New varieties of blueberries are developed in the US with greater postharvest resistance

Published Dec 14, 2022

Tridge summary

Researchers at the Horticultural Crop Production and Genetic Improvement Research Unit in Corvallis, Oregon are working on developing new cultivars of blueberries and other berries to meet consumer demand. The goal is to improve shelf life, texture, and flavor, and to make them easier to harvest mechanically. They are also working on developing a variety that is resistant to the blueberry shock virus, which has caused significant crop losses in the Pacific Northwest. The researchers are using traditional plant breeding techniques combined with genomics to speed up the breeding process and create varieties that require fewer chemical inputs.

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Original content

In the United States, blueberries are the second most widely produced berry, and their popularity has grown exponentially in less than 30 years, from 45,000 tons grown in the 1990s to 339,000 tons in 2019. ARS researchers are working hard to help farmers to keep up. with consumer demand. Researchers at the Horticultural Crop Production and Genetic Improvement Research Unit (HPCGIR) in Corvallis, Oregon are developing new cultivars of not only blueberry but also blackberry, red raspberry, black raspberry and strawberry to meet the needs of growers. in the Pacific Northwest. “In blueberries, we are focused on improving the shelf life of the fruit so that it reaches consumers with consistently better texture and flavor,” said Claire Luby, HCPGIR plant geneticist. "This also means developing new types of blueberries that are easier to harvest with mechanical harvesting equipment." Blueberries are notorious for being difficult to harvest with machinery because they bruise so easily. ...

Source: Portaldelcampo