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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » National Clonal Germplasm Repository » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #288267

Title: Asian germplasm influences on American berry crops

Author
item Hummer, Kim
item BALLINGTON, JAMES - North Carolina State University
item DAVIS, THOMAS - University Of New Hampshire

Submitted to: Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/8/2013
Publication Date: 10/10/2013
Citation: Hummer, K.E., Ballington, J.R., Davis, T.M. 2013. Asian germplasm influences on American berry crops. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. 48(9):1090-1094.

Interpretive Summary: Berries, including the small and soft fruits, have provided highly nutritive components to the human diet for thousands of years. The cultivated temperate small fruits, including strawberry and raspberry have benefitted greatly from Asian heritage. In addition, some Asian temperate fruits harvested from wild stands in their native ranges are new to western culture. We summarize three aspects of the influence of Asian germplasm on American fruit crops: Asian genes in the evolutionary development of commercial strawberries; Asian species in raspberry breeding; and additional Asian fruits with potential niches for cultivation in the United States. Botanists have long observed similarities in fruit genera around the Pacific Rim with their American and European counterparts. Recent genetic work has implicated two diploid Asian strawberries as possible genome donors to the octoploid American strawberry species. While the cultivated red raspberry has been developed primarily from European and American germplasm, Asia is the primary center of diversity for raspberries, subgenus idaeobatus. Genes from a significant number of Asian species have been identified and successfully used in raspberry breeding. Disease and pest resistance, improved heat tolerance, improved plant habit, improved fruit characteristics, and increased yield are a few of the characters influenced by Asian genes. Several Asian species such as the hardy kiwifruit, blue honeysuckle, magnolia vine, and the rock azalea, will be profiled. These unusual species have potential as new crops to diversify small fruit production by American farmers.

Technical Abstract: Berries, including the small and soft fruits, have provided highly nutritive components to the human diet for millennia. The cultivated temperate small fruits, including strawberry (Fragaria L.) and raspberry (Rubus L. subgenus Idaeobatus) have benefitted greatly from Asian heritage. In addition, some Asian temperate fruits harvested from wild stands in their native ranges are new to western culture. We summarize three aspects of the influence of Asian germplasm on American fruit crops: Asian genes in the evolutionary development of octoploid strawberries; Asian Rubus species in raspberry breeding; and additional Asian fruits with potential niches for cultivation in the United States. Taxonomists have long observed similarities in fruit genera around the Pacific Rim with their American and European counterparts. Recent genetic work has implicated two diploid Asian strawberries as possible genome donors to the octoploid American strawberry species. While the cultivated red raspberry has been developed primarily from European (Rubus idaeus L.) and American (Rubus strigosus Michx.) germplasm, Asia is the primary center of diversity for raspberries, subgenus idaeobatus. Genes from a significant number of Asian species have been identified and successfully used in raspberry breeding. Disease and pest resistance, improved heat tolerance, improved plant habit, improved fruit characteristics, and increased yield are a few of the characters influenced by Asian genes. Several Asian species such as the hardy kiwifruit [Actinidia arguta (Siebold & Zucc.) Planch. Ex Miq.)], blue honeysuckle (Lonicera caerulea L), magnolia vine [Schizandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill.], and the rock azalea (Vaccinium praestans Lamb.), will be profiled. These unusual species have potential as new crops to diversify small fruit production by American farmers.