|
Parentage
Finesse (formerly EMR346) was bred
at East Malling Research and first selected in 2003 from the cross
EM1117 x Everest.Fruit Quality
Attractive, uniformly heart shaped glossy berries with recessed
seeds, waxy skin and a good fresh-looking calyx. The bright
red/orange colour of the berries is retained well post harvest. Skin
strength and shelf life are both good. The flavour has a good
balance of sweetness and acidity and the berries are juicy with a
smooth texture.
Yield and Fruit Size
Finesse has consistently produced yields slightly higher than
Everest in trials, with up to 1.37kg/plant Class 1 being recorded.
| Raised bed production |
2005 EMR
Finesse Everest |
2005 EMR
Finesse Everest |
2005 EMR
Finesse Everest |
| Class 1 g/plant |
876 790 |
1,283 1,091 |
1,368 1,256 |
Berry size
25-35mm (medium) |
63% 69% |
50% 46% |
53% 54% |
Berry size
>35mm (large) |
37% 31% |
50% 54% |
47% 46% |
Marketing Suitability
Finesse fruit is suited to most market outlets. At tasting
sessions the flavour has been well received and described as having
a ‘good sweetness with a delightfully juicy June-bearer texture’, ‘a
classic strawberry colour and shape, with a pleasing aroma and
taste’, ‘exceptional quality for an everbearing variety’. Finesse is
listed by both Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
Plant Characteristics
Finesse is a leafy, lush, vigorous plant with a spreading habit.
Fruit is produced on long trusses resulting in a good fruit display
and easy, quick harvest. Very few runners are produced during the
fruiting season.
Disease Resistance
Finesse is particularly noted for its resistance to Verticillium
wilt (Verticillium dahliae) and crown rot (Phytophthora cactorum) as
displayed in both EMR and commercial grower trials. Plants are also
moderately resistant to powdery mildew (Podosphaera aphanis).
Use of the Variety
Finesse can be grown in both substrate and soil growing systems.
The lack of runners reduces husbandry inputs and the very good fruit
display allows for a quick, easy harvest throughout the season. It
has an advantage over many everbearer varieties due its very good
disease resistance, allowing the variety to be planted in a wide
range of situations without risk of plant losses occurring.
Finesse has the potential to provide growers with a robust plant
that will produce a reliably consistent yield of good quality fruit
suitable for a range of markets.
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). |
