Office fruit box news:
Future production of fruits such as raspberries and blackcurrants could be threatened by climate change, scientists have suggested.
Now researchers in Scotland have joined an international forum known as ClimaFruit which is working to safeguard the future of the multi-million pound soft fruit industry.
The international project will focus on reducing the use of chemicals, increased production of fresh and processed soft fruits and making the growing process more environmentally friendly.
Raspberry production alone earns Scotland’s farmers around £12 million a year, while the Scottish Crop Research Institute near Dundee is at the forefront of developing new varieties of fruit.
The Glen Ample raspberry – bred at the centre in Invergowrie – is the most popular in the UK.
Lead scientist of the research institute, Dr Derek Stewart, said it was a "huge boost" for the centre to be involved in the project.
"Our role in the ClimaFruit project is recognition that SCRI is the lead organisation in the UK for soft fruit research and breeding," he added.
A recent study by the USDA Human Nutrition Research Centre found that eating berries can boost brain power and may even lower the risk of age-related neurodegenerative disease.
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