Research Yields New Raspberry Varieties

Research Yields New Raspberry Varieties New raspberry varieties are soon entering the market, thanks to research from Cornell. “My goal is to help berry growers be more sustainable, both economically and environmentally,” says Courtney Weber, Horticulture Section Head and Professor at Cornell AgriTech. “That requires developing varieties that are more productive, more disease resistant, and more resilient to weather conditions while maintaining great eating quality.” He’s also working to better align with market forces. “Consumer preferences, labor availability, input costs, and production practices are always changing, and my goal is to anticipate and address these changes with new varieties,” Weber says. “That might mean larger fruit for more efficient harvest and better eye appeal, firmer texture for longer shelf life and the ability to pack in larger containers, disease resistance, more upright or self-supporting canes for easier harvesting and better pest management, and superior flavor and eating quality to meet specialty market demand.” He shares that breeding new berry varieties is time-consuming and intensive. The research team begins with detailed observations of the genetic resources available for each crop to predict the best genetic combinations for the desired traits. “I’ve been evaluating raspberry varieties within my program for 25 years and have built a knowledge base and understanding of genetics and inheritance that affect the traits of interest,” he says. “I choose different plants to combine through traditional hybridization to create new generations of seedlings to be evaluated for commercial potential. Thousands are evaluated each year, and a few dozen at most are chosen to propagate and observe in the following seasons. They’re moved through the program as future parents, then possibly as new varieties.” It’s a slow process. Weber conducts trials with growers across New York, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Massachusetts and more. The goal is to see how the varieties perform across a wide range of environments to avoid surprises for growers. On average, one new variety is developed every 4 to 6 years, or one from every 10,000 to 15,000 seedlings. That makes this year’s two new varieties noteworthy. Crimson Beauty and Crimson Blush share some traits—“both have large, attractive berries with a balance of sweetness and acidity,” Weber says—but despite the similarity in their names, the two varieties have many differences. “Crimson Beauty is a very early primocane (fall) bearing variety that flowers in mid-summer in upstate New York, meaning the fruit starts to ripen by the end of July. In contrast, Crimson Blush finishes up the fall season, producing fruit from late September through the end of November. Crimson Blush canes have an extended vegetative growing period, which makes them tall and allows for a second crop the following spring and summer before the next set of canes flower.” Despite these successes, the research team continues to press on. “Breeding new varieties is a never-ending process. There’s always something new on the horizon,” Weber says. “For example, I’ve worked many years developing spine-free, fall-fruiting black raspberries. Our first potential varieties are in trials with growers now.” He believes the berries have commercial potential due to their great taste and impressive nutrient levels. Likewise, he thinks there’s room to develop new summer fruiting varieties, a neglected category. “We need new floricane (summer) varieties with better fruit and production characteristics. Most were developed decades ago and are more suited for jams and pies than fresh eating,” he says. “I have two types being tested with growers and am hopeful one or both will be Cornell’s first new floricane variety in over 25 years.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Courtney  Weber, Cornell AgriTech, 635 W North St., 226 Hedrick Hall, Geneva, N.Y. 14456 (ph 315-787-2395; caw34@cornell.edu).

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