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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > Species: Rubus idaeus | Red Raspberry
 

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VALUE AND USE

SPECIES: Rubus idaeus | Red Raspberry
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : NO-ENTRY IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : Raspberries provide food and cover for a wide range of wildlife species [10,100]. Some herbivores browse raspberry, but in general, it offers relatively poor forage. Red raspberry is browsed by moose in Alaska but is not considered to be of primary importance [79]. In some locations, deer, rabbits, mountain beaver, and elk eat the foliage of raspberries [14,91]. Porcupine and beaver occasionally consume buds, twigs, or cambium of species within the genus Rubus [91]. However, thorns generally prevent excessive wildlife use of red raspberry [95]. In general, raspberries have little forage value for domestic livestock [91]. Fruits of many species within the genus Rubus are eaten by ruffed grouse, blue grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, ring-necked pheasant, greater prairie chicken, California quail, northern bobwhite, gray catbird, northern cardinal, yellow-breasted chat, American robin, thrushes, towhees, brown thrasher, orchard oriole, summer tanager, pine grosbeak, gray (Hungarian) partridge, and band-tailed pigeon [14,91]. Mammals such as the coyote, raccoon, black bear, common opossum, squirrels, Townsend's chipmunk, skunks, red fox, and gray fox also seek out the fruits of many raspberries [14,91]. The eastern chipmunk, western chipmunk, deer mice, and grizzly bear consume red raspberry fruit where available [59,105]. Flowers of red raspberry provide nutritious food for bees [40]. PALATABILITY : Red raspberry browse appears to be relatively unpalatable to most ungulates. However, the fruits are highly palatable to many birds and mammals. The degree of use shown by livestock and wildlife species for red raspberry is rated as follows [23]: CO MT ND UT WY Cattle poor poor poor fair poor Sheep poor fair fair good fair Horses poor poor poor poor poor Pronghorn poor ---- ---- poor poor Elk ---- poor ---- fair fair Mule deer ---- fair ---- good fair White-tailed deer fair ---- ---- ---- ---- Small mammals good ---- ---- good fair Small nongame birds poor ---- ---- good fair Upland game birds ---- ---- ---- good fair Waterfowl ---- ---- ---- poor poor NUTRITIONAL VALUE : Browse: Red raspberry browse is rated as poor in both energy and protein value [23]. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium concentrations are highest in young leaves but decrease as leaves mature [46]. Conversely, calcium and magnesium concentrations are generally highest in mature leaves but lowest in young, developing leaves [46]. Zinc typically increases through the growing season whereas manganese decreases [46]. Levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium generally decline as the growing season progresses but may increase in the fall if additional rainfall allows plants to resume growth [46]. Fruit: Raspberry fruits are sweet and contain relatively high amounts of both mono and disaccharides [88]. Relative glucose, starch, and sugar content has been documented for a number of red raspberry cultivars [16]. COVER VALUE : Dense red raspberry thickets serve as favorable nesting habitat for many small birds [14]. Small mammals such as rabbits and squirrels also find shelter in raspberry thickets [91]. The degree to which red raspberry provides environmental protection during one or more seasons is rated as follows [23]: CO UT WY Pronghorn ---- poor poor Elk ---- poor poor Mule deer ---- poor poor White-tailed deer ---- ---- poor Small mammals fair fair fair Small nongame birds ---- fair fair Upland game birds ---- good fair Waterfowl ---- poor poor VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : Some ecotypes of red raspberry have value in reclamation [95]. Suitable ecotypes are rated as having low to moderate value for short-term revegetation, and at least moderate value for long-term revegetation projects [23]. Red raspberry exhibits good potential for erosion control on some sites [10,91,95]. It has been successfully used to stabilize roadcuts and other disturbed sites in Utah and to revegetate bare soils in subalpine zones of Colorado [95]. Red raspberry is recommended for revegetation projects on well-drained sites in interior Alaska where maximum spacing of 3.3 feet by 3.3 feet (1 meter x 1 meter) is suggested [95]. Natural seedling establishment has been observed on many types of harsh sites, such as on tailings and surface soil of oil sand extraction plants in northern Alberta [95]. Red raspberry is capable of establishing on acidic tailings which have been treated with lime and on tar sands [95]. Propagation: Red raspberry can be propagated through leaf bud cuttings, "rooted handles," stem cuttings, or root cuttings (suckers) [24,67,89,95]. Success of establishment through root cuttings varies according to the cultivar and planting date [89]. However, root cutting success has ranged up to 60 percent in experimental tests [89]. Correct choice of planting dates and techniques are important and significantly influence subsequent growth and establishment [14,89]. In vitro micropropagation techniques have also been developed for mass production of red raspberry [97]. Red raspberry seedlings may be transplanted, or seed may be sown directly onto disturbed sites. Seed which has been scarified can be successfully