New ‘Herriot’ strawberry: Tough plant, tasty fruit

GENEVA, N.Y. – With high yields, good disease resistance, eye-appeal and a mild flavor with pineapple overtones, ‘Herriot’ is a sweet option for growers.

“‘Herriot’ is one tough plant,” says Courtney Weber, the berry breeder in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University who developed the variety. “Many of our trials are in the worst possible soil conditions, and ‘Herriot’ is always one of the last varieties standing. And it tastes good too!”

The new variety’s features include:

High yields. In trials and with commercial growers in New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Minnesota and Ontario, ‘Herriot’ yielded as much as 60 percent more than ‘Jewel’, the predominant mid-season variety for perennial matted-row production that was also developed by Cornell. In trials at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva, N.Y., ‘Herriot’ harvest consistently begins two days before ‘Jewel’ with yields greater than or equal to that variety most years.

Beautiful berries. ‘Herriot’ produces large (up to 25 grams, averaging about 11 grams), heart-shaped, shiny red berries with a bright green calyx. “‘Herriot’ really draws the eye because of the nice shine on the fresh berries,” says Weber. “That makes them very attractive to farm-stand and pick-your-own customers.” Fruit is generally larger and more uniform than ‘Jewel’. Flavor is sweet and mild with light pineapple overtones.

Disease resistance. ‘Herriot’ shows good resistance to common leaf diseases, and holds up well to summer renovation, allowing for wider adaptation to variable soils. In Geneva, ‘Herriot’ blooms in mid-May, avoiding most damaging frosts.

The variety is named for the British author, James Herriot, one of Weber’s favorites.

Weber’s small fruits breeding program at Cornell is focused on developing improved strawberry and raspberry varieties for New York growers. Previous releases from Weber’s program – including ‘L’Amour’ and ‘Clancy’ strawberries and ‘Prelude’, ‘Encore’, and ‘Crimson Giant’ raspberries – have shown wide adaptation throughout New England, the Mid-Atlantic states and the Midwest, as well as temperate regions of Europe.

Growers interested in trying ‘Herriot’ in 2012 can purchase plants from the licensed nurseries Krohne Plant Farms (www.krohneplantfarms.com, 269-424-5423) and Daisy Farms (www.daisyfarms.net 269-782-6321).