Sweetheart

Parentage
Sweetheart (formerly EM1148) was bred at East Malling Research from a cross between Rosie and Onebor, and was first selected in 1999.

Fruit Quality
Berries are uniformly conic in shape, darker than Elsanta with a good red flesh colour. Skin has a good strength. Flavour is pleasant with a balance of sweetness and acidity. Brix levels are usually higher than for Elsanta.

Yield and Fruit Size
Sweetheart has produced good main crop yields and fruit quality when grown on less intensive growing systems. In trials it has performed well as a two-year-old plant (Table 1) and would be well suited to perennial production. Average berry size is usually larger than Elsanta.

Plant Characteristics
Has a compact habit with well-displayed fruit and good plant vigour, producing a leaf canopy that is more dense than Elsanta.

Disease Resistance
Sweetheart shows moderate resistance to powdery mildew (Podosphaera aphanis). Tests have shown that it has a similar susceptibility as Elsanta to both crown rot (Phytophthora cactorum and wilt (Verticillium dahliae), but there have been no particular problems with these diseases in farm trials.

Use of the Variety
Sweetheart has performed well under less intensive production systems, but is less suitable for commercial 60 day production.