MARCH 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
41
Progress slow, steady on new berry selections Breeder takes the long view when it comes to promising new varieties for BC growers
by DAVID SCHMIDT ABBOTSFORD – BC berry breeder
Michael Dossett is making a lot of progress but still doesn’t have anything to show for his efforts. “It takes 15 years to release a new
cultivar,” he told berry growers at the Pacific Agriculture Show in January. Half the BC breeding program is
devoted to raspberries, 40% to blueberries and 10% to strawberries. Dossett focuses half his efforts on finishing cultivars, about 40% on finding parents and only 10% on identifying new, marketable varieties. In raspberries, he’s looking for
machine-harvestable varieties with resistance to raspberry bushy dwarf virus (RBDV) and root rot and better tolerance to soil-borne diseases. While he doesn’t expect to achieve full resistance, he’d like to identify varieties which are slow to infect. To speed things up, Dossett is using genetic markers to identify RBDV- resistant plants. Washington State University plant
breeder Pat Moore says Meeker remains the most popular commercial variety in the Pacific Northwest, although BC growers are making Wakefield their first choice for new plantings. Other popular varieties include Chemainus, Cascade Harvest, Rudi and Tulameen.
Management key
No matter which varieties they choose to plant, growers must maximize the plant’s ability to contend with pests and disease. Growers have been fumigating fields to eliminate soil-borne pests but increasing restrictions on chemical
fumigants means they need
additional options. That’s
where soil scientist Tom Forge of the Agri- culture and Agri-Food Canada
Summerland Research and Development Centre has a role. Despite his best efforts, he admits plants still perform better in fumigated soils than non-fumigated soils. However, he suggests only fumigating beds, saying that will suppress nematodes up to two years. Bare-root plants are still better than tissue culture plants but Forge expects that to change with better technology. Another option is to apply a heavy dose of compost before planting. Composted dairy manure provides the best suppression but does not match results from fumigation. “But it’s much better than doing
nothing,” he told growers. Dossett believes he has some
promising varieties in the pipeline. Last year, he planted 39 machine- harvestable raspberry plots, almost 4,000 seedlings and 60 new crosses and he expects more selections next year. Promising crosses include 7-20-30 and 5-11-1. Although both machine harvest well, 5-11-1 doesn’t yield well. He also sent the best selections from 2014 for trial in Washington.
They include 10-5-10, a very early variety, and 10-5-26, a very high- yielding variety.
Dossett
has planted about 1,000 seedlings
from the now discontinued
University of Guelph
raspberry breeding program but it will be a few years before any of that material reaches growers.
Blueberries ready for grower trials
In blueberries, growers want berries with good colour, good stems, firm fruit and plants with better growth habits than those currently available. Dossett has four varieties ready for
grower trials: BC12-6-35, a mid-season variety which may lack vigour; BC 14- 40-117, which is not as firm a berry as 12-6-35 but a much more vigorous plant; BC14-40-158, a firm berry with good flavour but a plant which requires heavy pruning; and BC14-42- 1, which has a darker coloured berry. While Dossett concentrates on finding new varieties, berry researcher Eric Gerbrandt is evaluating genetics from other breeding programs in local grower trials to determine whether they suit BC conditions. “We have little data on local
performance so we can’t endorse anything at this time,” he told growers. Gerbrandt’s trials include Cargo, a
late-season berry that can be machine harvested for the fresh market; Last Call, a large, light blue berry which
could replace Aurora and Elliott; and Top Shelf, a midseason variety he likes but Dossett doesn’t. Recently, he added Calypso, Huron, Legacy and Baby Blues.
Day-neutral focus: strawberries Because the strawberry breeding
program is so limited, Dossett focuses solely on day-neutrals. Growers want high-yielding plants that yield consistently through the season. Berries must have good size, good skin and sweet, intense flavour. In strawberries, Dossett has high
hopes for BC10-2-1. The yield is similar to Albion but the berries are firmer and sweeter. “The plants are currently in virus cleanup and we hope to have some back soon so we can talk about results of large-scale grower trials next year.” Albion remains the most popular
variety in BC but has been surpassed by Tillamook, the top choice among Oregon growers, as the top seller in the Pacific Northwest. Totem, the most popular variety in Washington, is third overall in the Pacific Northwest. Day-neutrals are certainly taking
over the Pacific Northwest strawberry industry, says WSU’s Wendy Hoashi- Erhardt. “In 2006, growers planted 350,000 June-bearing strawberry plants and just 100,000 day-neutrals. In 2016, growers bought 300,000 day- neutral plants and just 150,000 June- bearing plants.” She said promising varieties coming out of the WSU and Michigan State University breeding programs include MSU 13-16-55 and 13-16-15 and WSU 12-216-3 – the most consistent producer.
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