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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #181917
Title: ‘BLACK DIAMOND’ THORNLESS TRAILING BLACKBERRY

Author
item Finn, Chad
item YORGEY, B - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
item STRIK, B - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
item HALL, H - NZ HORT RESEARCH
item Martin, Robert
item QIAN, M - OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: HortScience
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/18/2005
Publication Date: 12/1/2005
Citation: Finn, C.E., Yorgey, B.M., Strik, B.C., Hall, H.K., Martin, R.R., Qian, M. 2005. 'Black diamond' thornless trailing blackberry. HortScience. 40:2175-2178.

Interpretive Summary: ‘Marion’ is currently the most important blackberry (Rubus L.) cultivar in the world as it is the predominant cultivar grown for the processed fruit market. While ‘Marion’ produces outstanding quality fruit for processing, the plants are thorny. When ‘Marion’ is machine harvested, thorns can end up in the product, which can lead to a poor product, and, more significant in an economic sense, lawsuits. As a result, a primary priority for the breeding program has been the development of cultivars that are thornless, machine harvestable, and retain the excellent processing characteristics of ‘Marion’. Three thornless blackberry cultivars with these qualities are being released simultaneously: ‘Black Diamond’, ‘Black Pearl’ and ‘Nightfall’. ‘Black Diamond’ is a thornless trailing blackberry from the U.S. Department of Agriculture- Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) breeding program in Corvallis, OR. released in cooperation with the Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station and the Washington State University Agricultural Research Center. ‘Black Diamond’ is high-yielding, vigorous, adapted to machine harvesting, and produces a very good processed product. In addition, the fruit are firm enough and the drupelet epidermis tough enough to be suited to some fresh market applications.

Technical Abstract: The U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Washington Agricultural Research Center have released 'Black Diamond', a thornless (botanically “spineless”) blackberry for the processing and fresh market. 'Black Diamond' was selected in Corvallis, Oregon in 1997 from a cross of 'Kotata' x NZ 8610L-163 (E90 x N-71) made in 1991 by H. Hall with New Zealand HortResearch Inc. in New Zealand and tested as NZ 9128R-1. This cultivar is the result of tremendous cooperation among breeders sharing their germplasm.'Black Diamond' is outstanding because of its large, uniformly shaped and firm fruit coupled with production similar to 'Marion'. 'Black Diamond' is recommended for trial in areas where trailing blackberries can be successfully grown. 'Black Diamond' has been evaluated in blind panels as processed individually quick frozen (IQF) and pureed products. As an IQF fruit, 'Black Diamond' was ranked similarly to ‘Marion’ and ‘Waldo’ in perceived color and appearance and similar to ‘Waldo’, but lower ranked than ‘Marion’, for flavor, seediness and “overall quality”. As a puree, 'Black Diamond' was ranked similarly to ‘Waldo’, ‘Marion’, and ‘Silvan’ for aroma, flavor, color, and “overall quality”. The combination of input from these panels and other informal evaluations suggest that 'Black Diamond' will process well, but does not have the intense flavor that ‘Marion’ has.