Lingonberry Research
Vaccinium vitis-idaea
The Lingonberry*, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, is one of the lesser-known fruit crops being studied by United States Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists who hope to make these fruits more popular with consumers and gardeners. At the ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon, the research team are studying what are called "minor crops", that is fruits that may be popular in other countries, to see if they can successfully grow them in the United States. Another example is the edible-fruited honeysuckle, which looks somewhat like a blueberry and has its own unique flavour, very different from the more popular ornamental honeysuckles with orange or red fruits.
There are more than 600 minor crops in the United States. While any crop that is grown on fewer than 300,000 acres nationally is considered a minor crop, many of the crops studied in Corvallis are grown on only a few hundred acres. In some cases, such as with kiwifruit, the fruit may start off as a minor crop but eventually become a market staple. The scientists also are studying hardy kiwifruit, which is related to the fuzzy kiwifruit found in supermarket produce sections. The hardy kiwifruit has a smooth skin and is the size of a large grape, but has green flesh and black seeds similar to the traditional kiwi.
*GardenMessenger is ahead of the researchers, its cultivation under the Scottish name Mountain Cranberry is described in the Fruit Growing Guides on the GardenMessenger web-site click here.
Happy Gardening
Philip
GardenMessenger
To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.
To visit the GardenMessenger web-site
click here.
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The Lingonberry*, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, is one of the lesser-known fruit crops being studied by United States Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists who hope to make these fruits more popular with consumers and gardeners. At the ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, Oregon, the research team are studying what are called "minor crops", that is fruits that may be popular in other countries, to see if they can successfully grow them in the United States. Another example is the edible-fruited honeysuckle, which looks somewhat like a blueberry and has its own unique flavour, very different from the more popular ornamental honeysuckles with orange or red fruits.
There are more than 600 minor crops in the United States. While any crop that is grown on fewer than 300,000 acres nationally is considered a minor crop, many of the crops studied in Corvallis are grown on only a few hundred acres. In some cases, such as with kiwifruit, the fruit may start off as a minor crop but eventually become a market staple. The scientists also are studying hardy kiwifruit, which is related to the fuzzy kiwifruit found in supermarket produce sections. The hardy kiwifruit has a smooth skin and is the size of a large grape, but has green flesh and black seeds similar to the traditional kiwi.
*GardenMessenger is ahead of the researchers, its cultivation under the Scottish name Mountain Cranberry is described in the Fruit Growing Guides on the GardenMessenger web-site click here.
Happy Gardening
Philip
GardenMessenger
To join the GardenMessenger gardening community
click here.
To visit the GardenMessenger web-site
click here.
Directory of Gardening Blogs
posted by Philip Swindells | 1:01 PM
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