Another grant! Red raspberry breeding this time.

A team of scientists from across the US and part of Canada have been funded by USDA-NIFA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative to plan a breeding roadmap for US red raspberry cultivars. The roadmap will include developing a ranking system for existing and future cultivars in public breeding programs and identifying coordinated research steps to develop usable markers for resistance to certain pests, important horticultural traits and flavor characteristics sought by consumers. Together, this team will describe methods to address stumbling blocks existing within publically funded red raspberry breeding programs that are holding back increases in industry productivity and profitability. This $49,506 planning grant began on September 1, 2011. In order to collect stakeholder input, advisory boards will be recruited and public workshops will be offered.