Recent trends in research and technology of different berry species

Abstract

Berry production is a very important branch of agriculture in the Republic of Serbia. Fruit production accounts for about 11% of agriculture production value (Development Strategy of Agriculture of the Republic of Serbia 2014-2024). Natural conditions of our country, especially some of the regions, are very favorable for the cultivation of fruit, including berry fruit. It is known that Republic of Serbia belongs to the group of the world's leading producers of raspberries and blackberries, while the level of strawberry production is an economically extremely important factor. Because of the biological properties associated with berry fruits, the identification of their phenolics content is necessary for the evaluation of berries consumption on human health. They are globally known and consumed, and berries’ phytochemical are used as functional food ingredients. Several studies have shown that the amount of phytochemicals depends on the species (genetic factors), one of the key factors, and environmental factors, agronomic factors as well as agricultural practices, that is organic versus conventional agricultural practices. In this regard, organic (fruit) production has become very popular due to the ‘sustainable intensification’ of the production with less pesticide and heavy metal residues, pronounced aroma, better soil health and higher biodiversity. The rhizosphere inoculation with foliar spraying by biofertilizer could be useful tool in organic berry growing technology contributingat the same time to the production of healthy fruits with good quality and providing the reduction of environmental pollution.Therefore, the objective of this study was to show evaluate the effects of biofertilizer (Biovermix) which designed at the Fruit Research Institute Čačak, on the phytochemical profile of blackberry, blueberry, and strawberry fruit, as well as effect of rain-shield cultivation blackberry on biological properties.