Feasibility of Raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) Cultivar Cultivation under Greenhouse Conditions

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Horticultural Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.

Abstract
This study was conducted to evaluate the performance of four red raspberry cultivars, namely ‘Encore’, ‘Rosana’, ‘Polana’, and ‘Saanich’, under hydroponic cultivation in a greenhouse. Two-year-old plants were grown in 12-L pots containing a raspberry-specific substrate, using an open drip hydroponic system. The substrate consisted of 40–45% processed wood fiber, 20–25% processed pine bark fiber, 25–30% processed pumice, 1–2% hardening agent, and 0.5–1% wetting agent. Plants were fertigated with a standard nutrient solution formulated for raspberry production. ‘Encore’ exhibited superior vegetative growth, recording the highest plant height (142 cm), stem diameter (7.24 mm), internode length (3.25 cm), and number of suckers per plant (3.5), while ‘Rosana’ had the highest leaf number (38). ‘Encore’ significantly outperformed the other cultivars, with the highest number of fruits per plant (31), fruits per inflorescence (6), inflorescences per plant (5.25), fruit weight (1.4 g), and receptacle diameter (15.35 mm). ‘Polana’ flowered and fruited earlier than the other cultivars, whereas ‘Encore’ required a longer period to flowering and harvest. The highest TSS was recorded in ‘Polana’ (8.87). The highest total phenolic content among the evaluated cultivars was found in ‘Saanich’ (55.45) and ‘Polana’ (53.85), while the highest anthocyanin content was observed in ‘Rosana’ (30.83). The highest vitamin C content was recorded in ‘Encore’ and ‘Polana’ (11.66). ‘Polana’ showed earlier flowering and favorable biochemical characteristics, ‘Encore’ demonstrated the best vegetative growth and yield performance. Therefore, ‘Encore’ can be recommended as the most suitable cultivar for hydroponic greenhouse raspberry production.

Keywords


  1. Adebayo, E., 2015. The titrimetric and spectrophotometric determination of ascorbic acid levels in selected Nigerian fruits. IOSR Journal of Environmental Science, Toxicology and Food Technology, 9: 44-46. DOI: 10.9790/2402-091014446
  2. Alibabic, V., Skender, A., Orascanin, M., Sertovic, E., Bajric, E., 2018. Evaluation of morphological, chemical, and sensory characteristics of raspberry cultivars grown in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 42(1): 67-74. DOI: 10.3906/tar-1702-59
  3. Anttonen, M. J., Karjalainen, R. O., 2005. Environmental and genetic variation of phenolic compounds in red raspberry. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 18(8): 759- 769. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfca.2004.11.003
  4. Augšpole, I., Romanova, I., Liniņa, A., Dimiņš, F., 2021. Characterization of red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) for their physicochemical and morphological properties.https://doi.org/10.15159/AR.21.077
  5. Birgi, J., Peri, P. L., Gargaglione, V., 2019. Raspberries and gooseberries in south Patagonia: Production, fruit quality, morphology and phenology in two environmental conditions. Scientia Horticulturae, 258: 108574. DOI:10.1016/j.scienta.2019.108574
  6. Bobinaitė, R., Viškelis, P., Venskutonis, P. R., 2012. Variation of total phenolics, anthocyanins, ellagic acid and radical scavenging capacity in various raspberry (Rubus spp.) cultivars. Food Chemistry, 132(3): 1495-1501. DOI:10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.11.137
  7. Boivin, D., Blanchette, M., Barrette, S., Moghrabi, A., Beliveau, R., 2007. Inhibition of cancer cell proliferation and suppression of TNF-induced activation of NFκB by edible berry juice. Anticancer research, 27(2): 937-948.
