Een E.C.A. reis voor het klein fruit

Summary

According to an E.C.A. project a study was made of the breeding, production, harvesting and marketing of small fruits in the U.S.A..

The breeding of small fruits appeared to be very important. With the strawberries the breeding for resistance to red-core-disease (Phytophthora fragariae Hickman) has come into prominence. TheVerticillium resistance of some Californian varieties, and the breeding for virus tolerance with parents of the tolerantchiloensis type was also of importance to us.

Highbush blueberries are a native American crop; selection and breeding have resulted in much better varieties, which are being cultivated more and more intensively. Crosses between highbush blueberry types and lowbush types give more possibilities with respect to a drier soil, shorter growing season, and better hardiness.

Blackberries are an important crop in the U.S.A.. Breeding work is done by G. F.Waldo at Corvallis (Oregon) in collaboration with G. M.Darrow at Beltsville. Better freezing quality is the main purpose in the West, greater hardiness in the East; thornlessness is a quality much wished for. Many possibilities still lie in hybridizing blackberries with raspberries. Problems in raspberry breeding in the West are mainly „wet feet”, a serious wilting disease, the cause of which is unknown yet, and the crumbliness of the fruits. Aphid resistance has been sufficiently achieved in new varieties such as Milton and Washington.

Everbearing varieties are the purpose of the breeding work at Geneva.