Breeding blueberry and strawberry cultivars with resiliency and wide adaptability

Blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) and strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) have been under continuous improvement at the University of Florida since the early 1950s.
In both cases, the original goal was to develop cultivars that would be adapted to the humid subtropical climate and sandy soils in Florida and allow fresh production earlier in the domestic marketing season than would normally be possible.
With blueberry, the path toward this goal involved extensive hybridization with locally native related Vaccinium species followed by years of recurrent selection.
In strawberry, hybridization with cultivated germplasm semi-adapted to Florida was followed by many rounds of recurrent selection.
Although there are differences in production strategies (e.g., perennial blueberry vs. annual strawberry) that could influence the relative adaptation of a cultivar, the common theme in both breeding programs is that selection in environments that present both abiotic and biotic challenges has resulted in cultivars that are surprisingly well-adapted to diverse production regions worldwide.
The alteration of both crops for production in the subtropics has presented unique challenges and opportunities in breeding for improved fruit quality in recent years.

XXIX International Horticultural Congress on Horticulture: Sustaining Lives, Livelihoods and Landscapes (IHC2014): II International Berry Fruit Symposium: Interactions! Local and Global Berry Research and Innovation

J.W. Olmstead, V.M. Whitaker

fruit breeding, genotype × environment, recurrent selection

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2016.1117.14