  8. Bowen-Forbes, C. S., Zhang, Y., Nair, M. G., 2010. Anthocyanin content, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties of blackberry and raspberry fruits. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 23(6): 554-560. DOI:10.1016/j.jfca.2009.08.012
  9. Calvano, A., Izuora, K., Oh, E. C., Ebersole, J. L., Lyons, T. J., Basu, A., 2019. Dietary berries, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes: An overview of human feeding trials. Food &        function, 10(10): 6227-6243.            DOI: 10.1039/c9fo01426
  10. Canan, I., Gündoğdu, M., Seday, U., Oluk, C. A., Karaşahin, Z., Eroğlu, E. Ç., Ünlü, M., 2016. Determination of antioxidant, total phenolic, total carotenoid, lycopene, ascorbic acid, and sugar contents of Citrus species and mandarin hybrids. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 40(6): 894-899. DOI:10.3906/tar-1606-83
  11. Chen, L., Xin, X., Zhang, H., Yuan, Q., 2013. Phytochemical properties and antioxidant capacities of commercial raspberry varieties. Journal of Functional Foods, 5(1): 508-515. DOI: 10.1016/j.jff.2012.10.009
  12. Danek, J., 2006. Breeding and cultivation of primocane fruiting raspberries in Europe. Acta Horticulturae, 777, 241–246.
  13. De Ancos, B., González, E. M., Cano, M. P., 2000. Ellagic acid, vitamin C, and total phenolic contents and radical scavenging capacity affected by freezing and frozen storage in raspberry fruit. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 48(10): 4565-4570. DOI: 10.1021/jf0001684
  14. Dvaranauskaitė, A., Venskutonis, P. R., Labokas, J., 2006. Radical scavenging activity of raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) fruit extracts. Acta Alimentaria, 35(1): 73-83. DOI:10.1556/AAlim.35.2006.1.9
  15. FAOSTAT., 2023. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: Production Statistics of Berries.
  16. Finn, C. E., Clark, J. R., 2012. Raspberry cultivars and breeding. In: Badenes, M. L., Byrne, D. H. (Eds.), Fruit Breeding. Springer.
  17. Fischer, G., 2000. Ecofisiología en frutales de clima frío moderado. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12324/16773
  18. Foster, T. M., Bassil, N. V., Dossett, M., Leigh Worthington, M., Graham, J. 2019. Genetic and genomic resources for Rubus breeding: a roadmap for the future. Horticulture Research, 6: 122. DOI: 10.1038/s41438-019-0199-2
  19. Fu, Y., Zhou, X., Chen, S., Sun, Y., Shen, Y., Ye, X., 2015. Chemical composition and antioxidant activity of Chinese wild raspberry (Rubus hirsutus Thunb.). LWT-Food Science and Technology, 60(2): 1262-1268. DOI:10.1016/j.lwt.2014.09.002
  20. Gotame, T., Andersen, L., Petersen, K. K., Pedersen, H. L., Ottosen, C. O., Graham, J., 2013. Chlorophyll fluorescence and flowering behaviour of annual-fruiting raspberry cultivars under elevated temperature regimes. European Journal of Horticultural Science, 78(5): 193-202. DOI:10.17660/eJHS.2013/4044272
  21. Gülçin, I., Topal, F., Çakmakçı, R., Bilsel, M., Gören, A. C., Erdogan, U., 2011. Pomological features, nutritional quality, polyphenol content analysis, and antioxidant properties of domesticated and 3 wild ecotype forms of raspberries (Rubus idaeus L.). Journal of food science, 76(4): C585-C593. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02142.x
  22. Gündeşli, M. A., Korkmaz, N., Okatan, V., 2019. Polyphenol content and antioxidant capacity of berries: A review. International Journal of Agriculture Forestry and Life Sciences, 3(2): 350-361.
