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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Production and Genetic Improvement Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #413032
Research Project: Genetic Improvement of Blackberry, Red and Black Raspberry, and Blueberry

Location: Horticultural Crops Production and Genetic Improvement Research Unit

Title: Caneberry breeding program synopsis for Breeding Insight website

Author
item Hardigan, Michael
item Lee, Jungmin

Submitted to: World Wide Web
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/28/2024
Publication Date: 2/29/2024
Citation: Hardigan, M.A., Lee, J. 2024. Caneberry breeding program synopsis for Breeding Insight website. Breeding Insight website. https://breedinginsight.org/blackberryandraspberry/.

Interpretive Summary: Breeding Insight is a USDA-ARS funded research initiative that is tasked with developing genomic tools and resources, database access, and other forms of support for ARS specialty crop and animal species breeding programs. To improve communication and access to information about participating breeding programs, the USDA-ARS-HCPGIRU (Horticultural Crops Production and Genetic Improvement Research Unit) caneberry breeding program provided a synopsis of USDA blackberry and raspberry breeding efforts for publication on the Breeding Insight website.

Technical Abstract: Caneberries, whose name originates from berries that grow on woody stems called canes, are a diverse group of aggregate fruits in the genus Rubus that include blackberries and raspberries. In addition to being tasty, caneberries are an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phenolics. Caneberries are naturally high in anthocyanins and other phenolics that are potentially beneficial for human health. The USDA-ARS breeding program at the Horticultural Crops Production and Genetic Improvement Research Unit (HCPGIRU) in Corvallis, Oregon is focused on developing improved cultivars of blackberry and raspberry for both the fresh market and processing. Situated in the Willamette Valley and adjacent to the gene bank housing the National Caneberry Collection, researchers benefit from an ideal climate and abundant genetic resources to discover and incorporate new traits into breeding populations. Each year thousands of unique berry types are evaluated to identify individuals with suitable characteristics for commercial production, and improved fruit quality and flavor. Developing machine-harvestable cultivars to assist farmers is a primary objective, along with assessment of post-harvest and shipping quality for the increasingly health and wellness conscious consumer. Promising selections are tested in cooperation with the Oregon State University (OSU) North Willamette Research and Extension Center in Aurora, Oregon. Here they are placed in trials to assess long-term plant health, productivity, and fruit quality before being released to nurseries and producers across the country. Increasingly frequent and severe climate events have imposed an urgent need for developing better-adapted cultivars. The Caneberry Plant Improvement Initiative in Oregon brings together USDA-ARS and OSU plant breeders, food chemists, horticulturists, physiologists, and pathologists to address these challenges.