Issue No 12, July 1999.

NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the Advice on Publications Available.

18b. Bramble fruit

The following notes have been extracted, with the authors' permission from a series of Agnotes, most of which were developed by Ian Knox, of the Oz Rural Web site (http://www.ozrural.com), for the database of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, which can also be accessed through the NRE Web site (http://www.nre.vic.gov.au).

Product

Bramble fruit includes raspberries and cultivated blackberries; the latter including a number of type and varieties, maturing at slightly different times (the earliest listed first):

Loganberry (Rubus ursinus x Rubus idaeus) a less vigorous, trailing plant
Boysenberry (Rubus ursinus) a vigorous trailing plant
Silvan blackberry (Rubus ursinus) a trailing, thorny vigorous plant
Murrindindi (complex parentage) a trailing thornless variety
Youngberry (Rubus ursinus) similar to the boysenberry
Black Satin, vigorous, semi-erect, thornless
Loch Ness (European origin) semi-erect, thornless variety
Lawtonberry (North American origin) upright, very thorny plant
Thornfree (mainly European origin) semi-erect, thornless, vigorous plant
Dirkum Thornless, semi-erect, vigorous, thornless
Chester Thornless, similar to Thornfree
Smoothstem, semi-erect, vigorous, thornless

The major areas of production are the Dandenongs and Gippsland in Victoria, the higher altitude regions of NSW and southern Queensland, the Adelaide hills, the Margaret River area of WA and throughout Tasmania. Bramble fruit produce biennial canes; new canes appear every spring and traditionally they flower and fruit in the second season; more recent varieties have been selected to flower on the new canes.

Production requirements are described in the Agriculture Note available through http://www.ozrural.com or http://www.nre.vic.gov.au

Marketing

Bramble fruit is marketed by:

hand picking for the fresh market, but shelf life is only a few days,
mechanically harvesting in bulk for jam or confectionary companies or
managing a pick-your-own enterprise.

For further information, contact:
Australian Rubus Growers Association
Telephone: 03 5967 4231

Institute for Horticultural Development
Department of Natural Resources and Environment
Private Mail Bag 15
South Eastern Mail Centre
Knoxfield, Victoria 3180
Telephone: 03 9210 9222
Facsimile: 03 9800 3521

Farm Diversification Information Service
Department of Natural Resources and Environment
Bendigo, Victoria 3550
Telephone: 1800 150 515 or 03 5430 4444

Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter

Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email: r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au

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originally created by: GK; latest update 17 October 2001 by: RF