By John Lovett
Lifting a veil of uncertainty in blackberry genetics, a national team of horticulture scientists has discovered evidence pointing to the single genetic region that controls primocane-fruiting, or the ability to flower and fruit on first-year canes.
The primocane-fruiting trait has fueled the rapid growth of the fresh‑market blackberry industry over the past two decades, enabling fruit to be grown in warmer climates and to be produced outside the traditional harvest window. Still, scientists didn’t fully understand its genetic basis, said Margaret Worthington, director of the Fruit Breeding Program for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s research arm, the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.
Published in the Genetics journal, the study by Worthington and her co-authors explains how genome-wide association identified a single genomic region on chromosome Ra03 that is strongly associated with primocane fruiting.
The new research can speed development of improved varieties with better yield, fruit quality and regional adaptability, she said.
“The world’s first primocane-fruiting blackberries were developed here in the Arkansas Fruit Breeding Program, and we are continuing to breed new primocane-fruiting varieties with high yield potential, fruit quality and adaptation to the Southeast as part of our Prime-Ark® series,” Worthington said. “So, it is gratifying that we are able to lead the charge to resolve some of the mysteries behind its genetic control and develop useful markers for the global blackberry community.”
Source : uada.edu