Promising potential for strawberry variety Malling Centenary in Ireland

Teagasc researchers have gained a better understanding of the promising potential of this strawberry variety through work on the new and popular strawberry variety Malling Centenary. Strawberries have been the main soft fruit crop in Ireland for decades. In the 1970s and 1980s, this cultivation mainly consisted of processed strawberries, but recently the cultivation of protected fresh strawberries has increased enormously. Currently Irish growers supply at least 8,500 tons of fresh strawberries per year, worth an estimated €45m. For over 40 years, the Dutch cultivar Elsanta has been the most popular cultivated cultivar and the mainstay of Irish cultivation. A few years ago it was replaced by a new variety: the Malling Centenary. Malling Centenary was grown and marketed to celebrate the centenary of the East Malling Research Center in Kent. Malling Centenary is classified as an early-mid season cultivar making it suitable for early and extended season cultivation. The main ...