Tayberry

Description

The mature tayberry fruitreddish-purple when ripeis cone-shaped, and can be up to 1+1/2 inch long. Similar to the blackberry, the receptacle (the "core") remains in the berry when it is picked. The plant has a growth habit similar to that of the blackberry. Fruits grow on short laterals on prickly canes 6 to long. The cropping period is long, from early mid- to late-summer.

Having a strong flavor, the tayberry is less acidic than the loganberry.

Taxonomy

The tayberry was patented by Derek L. Jennings of Dundee, Scotland. It was intended to be an improvement on the loganberry, which is a chance hexaploid hybrid that received four copies of the blackberry genome and two copies of the raspberry genome. Jennings aimed to replicate the loganberry's ancestry but with improved blackberry and raspberry parents, starting with the American 'Aurora' blackberry which was superior to the Aughinbaugh’s blackberry that was one of the parents of the loganberry. After 5 years of effort, he developed a suitable raspberry and crossed it with the 'Aurora' blackberry. The tayberry was named after the river Tay in Scotland and released in 1979 by the Scottish Horticultural Research Institute, Invergowrie, Scotland.

Habitat

The tayberry will grow reasonably well in many soils. Tayberries produce the most berries when in full sun and in well-drained soil with a high amount of organic materials. Supporting the canes is not crucial, but it will help prevent diseases by improving the air flow between branches. Tayberries should be ready to harvest in early July, depending on the type. Frost is rarely a problem, as tayberries flower late in the season; plants need protection below -26 C. Like many plant hybrids, tayberries show good disease resistance, and the plant has been shown to be resistant to late yellow rust.

Tayberries are propagated by planting canes; the recommended time is mid-October, though any time up to mid-March may work if soil is not frozen or waterlogged. Scientists have also demonstrated the successful cold storage of tayberry tissue cultures for maintenance of in vitro collections of plant tissues.

Uses

The tayberry can be eaten fresh or used for making jams, pies, wine, or beer.

While it has been reported that a commercial yield up to 27 t/ha of berries can be produced, tayberries are very soft when fully ripe, so they cannot be harvested by machine. This has hindered their success as a commercial crop. Tayberries are mainly grown by allotment holders, artisans and back garden growers.

References

References

1. (August 2025). "Rubus Tayberry Group (F)". rhs.org.uk}}{{Dead link.
2. Yao, Shengrui. (1 April 2019). "Minor Small Fruit Crops for New Mexico Gardens". New Mexico State University.
3. Morgan, Joan. "The Origin of the Tayberry". www.fruitforum.net.
4. "Patent USPP4424 – Tayberry". google.com.
5. "E Winery page on Growth habits". www.eewinerycoop.com.
6. Luffman M, Buszard D. A note on the susceptibility of six red raspberry cultivars and Tayberry to fruit infection by late yellow rust. Phytoprotection. 71(2):93-96, 1990
7. Klavina D, Ievinsh G. [http://gliemji.daba.lv/grozs/LU/LU_Bio_Raksti/2008/Klavina.pdf Growth of tissue culture and changes in oxidative enzyme activity of ''Sorbus'' and tayberry cultivars during cold storage]. Acta Universitatis Latviensis 745 (Biology):179-186, 2008.
8. Rachel Saunders {{google books. AdmXdvPz07YC. The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook
9. Val Bourne {{google books. R1hyDwAAQBAJ. The Ten-Minute Gardener: A month-by-month guide to growing your own
10. "Growing Tayberries - How to Grow Tayberries".