Onésime Pouliot Raspberry Open Day

Ferme Onésime Pouliot is one of the largest berry businesses in the province of Québec. They combine large scale production of fresh strawberries and raspberries with a high-tech nursery business. The latter has a focus on high quality substrate produced long cane and plug plant raspberries, as well as strawberry trade plants.

Visitors to the open day were from Canada and the USA. They included fruit producers, nurseries and crop consultants from a range of prestigious organisations. After the initial introductions and crop presentations, we went out into the field to see the raspberry varieties in action.

Skye raspberry showed vigorous plants with a large number of berries. As a result, the yield potential looked to be significant, both as a standalone variety and when compared to the control types. Although not renowned for its production as a long cane raspberry, Lewis displayed good yield potential with very good tasting berries. Glen Mor was the earliest of the three raspberry varieties to start harvest and we are excited to see final yield, quality and picking profile data at the end of the season.

Having sheltered from a heavy rainstorm, we moved back inside to take a look at and to taste berries that had been harvested the previous day. All three varieties were picked into punnets / clamshells as per a standard commercial harvest. It was really interesting to witness flavour differences between berries straight off the plant and those that the that were one day older. It was also noteworthy how differences in shelf-life potential were likely to develop post-harvest. Additionally, we were excited to receive more general feedback on all three varieties.

Further commercial scale trials are planned in the territory as the varieties continue to develop. Stay in touch with us here at Global Plant Genetics for all the latest news on the raspberry varieties that we represent as well as other crops.