'Shiaying' Mulberry: A Promising Cultivar for Fresh Consumption and Processing

Abstract

'Shiaying' mulberry (Morus atropurpureaRoxb.) is a promising cultivar for berry production in Taiwan. 'Shiaying' produces plentiful and attractive dark purple, glossy berries. Compared with the three most commercially available mulberry cultivars in Shiaying, Tainan (southern Taiwan), i.e. 'Taisang No. 19' (Morus atropurpureaRoxb.), 'Miaoli No. 1' (Morus atropurpureaRoxb.), and 'Elongated Fruit No. 1' (Morus laevigataWall), the average berry weight (5.8 g) of 'Shiaying' was similar to that of 'Miaoli No.1' and 'Elongated Fruit No. 1', but significantly heavier than that of 'Taisang No. 19'. The yield of 'Shiaying' (19.5 kg/tree) was as abundant as the yields of 'Taisang No. 19' and 'Miaoli No. 1' but was much higher than that of 'Elongated Fruit No. 1'. Additionally, the fruit of 'Shiaying' ripened 5-20 days later than the fruits of the three comparable cultivars. 'Shiaying' fruit also has a much higher soluble solids concentration, SSC (14.0%), and the quality of the berry, in terms of taste, is superior to that of both 'Taisang No. 19' and 'Miaoli No. 1'. This particular cultivar is recommended for multiple uses in the horticultural and food industries and is very suitable for both fresh consumption and the processing market in Taiwan.