Joint China-UK research is good for strawberries

The joint research effort between Northwest A&F University and NIAB EMR discovered new strains of strawberry disease Verticillium wilt.

Fresh-picked strawberries fill a table. [File Photo: AP]

This will help growers to plant varieties that are more resistant to the disease than previous crops.

The story is the latest in a series of recent developments in British and Chinese agricultural cooperation.

For example, in August, we reported that the humble potato had become the focus of a new and innovative partnership between Chinese and Scottish companies.

In what was hailed as an exciting and innovative partnership between Xisen Potato Group and James Hutton Limited, £3 million was invested by the Chinese firm in a new potato research center in Shandong Province.

It is hoped that the center will be able to breed new varieties of potato, which are apparently the fourth most important crop in China.

The new varieties will apparently not only be bigger - but also more appealing to the eye.

Just as importantly, however, the new center will be aiming to research ways in which the resistance of potatoes to pests and diseases can be improved.