need to be addressed in breeding new cultivars cited by most programs are root rot and Raspberry bushy .... rights, license or otherwise control the distribution of their plant material to the programs best perceived financial interests. .... USDA-ARS Germplasm Repository your list could expand to about 15 cultivars. 'Munger' ...
Raspberry Cultivars What's New? What's Succeeding? Where are Breeding Programs Headed? Patrick P. Moore Chad E. Finn U.S. Dept. of Agric.-Agric. Res. Serv.Washington St. Univ. - Puyallup Northwest Center for Small Fruit Research Puyallup, WA 98371 USA Corvallis, OR 97330 USA Chaim Kempler Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Pacific Agri-Food Research Center Agassiz, BC V0M I AO Canada Keywords: Rubus idaeus L., red raspberry, Ruhus occidentalis, black raspberry Abstract Breeding programs around the world are facing challenges placed on them by their marketplace, production regions, and funding and are responding by developing cultivars that successfully meet the needs of the marketplace. Since the last review in 2002, there have been at least 36 cultivars released. Some of these cultivars are already becoming "new" standards and complementing or replacing the old standards to serve as the backbone for a thriving red raspberry industry worldwide. In addition to high yields of excellent quality fruit, the objectives that need to be addressed in breeding new cultivars cited by most programs are root rot and Raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV) resistance. Additional goals mentioned centered around traits based on the use of the fruit, and adaptation to specific local environments. Many programs remain willing to exchange germplasm, with increasing paperwork. An emerging concern with germplasm exchange is the difficulty meeting phytosanitary requirements. INTRODUCTION Red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) cultivars continue to be developed to meet the expanding needs of growers, processors, packers and consumers worldwide. Unlike red raspberry, black raspberry (R. occidentalis L.) development has been quiet with only a few cultivars developed over the past several decades. However, the rising interest in their nutraceutical value is driving a need for better cultivars. While the pace at which new cultivars are tested and either adopted or discarded has increased dramatically over the past decade, breeding at its most basic level has not changed. A quote of unknown attribution aptly describes the relationship all breeders face in their reliance on their predecessors and their responsibility to their successors: "We have all drunk ,from wells we did not dig and have been warmed by fires we did not build." CURRENT SITUATION Finn and Knight (2002) reported that there were roughly 30 Rubus breeding programs in 19 countries that were going to be the source of new cultivars in the future. This has not changed dramatically based on a survey we conducted in 2005. Unfortunately, some programs have been closed (i.e., University of Minnesota) or severely downsized (i.e., New Zealand HortResearch, University of Guelph [Ontario, Canada]) due to a lack of funding or redirection of efforts and there were no new programs reported. Of all the programs, a few were 100% devoted only to raspberry but most were responsible for multiple crops. While some programs were devoted either solely to floricane or primocane fruiting types, most programs included both types. Only two programs reported a significant effort in black raspberry. Most programs made 25-50 Proc. IXth Intl. Rubus and Ribes Symp. Eds.: P. Baflados and A. Dale Acta Hort. 777, ISHS 2008
33
crosses/year and grew out 1500-5000 seedlings/year. There were a few much larger programs with one program making over 200 crosses and growing out over 30,000 seedlings! The primary objectives for all of the programs had a great deal in common. Obviously yield and excellent fruit quality for whatever marketplace the cultivars are destined for were the most important priorities. The two most consistent objectives specifically cited by European and North American programs were developing root rot (Ph 'tophthora fragariae var. riihi) and Raspberry bushy dwarfvirus (RB DV) resistance. While RBDV has only been identified as a major problem in the past 10—I5 years, the fact that root rot resistance continues to be a major problem in red raspberries is striking. Several programs included resistance to aphids that vector virus in Europe and northern North America. A number of other common objectives were associated with the market for the fruit. Programs developing cultivars for the processed fruit market are interested in machine harvestability and fruit that are intensely colored and flavored, have high soluble solids, and high acidity. Those developing cultivars for the fresh market are interested in season extension and fruit that are firm, ship well and are brightly colored. A final group of objectives could easily be grouped across all programs as "environmental adaptation" but