January 2020 - 26

BLUEBERRY
Breeder hits the mark
In their constant quest to find the
best genetic traits to help plants
stand up better to heat, drought,
flood, pests and pathogens and to
find the tastiest fruits, University
of Florida Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)
breeders develop new varieties
each year.
" UF/IFAS faculty work tirelessly
to develop improved plant
cultivars needed by Florida's
agricultural industries, " said
John Beuttenmuller, director
of the Florida Foundation Seed
Producers, a direct support
organization of the University of
Florida. FFSP works closely with
UF/IFAS Research.
" Whether it be a tomato,
zoysiagrass or oat with improved
disease resistance, a blueberry
with excellent fruit size and
machine harvest potential, or
a sweet orange with improved
quality, they are all examples of
UF/IFAS plant breeders answering
the call to improve the prospects
of profitable production in Florida
for years to come, " Beuttenmuller
said. " These releases showcase
the diversity of the strengths in UF/
IFAS' plant-breeding programs. "
One of five featured UF/IFAS
cultivars of 2019, based on current
projected market impact, was
" Colossus " (U.S. Patent Pending) -
a new blueberry variety, developed
by the blueberry breeding program
under the direction of Patricio
Muñoz, a UF/IFAS assistant
professor of horticultural sciences.
Its qualities are:
* It has very large fruit size.
* If needed, it can be harvested by
machine during April for fresh
market consumption.
* Short bloom-to-ripening period,
which minimizes the potential
need for frost protection.
* Concentrated ripening,
allowing for a more efficient
harvest.
* Great early yield potential, fits
well with the Florida window.
* Very firm fruit, stays firm for a
long period.
- Brad Buck
Florida scientists part of
blueberry breeding grant
By Brad Buck
University of Florida
A plant breeder and a food scientist,
both with the University of Florida,
will join a $12.8 million, multistate
research grant to broaden the nation's
blueberry breeding capabilities.
For the project, Patricio Muñoz,
Feb. 11-13, 2020
Indianapolis Marriott East Hotel
Indiana
Horticultural
Conference
&Expo
v The PREMIER conference
for fruit, wine grape, fresh
vegetable and hemp
growers.
v Featured sessions include
labor, business, and food
safety-related topics.
Register for the conference at
www.indianahortconference.org
An Equal Access/Equal Opportunity institution.
University of Florida Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)
assistant professor of horticultural
sciences and Charlie Sims, a UF/IFAS
professor of food science and human
nutrition will provide feedback on
the genetic characteristics that prove
best for various blueberry cultivars.
Scientists seek improved taste, aroma
and yield, among other traits.
Muñoz will continue his
experimental blueberry growth trials
at the UF/IFAS Plant Science Research
and Education Unit in Citra, Florida,
and at a commercial farm near Waldo,
Florida. Sims will conduct taste
test panels from his lab on the UF
Gainesville campus.
UF/IFAS blueberry breeding goes back
to the 1940s. Among the recent blueberry
cultivars developed by UF/IFAS are
Arcadia, Optimus, and Colossus.
With about 5,000 acres, the Florida
blueberry industry is worth an estimated
$82 million, according to the most recent
statistics from the Florida Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services. So,
it's important that farmers grow the best
berries possible.
" Blueberries have been recognized
for their health benefits, which in
part have driven a large increase in
consumption, " said Muñoz, the UF/
IFAS blueberry breeder. " But global
competition is getting more intense, and
it is detrimental to our producers. "
Sims will provide feedback about which
blueberry varieties consumers like best and
hopefully some characteristics associated
with their preferences.
" This will provide important
information to the breeders and
geneticists in developing blueberry
varieties that consumers like better, "
Sims said.
26 | FruitGrowersNews.com
As UF/IFAS breeders have
developed blueberry cultivars, they
have focused on factors such as
machine harvestability, fruit quality
and yield that can help growers
stay profitable. However, with more
intense competition, scientists need to
develop fruit with exceptional flavor
characteristics to help producers,
Muñoz said.
" In this project, we will focus on
this goal by exploring the genes that
control fruit flavor, " Muñoz said.
" Fruit with exceptional flavor will
improve fruit consumption satisfaction
and hopefully, increase purchasing
frequency. All these will be beneficial
to all the stakeholders involved
in blueberries, from the nurseries
producing the plants, to the producers
of fruits, supermarkets selling the fruit
and consumers of blueberries. "
In his program, Muñoz uses numerous
methods to develop new blueberry
varieties. In all methods, scientists are
selecting for the best genetic traits to
help ward off diseases, pests, and heat,
among other stress factors.
" The simplest method is to cross
two blueberry plants by applying the
pollen from one into the flower female
of the other, collect the seeds out of
that cross, then grow the seedlings
and finally select the one plant that
combines the traits of the two original
parents, " he said.
Muñoz and Sims join researchers
at North Carolina State University,
who were awarded a four-year,
$6.4 million U.S. Department of
Agriculture grant, and those funds
are getting matched - dollar for
dollar - from various sources
to study genetics and its use in
the breeding of cranberries and
blueberries. In addition to N.C. State
and UF/IFAS, scientists from Oregon
State University, Rutgers University,
Michigan State University, the
University of Wisconsin, Washington
State University, the University of
Georgia, Mississippi State University
and the USDA are among those
participating in the project. FGN
http://www.indianahortconference.org http://www.FruitGrowersNews.com
January 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2020
