Browsing by Subject "raspberry"

Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) is one of the most important berry crops economically in Finland but the profitability is weakened due to frequent winter injuries and varying yields. Protected berry production has lately become the main cultivation method of raspberries in Europe. Long cane raspberry is a special plant type that has been induced to flower and cold stored to produce a harvest in the year of planting. Specifically designed for protected cropping raspberry long canes have been shown to possess a very high cropping potential. The aim of this study in the first experiment was to examine the effect of growing conditions, primocane and floricane number and storage time on yield of red raspberry long canes. Raspberries were grown in an open field and in a tunnel with varying cane numbers (1 or 2). After cold storage they were forced in a plastic tunnel and new shoots were allowed to grow alongside the floricanes. The canes grown in a tunnel yielded 56 % more compared to those grown outdoors. The plants with two floricanes yielded 39 % more compared to plants with only one floricane but their average berry weight was 0,6 g lower. Presence or absence of primocanes didn’t have an effect on the yield or other growth parameters of the floricanes. In the second experiment plants were grown in an open field and in a tunnel and cold stored for three different periods of 4, 12 or 20 weeks. After storage the plants were forced to flower in a greenhouse. The cropping potential of the plants stored for 20 weeks (977 flowers/plant) was almost three times as high compared to those stored for only 4 weeks (332 flowers/plant). Plants that had been stored for 20 weeks also produced 138 % more laterals that were 14 % longer than plants stored for 4 weeks. Bud break for plants stored for 20 weeks took place 25 days earlier than for those stored for 4 weeks. Carbohydrate content of raspberry cane is related to its ability to produce a harvest. In this experiment the concentration of soluble carbohydrates increased and the concentration of starch decreased during storage. The total carbohydrate content in the whole plant also decreased during storage and it was 12-40 % higher in plants grown in a tunnel compared to the ones grown in an open field. According to this research it is possible to increase raspberry yields with long cane plants. In the two experiments growing conditions and storage time were found to have the biggest influence on cropping potential. The most optimal long cane plant type based on this research would be a plant with two canes that has been grown in a tunnel and cold-stored 20 weeks at the minimum.

Protected cultivation of raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.) has increased its popularity in Finland. One reason is that the fruit is extremely sensitive to rainy weather during its development. The raspberry plant itself is sensitive to wind and low temperatures, which can reduce growth. In Europe most of the raspberry is grown in protected cultivation, and this technology is now becoming popular in Finland. A high tunnel is a cost-efficient way to protect the plants against rainy weather and extend the harvest season. The protected cultivation has been shown to increase the yield and cropping potential of raspberry and reduce the gray mold in the berries. In human diet, berries are among the richest sources of antioxidants. In raspberry, the most important antioxidants are vitamin C (20 %) and phenolic compounds (80 %). Among phenolic compounds, ellagitannins and anthocyanins give the greatest contribution to antioxidant activity. The aim of this thesis was to study the yield, sensory quality, nutritional quality and shelf life of three floricane fruiting raspberry cultivars grown in high tunnel and open field. Cultivars ’Glen Ample, ’Glen Dee’ and ’Maurin Makea’ were used in the study. Sugar and acid content of raspberry were examined to get an overview of sensory quality. The nutritional quality was studied with an antioxidant activity assay (using FRAP method) and total phenolics assay (using Fast Blue BB method). The shelf life was tested both in +5 °C and in room temperature. The average total yield per cane was 99 % greater in tunnel than in the open field, whereas both sugar and acid content of the berry were greater in open field. Berry weight and total phenolics content were strongly cultivar dependent characteristics. The results of the antioxidant activity assay did not show significant differences between either growing conditions or the cultivars. The shelf life in room temperature was equally weak for all samples, but in +5 °C storage the open field raspberries developed symptoms of gray mold earlier than those picked from the tunnel. The conclusion is that contents of health beneficial compounds in berries were not affected in tunnel cultivation, but berry taste may be affected, as differences in sugar and acid contents were observed.