within programs this might have very different meanings. In high latitude areas with continental climates, cold hardiness is important whereas in lower latitude areas adaptation to low chilling environment was much more important. In areas that rely on tunnels, adaptation to this artificial environment becomes an overriding concern. As production expands rapidly in Mexico, 'Summit', 'Autumn Bliss', and 'Autumn Britten' are the main cultivars along with proprietary cultivars. While the proprietary cultivars are better than most, none of these are performing that well in this environment (M. Hurst, pers. comm.). This key need of adaptation to a specific environment and the recurring recognition of the importance of genotype x environment interaction points to the need for strong programs in a multitude of environments. While the increased pace of getting cultivars into the marketplace is a reality, about half of the programs that were surveyed were strong proponents of germplasm collection, evaluation and incorporation into advanced breeding material. Finn et al. (2002) cited 58 Ruhus species that have been used relatively recently in breeding programs. Our respondents listed 21 species that were currently being actively worked with in red and black raspberry breeding (Table I). While disease resistance was prominent amongst the listed perceived values of these species, altered plant or fruit architecture and improved fruit quality traits were also common among the perceived positive traits in these species. Many programs are interested in mapping and the potential value of molecular markers for intractable traits. No program expressed interest nor had any activity in the development of transgenic raspberries. While an RBDV resistant transgenic 'Meeker' has been developed and field tested, but has yet to be subjected to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, growers are interested in planting it but will not until public perception towards transgenic berries changes (R. Martin, pers. comm.). Germplasm exchange, other than the private companies, is still generally a possibility, however increasingly various types of agreements must be in place before this can happen. So while technically germplasm exchange is very much a possibility, the flow among programs is not nearly as easy or encouraged as in the past. One of the emerging concerns cited by a European and North American programs is the difficulty in meeting phytosanitary requirements. With the exception of the USDA-ARS, all programs patent, use plant breeder rights, license or otherwise control the distribution of their plant material to the programs best perceived financial interests. While there is still a plethora of approaches, in general protection through patenting/plant breeder rights is sought and plants are licensed nonexclusively within a country. Outside the country, exclusive rights are granted and royalties on plant sales are returned to the program. While there is an increased use of fruit sale royalties, this is still less common than royalties on plant sales. 34
CULTIVARS Old Standards While a number of "old cultivars" serve as the backbone for many of our industries, several cultivars developed in the past 20 years have become standards and there are some exciting new cultivars that have just hit the marketplace in the past couple of years. While many of these old standards are currently the key to the success of our industries, they will be only briefly mentioned. Some examples would include: - Meeker' and 'Willamette' floricane red raspberries for the processed market, - Heritage' primocane fruiting red raspberry for the fresh market, - 'Boyne' and 'Newburgh' floricane reds for challenging winter areas or wet sites, - 'Munger' and 'Jewel' for the processed and fresh black raspberry markets. New Standards Based on feedback reported by Finn and Knight (2002) and our recent survey. there is a newer group of cultivars that have become standards in parts of the world. Daubeny (1997, 1999. 2000, 2002, 2004) gives descriptions of many of these. 1. Floricane Fresh Market Cultivars. Cultivars that are adapted to long-cane or tunnel production have become the focus of major growth portion of the raspberry industry. 'Tulameen' is the standard, especially for flavor and is widely grown in Europe, North and South America in open field and tunnel production. While 'Glen Ample's fruit is not as bright as those of 'Tulameen', it has been an outstanding cultivar overall for open field and tunnel production and is often paired with 'Tulameen' on farms in Europe. The fruit color of 'Glen Ample' has never caught on in the Americas, so 'Glen Ample' has largely remained a European phenomenon. 'Glen Lyon', while not as widely grown as either 'Tulameen' or 'Glen Ample', has found an enduring position in tunnel production where it is well adapted to self propagation for the following year's production. The various releases from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada program have had a major impact on the world production of fresh market raspberries. 