|
Parentage
Cowichan was produced from a cross of Newburgh x
Qualicum made in 1987 at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre (PARC)
of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in British Columbia.
Season
Mid-season, similar to Tulameen.
Plant Characteristics
Cowichan is a vigorous growing cultivar with a
strong upright habit and canes bare long, strong, upward-growing
laterals allowing fruit to be well spaced. Spines are present in the
lower 40 cm but there are very few spines on top.
Fruiting Characteristics
Cowichan fruit are long and conical with bright,
medium red colour, while the flavour is not as distinct as Tulameen.
The percent post-harvest fruit rot of Cowichan is lower than that of
Tulameen. Fruit was rated as very good when hand harvested for fresh
market under extreme heat conditions. In replicated machine
harvesting trials planted in 2001, Cowichan produced the highest
yield and had the highest rated fruit quality.
Pest & Disease Resistance
Cowichan is resistant to the common biotype of
Amphorophora agathonica, the North American aphid vector of the
raspberry mosaic virus (RMV) complex. Cowichan has never tested
positive to the common strain of RBDV that is present in North
America. However, it was never exposed to the other strains and
therefore its reaction is unknown.
Exposure to Phytophthora fragariae var. rubi in
greenhouse pot tests showed that Cowichan was more resistant than
its parent Qualicum and less resistant than Newburgh. In field
conditions it appears to be relatively susceptible to root rot
causing organisms. Cowichan has been moderately susceptible to spur
blight Didymella applanata, has low susceptibility to cane Botrytis
(B. cinerea) and is much less susceptible to anthracnose (Elsinoe
veneta) than its parent Qualicum.
Potential Uses
Cowichan is a multi-purpose cultivar suited for
both fresh market and processing uses. The cultivar is very quick to
establish and produce high yields after the first planting year. In
large-scale grower trials in British Columbia and Washington State,
Cowichan has shown itself very suited for mechanical harvesting.
|
