CROSSBREEDING with wild native berries could be the route to creating UK-specific varieties of blueberries, the James Hutton Institute has claimed.

Discussed at the recent Fruit for the Future event, held at JHI's Invergowrie site, it was revealed that native blaeberry genetics are now being investigated in order to adapt productive blueberries to better suit UK growing conditions.

The total UK berry market is now valued at £1.18billion, and blueberries are a growing part of that boom, with consumption increasing by 24% in the last year alone. Unfortunately, unlike raspberries and strawberries, it is a fruit that we are not yet very good at producing – so 90% of the blueberries consumed in the UK are imported, with blueberry varieties currently only bred in the United States and New Zealand.

With those statistics in mind, researchers are keen to find ways to boost home production. Supermarkets and commercial producers are also onboard the drive to create a British variety which will cope and thrive in the UK climate. The JHI has been granted ÂŁ5million of funding for the work.

JHI researcher Dr Susan McCallum said that work so far had produced positive results: “Blaeberries are native to the UK and other places across Europe, and they’re part of the same family as blueberries, so we’re looking to develop the genetic background of both the blueberry and blaeberry to see if we can identify which genes help the blaeberry to thrive so well in the UK, to see if we can transfer that into a UK blueberry.

“We’re also looking at the genes which confer the colour through the pulp of the blueberry to see if we can understand that because that’s what gives the extra anthocyanins and the perceived health benefits of the fruit.”

Dr McCallum said of wild blaeberries: “They don’t need the nutrient input blueberries do, and they thrive well because they have a great relationship with fungi. We’re looking to see if we can isolate the fungi that work so well on the blaeberry and inoculate the blueberry to see if we can help it establish much quicker.

"Blaeberries don’t need to be fertilised and can tolerate long dry periods in the open sun, better than a blueberry could. If you leave a blueberry in the sun without water for a few days, it’s gone, beyond repair, but instead, a blaeberry could survive.”

Blaeberry occurs throughout Scotland, being most abundant in the Highlands, particularly in the north and west, especially around spruce and pine dominated heath forests. It occurs in both moorland and woodland, and grows well at elevations from sea level up to 1000 metres.

The species is predominantly pollinated by bumble bees, so larger areas of planting could enhance habitats for Bombus, which are considered an endangered species in the UK.