'Tulameen's remarkable appeal has already been mentioned, however, 'Chilliwack', 'Malahat', and 'Qualicum' have been important as well. 'Chilliwack' has been a major cultivar since the late 1980s due to its outstanding yields of high quality bright fruit. While its market share appears to be declining, it is still important. 'Malahat' may be susceptible to root rot and may not be the highest yielding cultivar, but its large, high quality fruit, that ripen very early is suited for machine and hand harvesting have made it a standard in areas where root rot can be controlled. 2. Primocane Fruiting Fresh Market Cultivars. The most important primocane fruiting cultivars should no doubt include many of the Driscoll's Strawberry Associate (DSA) cultivars but which specific cultivars are important has always been kept confidential. Certainly, 'Isabel' has been a major, successful cultivar for DSA's due to its high production of uniformly shaped, firm, bright, medium sized berries. 'Caroline', 'Autumn Britten' and 'Nova' have proven to be good cultivars in California, especially for growers who don't have access to DSA cultivars. 'Caroline' was a hit soon after it was released and it has been found to perform extremely well in a variety of climates as widespread as California and the UK. 'Autumn Britten' has nice fruit but not enough yields and is being replaced. 'Nova' has been a wonderful surprise. Released in 1981, it found a small following in the Midwestern and eastern US. However in the late 1990s, 'Nova' was trialed in California and has since grown to be an important cultivar especially due to its very early spring crop. Early ripening primocane fruiters are always desirable as they can either help fill the gap between summer and primocane fruiting cultivars or in a system where only primocane fruiters are grown there is always a need for the earliest ripening genotypes possible. 'Autumn Bliss' and 'Autumn Britten' have become major cultivars in Europe and North America as they help fill these needs in addition to having large fruit. They are susceptible to RBDV which has led them to being replaced in some markets. 35
The limitations of cold climates with short summers of central Europe and Scandinavia have led to the early primocane cultivars 'Polka' and 'Polana' becoming very important. In addition to 'Caroline', the cooperative program centered at the University of Maryland has developed other cultivars that seem to have become standards in many areas. 'Josephine', while slightly later than 'Heritage', has larger fruit size and improved flavor. 'Anne', a yellow fruited cultivar, has much better quality than the previous standard 'Faligold' and much better flavor and fruit size than the yellow/apricot sports of 'Heritage'. On the Cusp of Greatness At least 36 new cultivars have been released worldwide in the past 4 years and most of these are really just beginning to be trialed (Table 2). However, within each region there are new cultivars that have gotten their industry excited. These are the cultivars that nurseries are selling out of and substantial acreage is being planted. Five years from now, one or two of these may have become new standards. In the Pacific Northwest, each of the breeding programs has an example of one of these. 'Coho' was released by the USDA-ARS/OSU as a late season fresh market raspberry, but turns out it produces an outstanding quality individually quick frozen product and is machine harvestable. 'Cowichan' from Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada probably has RBDV resistance and has high quality, machine harvestable fruit that are suited for processing. 'Cascade Delight' from Washington State University, is a beautiful late, high quality raspberry for the fresh market with significant levels of root rot tolerance. Similarly, 'Octavia', from East Mailing, with its late ripening high quality fruit is developing an excellent following. Black Raspberries The New York Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva was the center of the black raspberry breeding world for the first half of the 1900s. From the mid-1900s to now, a few cultivars have been released but in looking through nursery catalogues you would be hard pressed to find more than 5-6 cultivars available and if you looked in the USDA-ARS Germplasm Repository your list could expand to about 15 cultivars. 'Munger' is by far the most important cultivar in terms of plant sales but it is almost exclusively grown in the Pacific Northwest despite being developed in Ohio in the late I 800s. In the eastern U.S., 'Jewel' has been a predominant cultivar. 