular, conical shape, which tends to become
elongated towards the end of the season. They are very glossy with
orange-red skin colour.
Yield and Fruit Size
In autumn planted trials, Bolero has been more productive than all
the standard varieties in five years out of six since 1992. In spring
planted grower trials in 1995 the yield from Bolero was similar to
Evita despite a later planting date.
Average fruit size is smaller than Evita with many of the berries
in the medium size category (25-35 mm) but this is partly due to their
elongated shape. In all trials Bolero has produced a much higher
proportion of Class 1 fruit than the standard varieties.
Season
From an autumn planting the season is later than Evita but is more
condensed. In a spring planted trial at HRI Efford in 1995, the
cropping pattern of Bolero was very similar to Calypso.
Marketing Suitability
With its excellent fruit quality and particularly good shelf-life,
Bolero is well suited for supermarket sales and all other types of
retail outlets.
Plant Characteristics Plants are moderately vigorous and runner
production is better than most other everbearing varieties. Pollen
production is excellent which is one of the reasons for the
consistently high proportion of Class 1 fruit, regardless of extremes
in weather.
Disease Resistance
Bolero has an advantage in that it is moderately resistant to
powdery mildew. An added bonus is a useful level of resistance to
crown rot (Phytophthora cactorum) and wilt (Verticillium dahliae).
Accreditations
The strawberry breeding programme at East Malling Research is 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 new strawberry selections is funded by MEIOSIS Ltd
and the Horticultural Development Council
(HDC). |
