Articles
Progress toward establishing an American elderberry breeding program in the Midwest United States
Article number
1460_14
Pages
111 – 120
Language
English
Abstract
Elderberries (Sambucus spp.) have been utilized around the world for millennia for their health-promoting properties.
Over the past few decades, demand for elderberry products has surged in the United States due to interest in their putative health benefits.
Elderberry acreage in the US more than doubled from 2017 to 2022; however, total production area remains limited and European imports are needed to meet demand.
American elderberry (Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis) is native to eastern North America and has recently been the focus of research and development because of its adaptation to local growing environments and promising phytochemical profiles.
Many popular commercially available cultivars were selected from the wild or developed in breeding programs in the northeastern US and Canada more than 60 years ago, and opportunity exists to improve current germplasm through targeted breeding efforts.
To this end, an American elderberry breeding program was established at the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry beginning in 2021. Initial efforts included germplasm curation and establishment of 4,000 open-pollinated seedlings from commercial cultivars and promising wild selections.
Selection criteria relate to a high-yielding and harvest-efficient ideotype with compact, upright stature; large decumbent umbels that are easy to access; uniformly ripening fruit; large, non-shattering berries; and positive response to annual coppicing.
Additional traits of interest focus on fruit quality and bioactive compounds.
A breeding pipeline is in development, where a cycle begins with bi-parental crosses and evaluation of progeny (Y=0-3, N≈500). Ongoing activities include planting and evaluation of multi-location replicated preliminary trials (Y=4-7, N≤50, R≤5, L=2), selection and establishment of advanced trials and increase blocks (Y=6-8, N≤10, R≥5, L≥2), and cultivar release (Y=8-9, N≤3). American elderberry breeding efforts are new to the lower Midwest and are expected to bolster production and domestic market access to American elderberry through development of improved cultivars.
Over the past few decades, demand for elderberry products has surged in the United States due to interest in their putative health benefits.
Elderberry acreage in the US more than doubled from 2017 to 2022; however, total production area remains limited and European imports are needed to meet demand.
American elderberry (Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis) is native to eastern North America and has recently been the focus of research and development because of its adaptation to local growing environments and promising phytochemical profiles.
Many popular commercially available cultivars were selected from the wild or developed in breeding programs in the northeastern US and Canada more than 60 years ago, and opportunity exists to improve current germplasm through targeted breeding efforts.
To this end, an American elderberry breeding program was established at the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry beginning in 2021. Initial efforts included germplasm curation and establishment of 4,000 open-pollinated seedlings from commercial cultivars and promising wild selections.
Selection criteria relate to a high-yielding and harvest-efficient ideotype with compact, upright stature; large decumbent umbels that are easy to access; uniformly ripening fruit; large, non-shattering berries; and positive response to annual coppicing.
Additional traits of interest focus on fruit quality and bioactive compounds.
A breeding pipeline is in development, where a cycle begins with bi-parental crosses and evaluation of progeny (Y=0-3, N≈500). Ongoing activities include planting and evaluation of multi-location replicated preliminary trials (Y=4-7, N≤50, R≤5, L=2), selection and establishment of advanced trials and increase blocks (Y=6-8, N≤10, R≥5, L≥2), and cultivar release (Y=8-9, N≤3). American elderberry breeding efforts are new to the lower Midwest and are expected to bolster production and domestic market access to American elderberry through development of improved cultivars.
Authors
E. Prenger, N. Meier, A. Thomas, R.S. Revord
Keywords
Sambucus canadensis, breeding pipeline, cultivar development
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