Vision ripens into success
Arkansas fruit breeding program yields leaders, contenders for national markets
June 28, 2006Contact Information:
Dr. John Clark, Professor of Horticulture
479-575-2810 / jrclark@uark.edu
By Fred Miller, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
479-575-5647 / fmiller@uark.edu
University of Arkanas Division of Agriculture fruit breeder John R. Clark emasculates blackberry flowers to prepare them for crossbreeding. The U of A fruit breeding program has produced 40 varieties of fruits since it began in 1964. Blackberries are the stars of the program and are grown on every continent except Antarctica.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When SunnyRidge Farm, Inc., of Winter Haven, Fla., decided to take on the California blackberries that dominated the markets, it turned to a perennial pleaser out of the University of Arkansas fruit breeding program that was already in its inventory.
Navaho was the first upright, thornless blackberry ever developed and remains a favorite of fruit growers and consumers, said John R. Clark, head of the U of A Division of Agriculture fruit breeding program.
SunnyRidge Farm markets fruit from growers all over the country, including their own farms in Florida, said president Keith Mixon. “Four or five years ago, we began focusing on developing markets for blackberries from the southeastern states,” he said. “California berries dominated the markets, but our berries are sweet, where theirs are more bitter.”
So, when SunnyRidge went looking for something to set its product line apart from the California crowd, Navaho provided the ticket. In 2005, the company established a new marketing campaign, “SunnyRidge Super Sweet,” marked with a bold red sticker on the clamshell packages.
“The campaign proved successful last year,” Mixon said, “and it looks like it will do even better this year.”
Besides Navaho, SunnyRidge also uses Ouachita and Arapaho, also University of Arkansas varieties, in its Super Sweet campaign.
Blackberries are the stars in the Arkansas fruit breeding program, which also features blueberries, peaches and nectarines, and grapes, as well as some non-fruiting ornamentals, Clark said.
Clark attributes the success of the Arkansas breeding program to the vision of James N. Moore, his predecessor, who founded it in 1964.
“Dr. Moore wanted plants that were adapted to Arkansas,” Clark said. “He knew what genetic traits were available in existing plants and he had the fundamental knowledge of genetics needed to find the balance of desirable traits.”
Moore is retired, but still keeps his hand in the work. He said all the fruit varieties grown in Arkansas before he began the breeding program were developed in other states. Most were not well suited to Arkansas growing conditions. When he started out, there were three things he wanted to accomplish.
“I wanted blackberries without thorns, peaches without fuzz and grapes without seeds, all that could be grown here and produce marketable fruit,” Moore said.
All those goals were accomplished, although it took 25 years to develop a satisfactory thornless blackberry. The result, released in 1989, was Navaho.
“All existing thornless blackberries grew in trailing canes that had to be trellised. They were late ripening and sensitive to winter cold,” Moore said. “With Navaho, we overcame all the negatives and had a very sweet, good-tasting berry.”
Navaho is suited to a wide climate range and is grown all over the world. In fact, U of A blackberries are grown on every continent except Antarctica, Clark said.
Sweetness is key to the success of any fruit, Clark said. “Everyone likes sweetness in fruit.”
Beyond sweetness, variety in flavor comes from other components, including what Clark calls “aromatics.” These provide subtle differences in taste, and are particularly important in grapes and peaches, he said. Texture, such as crispness in table grapes, is also important.
Other important traits sought during the breeding process are reliable production and ability to be stored and shipped. “We’re trying to reach a broad audience from growers and shippers to consumers,” Clark said.
Clark uses conventional crossbreeding techniques to develop fruits that meet all these constituent demands, and that requires long hours in the test plots at three Division of Agriculture research sites.
“We have to stay focused on our vision and do enough crosses and selections to achieve the traits we seek,” Clark said.
For example, 35,000 blackberry seedlings are growing at one site, the Fruit Substation at Clarksville. The seedlings resulted from between 150 to 200 crossings for a wide range of desirable traits. Less than 1 percent of those will be selected for further testing. The remainder will be discarded.
“The only way to do this is to get in there, get after it, and attain your goal,” Clark said. “That’s why you have to go out there and stand in the sun year after year.”