FEBRUARY 2020 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


33


Blueberry breeding focuses on quality, exports Summit showcases work abroad, at home


by PETER MITHAM


RICHMOND – The quest for new varieties is a regular topic for blueberry growers, who are keenly aware of the need to diversify as well as hone in on consumer preferences. Between annual updates at the Pacific Agriculture Show in the winter, spring meetings and summer field days, a steady feed of information keeps BC growers abreast of what’s going on at home. But a session at the


International Blueberry Organization summit in Richmond last summer saw that work stacked up against the activities of a host of international researchers. A key theme among all growers was the need to develop locally adapted varieties that can produce top-quality fruit in new and often challenging growing conditions. Mountain Blue Farms in New South Wales, Australia, for example, is testing varieties in partnership with growers at 20 different sites around the world. It works with 200 parent plants to produce about 120 crosses a year at its home farm in Australia. A total of 15,000 to 20,000 seedlings a year result from an intensive hand- pollination process. “[It’s] been a real challenge


for us, but it’s been an exciting challenge as well,” said Mountain Blue principal Ridley Bell during a panel discussion that reviewed past successes and future avenues for variety development on the second day of the conference. Regardless of the


conditions under which berries are grown, Bell says fruit quality and yield are key. Growers need to know they can make money from the fruit, and money comes from sales. Buyers, in turn, are more discriminating. Conference participants


heard how retail customers in Europe are more selective, and will specify select varieties. Sales to China, meanwhile, will pay a premium of up to 50% for large, firm fruit. “They like the large fruit,


they like the crunchy fruit,” Bell said. “We really believe in firmness.” Varieties like Cabernet Splash, which has a dense flesh with high solids, high sugar content and a nice shape, are ideal. Bell compared them to the new grape varieties that have transformed consumer preferences for that fruit. “All these new grapes –


they’re crunchy, they’re sweet, and you can just pick them up and eat ‘em and not stop,” he said. “That’s the way we want to see blueberries go. Some of the Eureka series of selections of varieties now are like that.”


But a more variable climate is also on the minds of growers, who know that plantings need to be renewed to keep pace. It’s not just consumer preferences driving the changes these days, but anxieties about how farms can become more resilient to climate conditions. “What’s going to happen,


are they going to have the varieties for those conditions?” Bell asked. “That’s


why we’re looking at breeding in warmer climates.” Greater disease


pressure is also a concern, especially as growers explore novel growing systems and evergreen varieties that can bear fruit year-round. Bell says rust is a


particular concern of evergreen varieties in Australia, and Mountain Blue is working with a New Zealand company to develop a vaccination process to protect them. The vaccine would use tissue cultures to boost resistance. Blueberry breeding in BC is


led by Michael Dossett in partnership with Eric Gerbrandt, research director for the BC Blueberry Council, who described recent developments for summit participants.


He said that when Michael Dossett took over the berry breeding program in 2011, growers were surveyed and gave them direction for new variety development. Growers wanted new varieties to be suitable to be machine- harvested for the fresh market and have a desirable firmness. Varieties that matured across the season but would have compact harvesting windows were also favoured. The majority of the 30,000


acres of blueberries in BC are Duke, followed by Bluecrop and Elliott. The dominance of Duke leads to a surge of fruit in the first half of the season. “We need to have a range


The Centre for Organizational Governance in Agriculture


Join us for an exciting season of COGA programming sponsored by the BC Council of Marketing Boards.


February 13 Emerging Issues: Activism and Influences in Agriculture


You’re invested in your business So are we


Partner with the only lender 100% invested in Canadian agriculture and food.


DREAM. GROW. THRIVE. | fcc.ca


March 19 Emerging Issues: Media Training


Quality Hotel & Conference Centre 36035 North Parallel Road, Abbotsford, BC


Registration: 9am Program: 9:30am - 3pm Registration fee per session: $157.50 per person (includes break, lunch and materials)


Advance Registration is required and is available at www.bccoga.ca or via email to: office@bccoga.ca


Funding for this event was provided in part by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture through programs delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C.


of varieties that are coming in not at the same time as Duke,” Gerbrandt said. However, variety


development also has to account for some basic considerations. The expansion of acreage has pushed growers into more marginal areas. In addition, rain creates a significant risk of bacterial and fungal diseases. “We have to actively breed


for resistance to those challenges,” Gerbrandt said. The potential for new, locally adapted varieties to address local challenges has led researchers to germplasm from native varieties. “We want to select material locally so that we can make sure that the quality of those cultivars is selected under our conditions,” he explained. “Bringing in new traits from wild germplasm is an


essential part of our program.” The benchmark for new varieties right now is Draper. But the real test for any new variety is in the field. While lab work is important, berries aren’t grown in labs. The field is where researchers see how the fruit performs.


This is especially true in the face of climate change, which Gerbrandt calls, “a moving target.” “We can select for a well- adapted crop now, but it may not be in the years to come,” he said, echoing Bell’s comments. Bell, for his part, says the final test for new varieties is the marketplace. “You have to put them


through strong commercial pressure and then things start to show up,” he said.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52