COMMERCIALISING BLACKBERRIES

Taupo Times, Volume 20, Issue 4, 19 January 1971, Page 8

COMMERCIALISING BLACKBERRIES

The wild blackberry, its existence cursed by the farmer and its fruit eagerly sought after by the rambling picker, may be replaced, with few regrets, in the years ahead when new, closely related berry fruits, introduced and developed by the Department of Agriculture, are grown commercially in New Zealand. At the department's horticultural research centre at Levin, several varieties of brambles have been assessed over the last six years and has resulted already in two new varieties being released this past winter to commercial growers, with a third expected to be released next winter. The two, the fruit of which will probably be available to the consumer in small quantities next summer, are Marion and Aurora. Olallie, for which high hopes are held, is the one that should appear the following year. The fruit of all three are winners — long and large like the loganberry, black and with the true wild blackberry flavour. But the term "blackberry" is not favoured, nor is the word "berry", as in the commonly used "loganberry" and "boysenberry", liked much by the department. Mr L. A. Porter, officer in charge of berry fruit growing at Levin, maintains that "bramble" is the correct term for all such fruits with "logan" and "boy-

sen" the names by which to call particular varieties. "But already growers are referring to 'marionberries' and I have no doubt they will continue to do so," he said recently. "But I would not like to see the term 'blackberry' applied to Marions, Auroras or Olallies since there is little likelihood of these brambles running riot and destroying pasture."

Mr Porter said that one local body had at first refused an application for a grower to plant Marions on the grounds that to them they were blackberries and as such were banned entirely from the district. The recommended method of growing Marions, Auroras and Olallies is in hedgerows and, although they have many of the characteristics of the wild blackberry, the plants do

not sucker to any great extent. Yields similar to Logan and Boysen — up to eight tons an acre — may be expected from well established plants. Cultivation in almost every respect is common to all brambles and there should be - no additional problems for growers with the new varieties.