  23. Huang, I. Y., Beacham, A. M., Vickers, L. H., Mu, H., Tremma, O., Maritan, E., Monaghan, J. M., 2026. Drivers, barriers and grower perspectives of innovation adoption in the UK controlled environment agriculture sector. Smart Agricultural Technology, 13: 101748. DOI:10.1016/j.atech.2025.101748
  24. Ishkeh, S. R., Shirzad, H., Asghari, M., Alirezalu, A., Pateiro, M., Lorenzo, J. M., 2021. Effect of chitosan nanoemulsion on enhancing the phytochemical contents, health-promoting components, and shelf life of raspberry (Rubus sanctus Schreber). Applied Sciences, 11(5): 2224. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052224
  25. Jennings, D. L., 1988. Raspberries and Blackberries: Their Breeding, Diseases and Growth. Academic Press.
  26. Kempler, C., Hall, H., Finn, C. E., 2011. Raspberry. In Fruit breeding (pp. 263-304). Boston, MA: Springer US.
  27. Koraqi, H., Durmishi, N., Rizani, K. L., Rizani, S., 2019. Chemical composition and nutritional value of Raspberry fruit (Rubus idaeus L.). UBT International Conference, 397. DOI:10.33107/ubt-ic.2019.397
  28. Krstić, Đ., Vukojević, V., Mutić, J., Fotirić Akšić, M., Ličina, V., MilojkovićOpsenica, D., Trifković, J., 2019. Distribution of elements in seeds of some wild and cultivated fruits. Nutrition and authenticity aspects. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 99(2): 546-554. DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.9213
  29. Leposavić, A., Janković, M., Đurović, D., Veljković, B., Keserović, Z., Popović, B., Mitrović, O., 2013. Fruit quality of red raspberry cultivars and selections grown in Western Serbia. Horticultural Science (Zahradnictví), 40(4): 154-161. DOI:10.17221/267/2012-HORTSCI
  30. Leposavić, A., Leposavić, A., Milivojević, J. 2013. Influence of cultivar on fruit quality traits of raspberry. Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 58: 45–55.
  31. Maqsood Ahmed, M. A., Anjum, M. A., Kashif Khaqan, K. K., Sajjad Hussain, S. H., 2014. Biodiversity in morphological and physico-chemical characteristics of wild raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) germplasm collected from temperate region of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (Pakistan).
  32. Maro, L. A. C., Pio, R., Guedes, M. N. S., de Abreu, C. M. P., Curi, P. N., 2013. Bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity and mineral composition of fruits of raspberry cultivars grown in subtropical areas in Brazil. Fruits, 68(3): 209-217.DOI:10.1051/fruits/2013068
  33. Martin, L. W., Nelson, E., Chaplin, M. H., 1980. Plant and fruit measurements of ‘Meeker’ red raspberry related to pruning height and nitrogen application. Symposium on Breeding and Machine Harvesting of Rubus, 112: 157-162. DOI:10.17660/ActaHortic.1980.112.21
  34. Mazur, S. P., Nes, A., Wold, A. B., Remberg, S. F., Aaby, K. 2014. Quality and chemical composition of ten red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) genotypes during three harvests seasons. Food Chemistry, 160: 233-240. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2014.02.174
  35. Milivojevic, J. M., Nikolic, M. D., Maksimovic, J. J. D., Radivojevic, D. D. 2011. Generative and fruit quality characteristics of primocane fruiting red raspberry cultivars. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 35(3): 289-296.DOI:10.3906/tar-1001-617
  36. Moore, P. P., 2004. Raspberry breeding and genetics. Plant Breeding Reviews, 24: 33–63.
  37. Nadernejad, N., Ahmadimoghadam, A., Hossyinifard, J., & Poorseyedi, S., 2013. Study of the rootstock and cultivar effect in PAL activity, production of phenolic and flavonoid compounds on flower, leaf and fruit in Pistachio (Pistacia vera L.). Journal of Plant Biology, 15: 95-110.
