Alice

Fruit Quality The berries have a regular conical shape, although the larger primaries may be ribbed. Skin and flesh is firm and the flavour is consistently sweet, with a juicy texture. The fruit is attractive with a glossy finish and a bright, orange-red colour. The achenes are slightly raised. Shelf life is similar to Elsanta.

Yield & Fruit Size : The net yield has been similar to Elsanta in trials but the average berry size is larger with greater than 70% of the fruit over 35mm. The percentage waste is lower than Elsanta due to more consistent shape and typically 80%+ has been in Class 1. /// Season : The season is longer than Elsanta and has a less pronounced peak. The 50% harvest date is 7 days later than Elsanta. /// Marketing Suitability : Alice is a late mid-season dessert type that offers good fruit size and quality. It should be suitable for all types of retail outlet and taste panel data suggests that the flavour will be very popular with consumers. /// Plant Characteristics : Plants are slightly more vigorous than Elsanta with an erect habit. The fruit is well displayed and can be harvested rapidly. Runner production is similar to Elsanta. Propagators report that Alice is a free runnering selection, producing small plants not best suited for 60 day production.

Disease Resistance Alice has been resistant to Verticillium wilt and crown rot in tests at East Malling Research Ltd. It is less susceptible to powdery mildew than Elsanta but a standard spray programme is recommended for this disease. In grower trials Alice has proved to be a robust variety that has performed well on a range of different sites.