planted in the late summer or fall [10]. Cold treatment is not required for fall seedings. Previously stratified and scarified seed can be planted in the spring [10]. Good results have been obtained after seeds were planted with a drill and covered with 1/8 to 3/16 inch (0.3-0.5 cm) of soil. Cleaned seed averages approximately 328,000 per pound (722,467/kg) [10]. Detailed information is available on appropriate methods to obtain and plant red raspberry seed [95]. OTHER USES AND VALUES : The red raspberry was traditionally an important food of many Native American peoples. It was eaten fresh or preserved for winter use [66]. Approximately 0.27 quarts (250 ml) of wild red raspberry fruit can be hand-harvested within 30 minutes in good stands [66]. The fruit, bark of roots, and stems of raspberries have been used to make various medicinal preparations [10]. The unique edible fruit of the red raspberry is delicious fresh or preserved. Raspberries make excellent jams and jellies [93] and provide flavorful additions to pies and other baked goods, candies, and dairy products such as yogurt or ice cream. Raspberry tea is commercially available and good although mild in flavor. The raspberry industry in North America is a growing, multimillion dollar business [63]. Five primary regions produce most of the raspberries grown commercially in North America [63]: 1) Northeast-Atlantic Provinces: southern Quebec through Pennsylvania 2) Central Atlantic Region: Maryland to South Carolina, eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, northern Georgia and Alabama 3) Central Great Lakes Region: Michigan, southern Ontario, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio to Iowa, Missouri, western Kentucky and Tennessee 4) Prairie States Region: Minnesota, southern Manitoba, eastern North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin 5) Pacific Northwest: southern British Columbia, western Washington and Oregon Cultivars: Many cultivars have been developed to meet the needs of raspberry growers in a variety of climatic situations. Most are derived from the European subspecies idaeus [98]. Desirable traits for red raspberry cultivars include spinelessness, winter hardiness, high fruit yields, resistance to disease, perennial stems, and primocane (or autumn) fruiting [49]. Reviews of particular cultivars document the extreme plasticity of this species and consider the suitability of each to various geographic locations [20,20,22,69,83,67,63,97,16,48]. Cultivars exhibit great genetic variation in time of flowerbud initiation, number of drupelets produced per fruit, time of fruit ripening, amount and timing of root suckering, length of dormancy, winter hardiness, fruit yield, and disease resistance [19,22,48,67,69,71,83,92]. Consequently, care should be taken to select cultivars with desirable traits which would enhance suitability for growth in a specific location [20]. The commonly cultivated loganberry may have been derived from a red raspberry-trailing blackberry hybrid [17]. Commercial cultivation: A wide array of studies detail commercial propagation of the red raspberry. Traditional techniques include hill culture of canes (stems), removal of weeds, and elimination of intercane suckers to increase fruit yield [64]. Older and weaker canes may be mowed or otherwise pruned annually to improve yield, enhance access to fruit, and to maintain the general health of the cane [67,102]. Trends in red raspberry propagation include increasing mechanization [63]. Various cultivation techniques have been shown to improve fruit yields [16,65,72]. In some instances, application of nitrogen fertilizers can increase both cane growth and the number of flowers produced per node [67]. However, in other situations fertilizers appear to be of little benefit [33]. Following the addition of nitrogen fertilizer, Lawson and Waister [65] observed increased yields for two years, little effect during the third year, and decreased yields during the next two years. Similarly, irrigation appears to increase yields in some locations while having little effect elsewhere [72]. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Competition: Red raspberry typically increases dramatically after fire or timber harvest [27,39]. In many areas this shrub can compete vigorously with conifer seedlings for light, moisture, nutrients, and space [30,34,62,74]. Dense thickets of red raspberry reportedly suppress the growth of balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and spruce (Picea spp.) seedlings after spruce-fir forests of northern Maine are clearcut [30] and after timber harvest in the boreal forests of Ontario [82]. Raspberries also compete effectively with jack pine (Pinus banksiana) and red pine (P. resinosa) following timber harvest in northeastern Minnesota and Manitoba [3,74]. Graber and Thompson [34] observed that relatively few red raspberry seeds are present within the soil of northeastern hardwood forest harvested at 100-year intervals. However, in forests harvested at more frequent intervals, large numbers of red raspberry seed are present and massive simultaneous germination results in intense competition with conifer seedlings [34]. Chemical control: Red raspberry is susceptible to a number of herbicides [9]. Glyphosate is commonly used as a mid-to-late summer foliar spray [82]. A number of herbicides have been suggested for use in reducing weeds in cultivated red raspberry patches [8].

Related categories for Species: Rubus idaeus | Red Raspberry

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