Soft Fruit Technology Group
The objective of the SFTG is to provide research on soft fruit crops that is relevant and useful to the soft fruit industry. It is a unique initiative because research programmes are designed in consultation with SFTG members (who are the userbase), and because effective communication of research data to the members is given the highest priority.
How it works
Core activities within the SFTG are managed by Dr Evangelos Tsormpatsidis, Professor Paul Hadley and Professor Nick Battey. They provide research results that are available to all SFTG members, and are communicated via Factsheets, Newsletters and a SFTG Members' Day. Current Core Fundersare FAST Ltd., who provides advice to over 300 fruit growers, Well-Pict European Growers Ltd., one of the largest fruit marketing organisations in the UK, and Hargreaves Plants Ltd., a major UK plant propagator.
Associate Membership is available to individual growers and costs £230 p.a. Currently over 270 growers belong to the SFTG as individuals or through Well-Pict European Growers Ltd., FAST Ltd. and Hargreaves Plant Ltd. This allows access to information from core projects, Factsheets and attendance at a Members' Day. Corporate membership is available to larger organisations and the membership fee is negotiable and depends on the individual's requirements. This year Field Ltd., joined the group as Corporate associate members.
In addition to core projects, the SFTG also runs specific, and where appropriate, exclusive projects, funded by individuals or consortia. These are the subject of separate contracts with the University and allow funding to be focused on specific topics. Funders of projects of this kind become Project Members of the SFTG, and have full access to the results from core activities. A typical project might be a three year PhD studentship, at a cost of £12K p.a. plus a SFTG overhead of £1.5K p.a. One of the advantages of SFTG research is that it offers the possibility of 'spin-off' or 'add-on' projects run by BSc, MSc and PhD students in areas related to those directly funded.
Membership Benefits
The work of the SFTG has covered an extremely diverse range of topics from determining chilling effects in cherry, raspberry and strawberry to investigating practical production issues such as the double cropping of raspberries and bag production of everbearers.
As a member, you will have access to the following factsheets. These have been designed as a means of providing the industry with the information we have gained through our experiments.
Strawberries:
- The path to optimum yield in Elsanta
- Flowering in the strawberry and raspberry
- Yield prediction and BerrySimTM
- Mis-shapen fruits in strawberry
- Results of yield trial 1996
- Chilling in the strawberry
- Light and the strawberry crop
Raspberries:
- Raspberries for Christmas
- Controlling raspberry cropping
- Chilling effects on raspberry
- Double cropping raspberries
- Flowering in the strawberry and raspberry
Cherries:
- The effect of chilling on cherry
Soft Fruit Information Day
This is held at the end of the year as a chance for researchers in the group to discuss their work and disseminate results of current experiments as they are produced. It also allows our members to direct the course of our research in a very practical way. With input from growers at this time we are able to ensure that the research we do is as applicable to the industry as possible.