'Mac Black' with its much later ripening season is the main new black raspberry for the fresh market. The origin of 'Mac Black' is a bit uncertain but it appears to have come via Makielski's Nursery in Ypsilanti, Michigan from E. Lowden's private program in Ontario. The NYAES and the USDA-ARS (Ore.) have greatly increased their black raspberry effort in the past 5 years, in part due to the increased recognition that they have great potential as a nutraceutical crop. CONCLUSION AND THE FUTURE The concluding remarks made by Finn and Knight (2002) seem to hold true four years later. Breeding programs are doing a great job, using conventional approaches, good science, and keen eyes to develop cultivars that meet the needs of their industries. However, there is an erosion of the number of programs, an increasing importance of private programs, more legal paperwork, and a decrease in germplasm exchange that are impacting the way we operate. While it is difficult to predict precisely what breeding objectives will be met in the near future, we will speculate... We expect great success in further extending the ripening season as primocane fruiting gets earlier and floricane fruiting later, the gap between these will be filled with high quality cultivars. Cultivars that are adapted to a niche market or single uses (e.g., organic; Japanese small berry) will become more important. Plant architecture whether for improved presentation for fresh harvest, for easier machine 36
harvest, or for traits such as high fruit number per lateral that increase yield will be more intensively pursued. The importance to the consumer (or lack thereof) of significantly altering the "nutraceutical"/antioxidant value of raspberry fruit will begin to become clearer thereby helping us to determine the relative effort to put towards this area. While there is no interest in transgenic cultivars, molecular tools will help via marker assisted selection for intractable traits such as root rot and RBDV resistance. Black raspberries are poised for some real improvements as the effort being brought to bear on them are more than has taken place in 60 years. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks to those who provided information for this paper, especially: C. Boyd, A. Dale, C. Ford, A. Jamieson, C. Fear, R. Harrison, D.L. Jennings, N. Jennings, V.H. Knight, J.J. Luby, P. Mladin, N. Nourse, A. Orzel, D. Roen, G. Sills, H.J. Swartz, and C. Weber. Literature Cited Daubeny, H.A. 1997. Raspberry. In: W.R. Okie (ed.), Register of new fruit and nut varieties Brooks and Olmo list 38. HortScience 32:797-798. Daubeny, H.A. 1999. Raspberry. In: W.R. Okie (ed.), Register of new fruit and nut varieties list 39. HortScience 34:196-197. Daubeny, H.A. 2000. Raspberry. W.R. Okie (ed.), Register of new fruit and nut varieties list 40. HortScience 35:820-821. Daubeny, H.A. 2002. Raspberry. In: W.R. Okie (ed.), Register of new fruit and nut varieties, list 41. HortScience 37:264-266. Daubeny, H.A. 2004. Raspberry. In: W.R. Okie (ed.), Register of new fruit and nut varieties, list 42. HortScience 39:1516-15 17. Finn, C. and Knight, V.H. 2002. What's going on in the world of Rubus breeding? Acta Hort. 585:31-38. Finn, C., Swartz, H., Moore, PP., Ballington, J.R. and Kempler, C. 2002. Use of 58 Rubus species in five North American breeding programs- breeders notes. Acta Hort. 585:113-120.
37
Tables Table I. Species specifically cited as being useful in the surveyed breeding programs and the traits of interest from these species. Traits of interest arcticus L R. cockburnianus I lemsley R. corchorifolius L
earliness in primocane very high numbers of flowers/fruits per lateral; late ripening. early ripening; erect habit
R. corcamis M iq.
productivity; vigor; Ainphorophora idaei & cane disease resistance: excellent black forms for crosses with black raspberry & yellow/apricot forms for crosses with red raspberry
K iiuuri/oIiii, Runoc
bright red fruit; easy plugging; pest & disease resistance; suitability for machine harvesting; early & condensed ripening
K /lscii/osi tocke
vigor; virus resistance; color variations
R. idaeus L. including late fruiting season; resistance to root rot; vigor; winter var. vu/gatos & var. hardiness; flavor; resistance to the resistance breaking strain strigosus of aphids; resistance to cane diseases: resistance to spider mites R. innominatus Moore R. lasiosty/us Focke
productivity; high fruit number/lateral possible disease resistance
K leucodermis Doug. ex Torrey & A. Gray
vigor; disease tolerance; particularly viruses & Vertici/lium
R. niveus Thunb
resistance to fruit rot; fruit quality; low chilling; fruit firmness; primocane fruiting
R. occidentalis L.
Phytophthora resistance; resistance to biotypes 1-4 of Amphorophora ic/ac!; firmness; easy plugging; late ripening
R. ivlori,iii,s L
earliness in primocane fruiting; ornamental potential; leaf& stem disease resistance; aphid resistance
R. / klri Ulorus Nun.
resistance to root rot & aphids
R. parvfolius L.
vigor; productivity; primocane fruiting
R. phoenicolasius Maxim. R. pungens Cambess
possible disease resistance possible disease resistance
R. spectabilis Pursh
earliness in summer & primocane types; bright red fruit; easy plugging; Phvtophthora, Botrytis & Didymella app/anata field resistance; resistance to aphids
R. sumatranus Miq.
high drupelet number
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