Brazil now has a sweeter and more profitable blackberry for producers

The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) has launched a new blackberry cultivar for the fresh market. It is called 'BRS Terena', a blackberry that combines high productivity, is sweeter, less acidic and has a longer post-harvest shelf life. Embrapa explained that BRS Terena is sweeter than the Tupy variety, the most widely grown in Brazil. With an average production of 1.2 kg per plant, it reaches production peaks of up to 1.8 kg. The blackberry has a net profitability potential of around 30,000 reais per hectare, according to the research. In addition, it has a lower density of thorns compared to the Tupy variety, which makes it easier to handle and harvest. The variety achieved yields of 1.8 kg per plant on average in the four harvests evaluated and outperformed Tupy in some conditions, according to Andrea de Rossi, a researcher at Embrapa Uva e Vinho (RS), who leads the cultivar validation experiments in Vacaria, in the Campos de Cima da Serra region. “BRS ...