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Breeding Blueberries with Better Traits

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Blueberries are nutritional powerhouses that taste great fresh, frozen, dried, or processed. Mississippi is among 10 states that grow 98 percent of America’s commercial blueberry crop, which in 2017 generated $1.8 billion and $176 million in fresh and frozen market sales, respectively1. (Peggy Greb, D3649-1)

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Year-round demand for blueberries at home and abroad is on the rise. But pests, diseases, and acts of nature like spring freezes can sideline growers’ best efforts to meet that demand. Enter USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. (Peggy Greb, D3645-1)

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For over 100 years, ARS scientists have been on the forefront of research to provide growers and consumers with the very best berries that breeding has to offer. ARS’s small-fruits expertise also extends to new, improved methods of growing, harvesting, and increasing the health-promoting benefits of this popular native fruit. (Peggy Greb, D3651-1)

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Scientists at the ARS Thad Cochran Southern Horticultural Research Laboratory in Poplarville, Mississippi, are continuing this tradition of excellence with a focus on blueberry production in the southeastern United States. ARS biological science technician Denise Hardy and ARS horticulturist Donna Shaw are shown here examining Baldwin blueberries. (Peggy Greb, D3647-1)

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On the high-tech front, scientists are combining the use of test tube-grown plants (shown here) with DNA fingerprinting. Together, the methods significantly shorten the time it takes to identify critical new traits, like resistance to mummy berry disease or tolerance to harsh soils. This, in turn, can speed the delivery of profitable new varieties to growers—and a bountiful harvest of the beloved fruit to consumers worldwide. (Peggy Greb, D3653-1)

— By Peggy Greb and Jan Suszkiw, ARS Office of Communications.

1Fresh + Frozen Blueberry Sales: 2013 – 2017, Executive Summary, April 2018, accessed 3/12/2018 <http://ushbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/IRI-Fresh-Look-USHBC-Spring-2018_FINAL.pdf>

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