1961, is winter hardy for Western Oregon. An early-ripening blackberry, Aurora was devel- 

 oped by USDA and the Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station, Corvallis, for use in the 

 Pacific Northwest. 



Breeding work aimed at developing thornless, winter-hardy and disease-resistant varieties 

 is continuing at the Oregon Station and the Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, with 

 USDA and State scientists cooperating. As one phase of the project, a germ-plasm collec- 

 tion of blackberry varieties and selections was recently planted for field tests. 



Blueberries 



Improved varieties of blueberries developed in USDA and USDA-State breeding proj- 

 ects have brought about a rapid growth in the blueberry industry and increased demand for 

 the fruit. However, the need for breeding more cold hardy varieties of superior berries has 

 been demonstrated by extensive crop losses due to cold damage. Out of 10 superior varieties 

 now being grown commercially in Eastern areas, only Bluecrop escaped cold damage and 

 set a full crop in the 1962 season, for example. 



In the continuing search for hardier blueberries, plant researchers have looked for prom- 

 ising selections among wild varieties growing north of North Carolina, New Jersey, and New 

 Hampshire areas where parents of the present cultivated varieties were found. Several selec- 

 tions from northern New York and northern New England are now being tested for their 

 value as parents. 



Notable among these northern selections is the Ashworth blueberry which was found in 

 a field about 4 miles from Heuvelton, N. Y. Ashworth is reported to have fruited following 

 temperatures as low as —50° F. and ripens early. Whereas commonly cultivated varieties 

 are hybrids derived from complex crossing of highbush swamp species (Vaccinium aiistrale 

 and V. corymobosum) and the lowbush species (V. lamarckii), Ashworth is apparently a 

 pure tetraploid highbush species (V. corymobosum). 



With a view to transferring its cold hardiness and early-ripening characteristics, Ash- 

 worth has been crossed with a number of commercial varieties and the seedlings are being 

 tested at a number of locations with generally encouraging results. In Michigan in 1956, 

 a cross of Ashworth and Earliblue had a full crop although named varieties grown in the same 

 field sufl'ered serious low-temperature damage. The chief advantages of Ashworth as a 

 parent appear to be its tolerance of low winter temperatures, resistance to frost damage at 

 blossom time, and early ripening; its chief limitation is smallness of fruit. 



Blueberry breeding work is going forward at a number of locations and progress is 

 being made toward obtaining new cold hardy types having large fruit, high quality, and small 

 scars for better shelf life. In Massachusetts, 10 selections had acceptable crops in 1960 when 

 most varieties had none due to hurricane damage followed by severe winter temperatures. 

 And at the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, Jonesboro, 28 new winter-hardy selec- 

 tions were made from hybrids of previously selected varieties and plants having other desired 

 characteristics. The most productive seedlings occurred in crosses in which Sebatis (a hardy 

 highbush selection found growing wild in New Hampshire) was a parent. High bush varie- 

 ties capable of growing in cold areas are desired because of their characteristically large 

 berries. 



Grapes 



Considerable grape breeding research is currently being done by ARS at Fresno, Calif., 

 and Beltsville, Md. On the West Coast where much work is being done, the major emphasis 

 is on developing superior varieties of seedless grapes which are disease resistant. More needs 

 to be known about cold hardiness, however. At Beltsville, major emphasis is on develop- 

 ment of hardy disease-resistant types. 



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