Flowering and harvesting period

Marieka is a new variety bred by Peter Stoppel (Kressbronn), the same breeder known for Malwina. Like Malwina, this variety performs well in several regions. The plants are strong and vigorous, with dark green, large, glossy, rounded leaves.

Marieka produces very sturdy flower trusses, which can sometimes be seen as a minor disadvantage during picking.

Yields of Marieka are 10–15% higher than those of Malwina, and about 10–15% lower than Faith. The fruits are larger than Faith, with fewer small berries and an average fruit weight of around 22–23 grams.

Across several years of trials, the percentage of Class 1 fruits has consistently been higher than in both comparison varieties.

Fruit quality

Marieka is a good alternative for growers who wish to harvest Malwina earlier by using crop covering.

The fruits have a very pleasant flavour and a strong glossy appearance. Their colour ranges from red to dark red, though not as deep as Malwina. The variety is particularly well suited to direct sales but is not recommended for longer distribution chains.

The fruits are uniform in size and easy to pick. Compared with Malwina, they are slightly firmer.

Marieka tolerates rainfall well — a significant advantage over Faith. However, during periods of high temperatures, the berries may become rougher in texture and lose some of their shine.

Productivity

Marieka ripens 7 to 10 days later than Faith and 7 to 10 days earlier than Malwina. The exact harvest timing depends on weather conditions. After a warm summer, the harvest will typically be around 7 days later than Faith. This makes Marieka the perfect variety to fill the production gap between Faith and Malwina.

Pest and disease susceptibility

After several years of trials, no root diseases have been observed.