In the springtime of 2005, 16 blackberry cultivars were planted in the Experimental Pomological Orchard in Skierniewice. They included the new blackberry cultivars: ‘Black Butte’, ‘Boysenberry’, ‘Chester’, ‘Helen’, ‘Karaka Black’, ‘Kotata’, ‘Loganberry’, ‘Loch Ness’, ‘Loch Tay’, ‘Oregon’, ‘Silvan’, ‘Tayberry’, Tayberry Buckingham’ and ‘Tummel’. The new cultivars were compared with two standard blackberry varieties ‘Orkan’ and ‘Black Satin’. In the course of the experiment the varieties were tested in the climatic conditions of central Poland, with special attention paid to yield and fruit quality. All the varieties except ‘Tayberry Buckingham’ were found very promising; the plants, however, have to be protected from frosts typical during Polish winters. The highest yields were recorded for ‘Chester’, ‘Loch Ness’ and ‘Loch Tay’. The largest fruits were produced by ‘Black Butte’. Although the Rubus hybrids: ‘Boysenberry’, ‘Loganberry’, ‘Tayberry’ and ‘Tummel’ are marked by low yields, they are interesting due to their original taste and fruit colour.
Aim of the project was to test 23 strawberry cultivars in the climate of Poland and evaluate their economic value. 13 of discussed cultivars were newly bread in Poland and 10 are of foreign origin including cultivars that were never tested in East–Central Europe. All of these cultivars were evaluated in comparison to the 4 standard cultivars used in Poland. The experiment was conducted between 2004 and 2011 in central Poland in the Research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice. The data were analyzed using linear mixed model. The results shows that cultivar ‘Paladyn’ performed exceptionally well regarding yield and fruit size. Thus, it is one of the best cultivars for including into canon strawberry cultivars, not only in Poland. The rest of tested cultivars, especially those with foreign origin, may need specific treatment or more investigation to accomplish more in the climatic conditions of this geographical region.