East Malling Research will be unveiling two new June-bearing strawberry varieties from its breeding programme at Fruit Focus.

The two introductions, ‘Amelia’ and ‘Sallybright’, will be officially launched at 12.30pm on the Meiosis stand at the event.

Amelia is a late season variety that crops 12-15 days later than Elsanta. It is described as producing attractive, mid red coloured, regular shaped berries, which have good firmness and excellent shelf life. EMR regards their late cropping season, improved shelf life and berry colour as placing it as a suitable alternative to Florence.

Sallybright meanwhile crops slightly earlier than Elsanta and produces very regular shaped berries, with excellent flavour, according to EMR. The berries are juicy and have an attractive, glossy, red to deep red colour.

The variety is thought to be well suited to pyo and direct market growers rather than through multiple retail outlets.

EMR will also be offering show visitors guided walks around nearby trial plots. Dr Angela Berrie will be demonstrating research using fungicides, natural products and commodity substances for the control of botrytis and powdery mildew in raspberry.

Dr Jerry Cross will outline research on pheromones of the raspberry can midge, other fruit midges and capsid bugs. And Dr Jean Fitzgerald will talk about the biology and biological control of western flower thrips on strawberries.

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