Polli research centre renews its fruit and berry variety database

A renewed website for the cultivar collection at the Polli horticultural research centre of the Estonian University of Life Sciences is meant to make variety-specific information on processing fruit and berries easier for businesses to use. The database holds details on nearly 1,000 berry and fruit varieties. Home gardeners and people interested in older varieties can use it as well.

The entries cover ripening time, yield and winter hardiness. For producers, the site also sets out how much sugar the berries or fruit contain, how much juice can be obtained and what remains in the press residue.

Hedi Kaldmäe, head of the centre’s analysis unit, said the update was driven mainly by companies that process the raw material. She said a producer needs to know not only which variety grows well in Estonia, but also the best use for the fruit. According to Kaldmäe, the centre already knows which variety suits juice better, which suits puree and which is better eaten fresh when someone asks, and the page was needed so businesses could reach that information more easily.