By Brent Bosker

U of S continues work on blueberry rival

Mar 13, 2011 | 11:46 AM

A new fruit crop is emerging in Saskatchewan and according to one researcher, it has the potential to rival the blueberry industry.

“If we get the infrastructure (haskap) could be really big,” said Bob Bors, head of the fruit breeding program at the University of Saskatchewan.

A popular berry in places like Japan and Russia, it is virtually an unknown here in Canada even though the shrub grows wild in many places across Canada.

The University of Saskatchewan is breeding a new variety called haskap for commercial production on the prairies. To date it has released two cultivars (Borealis and Tundra) to propagators across Canada.

“We’re breeding to make the bushes larger and grow faster,” said Bors.

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They have the flavour right, but are still working on productivity, he said.

The shrub has unique attributes which set it apart from other berry crops such as strawberries and blueberries.

“What I think is exciting about the plant is its blossoms are resistant to -7 C and it’s the first fruit of the growing season,” said Bors.

“I think the only crop you could probably get faster than (haskap) is either radishes or lettuce.”

With high levels of antioxidants and Vitamin C the berry has a high nutritional value.

Curtis Braaten, owner of Haskap Central Sales near Prince Albert, has high hopes for the fruit crop. His company is licensed to grow and export the Borealis and Tundra cultivars throughout North America.

“I think we’re only scratching the surface,” said Braaten.
“I don’ think the university has experienced any type of sale like this before.”

“Just locally, we sold frozen haskap berries for over $11 dollars a pound last year – the same price fetched for raspberries from California,” he said.

The berry can be used to make jams, juices and wines said Bors.

“Throughout the world you can’t grow good quality wines this far north, yet you can grow haskap and turn it into wine.”

“Some of the experts we sent samples to assumed it was a red wine made from grapes,” he said.

Haskap has also been sampled by many people visiting Saskatoon’s Jerry’s Food Emporium who have made gelato out of the berry. “If they had to choose five flavors to market, haskap would be one of them. That’s how much they like it,” said Bors.

Bors said he believes the main reason the berry hasn’t gone mainstream is people were turned off by early varieties which tasted like tonic water.

“(People) didn’t know it could taste better.”
Part of the universities research is to combine the best traits of the berry so it can be harvested mechanically.

The Japanese kind ripen unevenly, while the Russian varieties mature in unison but tend to be  fragile and wouldn’t survive the machine, Bors said.

The U of S is also trying to determine when the most ideal time is to plant the crop. Spring versus fall seeding research has been underway since last September at the Conservation Learning Centre south of Prince Albert.

bbosker@panow.com