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Parentage
Elegance (formerly EM1276) was bred at East
Malling Research from a cross between two numbered seedlings, EM834
x EM1033 and was first selected in 2001.
Season
Fruit produced slightly later than Elsanta and crops over an
extended period.
Fruit Quality
Very attractive, glossy, bright orange/red berries with uniform
conic shape. Flavour is best when the fruit is fully ripe. Texture
is fine and juicy. Berries have a waxy skin with good skin strength
and hold well both on the plant and in store. Brix and shelf life
are similar to Elsanta. Supermarkets score the berries highly for
appearance and firmness.
Yield and Fruit Size
Higher yield than Elsanta, Florence and Symphony, with excellent
60-day performance. Fruit size is larger than Elsanta.
Marketing Suitability
The fruit is suited to most
market outlets and promises to be a good addition to the June-bearer
portfolio for both growers and retailers.
Plant Characteristics
Taller and more vigorous than
Elsanta but with a more erect habit. Fruit is well-displayed.
Disease Resistance/
Moderately resistant to crown
rot (Phytophthora cactorum) and Verticillium wilt (Verticillium
dahliae). Susceptible to powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca macularis).
Use of the Variety
Elegance gives excellent
60-day production over an extended period, good main crop yields and
exceptional fruit quality. Elegance has a later season, similar to
Symphony, with reasonably good disease tolerance to crown rot and
Verticillium wilt, but a susceptibility to powdery mildew on the
foliage has been noted in trials. The plants show more vigorous
growth than Elsanta and a good fruit display. With a waxy skin the
berries have good rain tolerance.
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). |
