North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Michael Dossett <phainopepla@yahoo.com>]

Ginda,

 

I think you hit the nail on the head.  When Heritage was released, it was a real breakthrough in several ways.  When it was released, Heritage represented a dramatic increase in yield in areas with a long enough season for it to ripen its crop.  Part of this was because it can ripen fruit over about 2/3 the length of the cane in the fall.  It was also the first fall fruiting raspberry that often didn't need to be trellised for its fall crop when grown in the northeast.  In other parts of the country it has a slightly different and more open growth habit and does need some support.  Another reason was its adaptability.  It is tough and reliable in a lot of places.

 

Beginning with the release of Heritage (and some would argue, just before that) fall-bearing raspberry breeding has focused on making this a commercially viable crop.  Increasing the yields (which are lower than summer fruiters in most places), and making them as easy to care for as possible to lower labor costs.  Flavor is an attribute that is generally viewed as important but not a make or break factor.  I don't think the flavor of any of the primocane fruiters is as good as the best floricane fruiters but until recently there weren't many primocane fruiting options out there for people to choose from so I think it has been viewed with less importance.  Hopefully this is changing, though primocane fruiting raspberry breeding has now been shifted in large part with a focus on those genotypes adapted to growing in California and Mexico with low chilling and hot summers.  There is interest in breeding primocane fruiters for elsewhere as well, just not nearly to the same level and I think they still play second fiddle to summer fruiters in most areas.

 

Michael

 

Michael Dossett Corvallis, Oregon www.Mdossettphoto.com phainopepla@yahoo.com

--- On Sat, 2/21/09, Ginda Fisher <list@ginda.us> wrote:

From: Ginda Fisher <list@ginda.us>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Heritage
To: fuwafuwausagi@muchomail.com, "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Saturday, February 21, 2009, 5:44 AM

So I am also puzzled to see it 
touted as "the standard".  But maybe it is more widely adapted.

Ginda Fisher
eastern Mass, zone 6