Kvalitetssäkring av frukt- och bärväxter: ett hållbart system för utvärdering och dokumentation av växtmaterial för plantskola och fritidsodling

This project was conducted as a partnership project in which we have taken advantage of various participant skills and resources. Partners have been The Elite Plant Station, E-planta, Fritidsodlingens Riksorganisation, Hushållningssällskapet Rådgivning Nord, HIR Malmöhus and The Swedish University of Agricultural Science, SLU. The aim of the project was to provide a modern plant assortment of cultivars with quality assurance and that meet the requirements from nurseries and users. Key objectives of the project were to: develop a sustainable system for the evaluation of new fruit and berry plants, develop a protocol for the evaluation of plant traits, conduct an analysis of the existing range, and begin collecting, start evaluation of new interesting plant material and communicating effects and results with nurseries, trade and plant users. Results show that there is an urgent need to renew the range and the extent of the collected plant material suggests that there are good prospects to find good and interesting material of fruit and berry cultivars suitable for the Swedish climate. The model for the introduction of new plant material in the fruit and berries in Sweden covers the collection, testing culture, documentation, evaluation and information.