Study seeking hardier strawberries

Scientists are trying to create new types of strawberries which are resistant to climate change to ensure the fruit stays at the top of Britain’s summer menu.

Consumer demand for fresh strawberries in the UK has been growing since the early 1990s and at Wimbledon alone, tennis fans consume an estimated 27,200kg during the fortnight-long tournament each year.

Now scientists at East Malling Research are attempting to develop new varieties of strawberries which are better able to cope with the predicted impacts of rising temperatures including hotter, drier summers.

It is hoped the new types of strawberry will need less water and chemicals to grow, reducing their environmental impact.

The Environment Department, which is funding the research, said varieties were being bred by crossing UK and foreign types of strawberries with traits such as being more disease resistant, producing a large amount of fruit or tolerance to higher temperatures.

The new strawberries are being grown in field trials and assessed in the £670,000 research project.

Dr David Simpson, from East Malling Research, said: “Consumer demand for fresh strawberries in the UK has been growing year-on-year since the early 1990s.

“The British growers have done a great job of increasing their productivity to satisfy demand between April and October.

“The future will be challenging due to the impacts of climate change and the withdrawal of many pesticides but the breeding programme at EMR is using the latest scientific approaches to develop a range of varieties that will meet the needs of our growers for the future.”

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said: “Strawberries are quite simply the taste of the summer, as inherently British as Wimbledon itself.

“Innovative research such as this may revolutionise the way we grow the nation’s favourite berry.”