  38. Neocleous, D., Papadopoulos, I., Vasilakakis, M., 2005. Growing red raspberry in soilless culture under different chilling treatments for early summer production. Small Fruits Review, 4(4): 37-48. https://doi.org/10.1300/J301v04n04_06
  39. Pritts, M. P., Langhans, R. W., Whitlow, T., Roberts, A., 1999. Winter raspberry production in greenhouses. HortTechnology, 9(1): 13-15. DOI:10.21273/HORTTECH.9.1.13
  40. Robbins, J., Sjulin, T. M., 1989. Fruit morphology of red raspberry and its relationship to fruit strength. HortScience, 24(5): 776-778. DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI.24.5.776
  41. Samofalov, D., 2025. Trends in the fruit and berry market: features of the manifestation at the global level and in Ukraine. Business Navigator. DOI:10.32782/business-navigator.83-35
  42. Sariburun, E., Şahin, S., Demir, C., Türkben, C., Uylaşer, V., 2010. Phenolic content and antioxidant activity of raspberry and blackberry cultivars. Journal of Food Science, 75(4): C328-C335. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2010.01571.x
  43. Schmid, K., Höhn, H., Graf, B., Höpli, H., 2001. Phenological growth stages of raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.).
  44. Shayanmehr, S., Rastegari Henneberry, S., Baba Ali, E., Sabouhi Sabouni, M., Shahnoushi Foroushani, N. 2022. Climate change, food security, and sustainable production: a comparison between arid and semi-arid environments of Iran. Environment, Development and Sustainability. DOI:10.1007/s10668-022-02712-w
  45. Shoukat, S., Mahmudiono, T., Al-Shawi, S. G., Abdelbasset, W. K., Yasin, G., Shichiyakh, R. A., Al–rekaby, H. Q., 2022. Determination of the antioxidant and mineral contents of raspberry varieties. Food Science and Technology, 42: e118521.https://doi.org/10.1590/fst.118521
  46. Singleton, V. L., Rossi Jr, J. A., 1965. Colorimetry of total phenolics with phosphomolybdic-phosphotungstic acid reagents. American Journal of Enology and Viticulture, 16(3): 144-158. DOI: 10.5344/ajev.1965.16.3.144
  47. Skrovankova, S., Sumczynski, D., Mlcek, J., Jurikova, T., Sochor, J., 2015. Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in different types of berries. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 16(10): 24673-24706. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms161024673
  48. Smith, J. A., Jones, R., 2023. Water use efficiency and productivity in hydroponic mulberry cultivation. Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, 45(4): 300-315. https://doi.org/10.1080/10440046.2022.2137876
  49. Sønsteby, A., Heide, O. M., 2008. Environmental control of growth and flowering of Rubus idaeus L. cv. Glen Ample. Scientia Horticulturae, 117(3): 249-256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2008.05.003
  50. Sønsteby, A., Myrheim, U., Heiberg, N., Heide, O. M., 2009. Production of high yielding red raspberry long canes in a Northern climate. Scientia Horticulturae, 121(3): 289-297. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2009.02.016
  51. Szajdek, A., Borowska, E. J., 2008. Bioactive compounds and health-promoting properties of berry fruits: A review. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 63(4): 147-156. DOI: 10.1007/s11130-008-0097-5
  52. Talcott, S. T., 2007. Chemical components of berry fruits. Food Science and Technology-New York-Marcel Dekker, 168: 51. DOI: 10.1201/9781420006148.ch2
  53. Titirică, I., Roman, I. A., Nicola, C., Sturzeanu, M., Iurea, E., Botu, M., Sestras, A. F., 2023. The main morphological characteristics and chemical components of fruits and the possibilities of their improvement in raspberry breeding. Horticulturae, 9(1): 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9010050
  54. Urbina-Suarez, N. A., Barajas-Solano, A. F., Garcia-Martinez, J. B., Lopez-Barrera, G. L., Gonzalez-Delgado, A. D., 2021. Cultivation of Chlorella sp. for biodiesel production using two farming wastewaters in eastern Colombia. Journal of Water and Land Development, (50). DOI: 10.24425/jwld.2021.138169
  55. Weber, C., Liu, R. H., 2001. Antioxidant capacity and anticancer properties of red raspberry. VIII International Rubus and Ribes Symposium, 585: 451-457. DOI:10.17660/ActaHortic.2002.585.73

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 30 June 2026

  • Receive Date 05 April 2026
  • Revise Date 20 May 2026
  • Accept Date 28 June 2026
  • First Publish Date 30 June 2026
  • Publish Date 30 June 2026