Abstract

Cultivated Rubus, Ribes and Vaccinium are important, high value crops in many parts of Europe. Other cane and bush fruits e.g. elderberry (Sambucus nigra) and sea buckthorn (Hippophae ramnoides) are locally important. Within the EU, cane and bush fruits are increasing in importance as many countries see this as the way to diversify cropping or gain revenue from exports. Cane and bush fruits have a distinct range of diseases and pests. The severity of attack and levels of damage vary considerably throughout the geographical and climatic zones within Europe. On a global scale, these crops will always be regarded as being ‘minor’ and as a consequence receive little attention from most major agri-business companies to develop specific chemicals for diseases and pests control. At present, the range of chemicals permitted varies from country-to-country and until harmonisation is complete, this is likely to remain a problem. The industry is responding to customer demands for low-input production by initiating fundamental changes to the approach to pest and disease control by adopting Integrated Crop Management (ICM) systems. The challenge is to adequately control pests and diseases and still achieve the yield and quality demanded by the consumer. Interactions between delegates have led to a small amount of on-going research, particularly on raspberry beetle (Byturus tomentosus) and the results of a survey on national cane and bush fruit disease and pest research is presented.