The presentation of the new raspberry, Pink Rosita, is mainly focused on the ease of picking

At Berrybrothers in Roggel, the raspberry variety Pink Rosita (Plapink 1304) was introduced yesterday to around fifty visitors from the European fruit industry. The word that kept coming back throughout the day was "ease of picking." That is exactly what makes this variety stand out, and it certainly caught the attention of many growers in the audience.

With labor costs continuing to rise, easy harvesting, and therefore lower picking costs, has become a crucial factor. According to Jan van Zuilen of Berrybrothers, the Pink Rosita really makes a difference in practice. "We see that our pickers can work much faster with this variety," he explained. "That means more kilos harvested per worker, and in the end, lower picking costs. For us, it saves about one euro per kilo of raspberries."

Satisfied with yield and shelf life
Berrybrothers has already been trialing Pink Rosita for three years, and the results have been promising. "It's not just about the picking costs," Jan continued. "The yields are strong, and we're especially pleased with the shelf life. Because the berries stay fresh for longer, we can confidently supply customers further away, which opens up new markets. And on top of that, this variety grows really well under our conditions."

Still, the main topic of conversation throughout the day was the ease of picking. Elisa Pérez, breeding manager at Planasa, explained exactly what makes the difference. "We selected three specific traits that improve harvest efficiency. First, the structure of the plant: the berries are clearly visible and not hidden behind drooping branches or leaves. Second, the fruit size: the raspberries are relatively large, which makes picking faster and easier. And third, perhaps the most important factor, the attachment of the berry to the plant. Pink Rosita holds less tightly than other varieties, so the fruit comes off more smoothly during harvest."

Nice balance between sweet and fresh
And of course, there's also the matter of taste, which is just as important. Gerard Vos from Vos Fruit in Driel knows this all too well. "I once tried a Spanish variety that did really well over there, but in our climate, it didn't get enough sun to develop enough sugars. Honestly, it was inedible!" he laughed. With Pink Rosita, however, he is satisfied. "The flavor is very good, a nice balance between sweetness and freshness," Gerard said.

Besides the trial at Berrybrothers in Roggel, another test is underway in Sint-Truiden, Belgium, at PC Fruit. So far, the results there have also been promising, explained Clara Spruyt. "We mainly grew them as a spring crop, and the yields were better than those of Kwanza, another variety we work with. Harvesting is much easier, and I also think Pink Rosita tastes better. They contain more sugars. We've now planted them as an autumn crop as well, and I'm curious to see how they perform."

No complicated contract
Another advantage is that growers don't have to deal with complicated contracts. Ruth Schrijnwerkers of Schrijnwerkers Plants, a fruit grower in Limburg, is especially pleased about that. "Recently, I received a letter from another breeder, saying I first had to pay an entrance fee of several thousand euros just to be allowed to grow their raspberry variety. On top of that, I would have been tied to the contract for five years. No thanks, I'd much rather just pay per plant."

According to Sjoerd Van Gestel of Planasa, the launch of Pink Rosita was more of a sneak preview than a full introduction. "Normally, you wait a bit longer before presenting a new variety, so you have more trial data and figures to share. But in this case, word about Pink Rosita was already spreading among growers, and I was getting so many questions that we decided to organize this pre-launch."

He was pleased with the turnout, which included representatives from Poland, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. "Several people have already expressed serious interest. So for me, this meeting is already a success."

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For more information:
Nijs and Teun van Zuilen

Berrybrothers
Nijken 186088 NR Roggel
Tel.: +31 (0)6 46 70 84 53
[email protected] / [email protected]www.berrybrothers.nl

Sjoerd van Gestel
Planasa
Architronlaan 1
5321 JJ Hedel
Tel: +31(0)6-20242658
[email protected]
www.planasa.com