Breeding models of blackberry cultivars for central Russia in connection with different winter hardiness and plant habits
https://doi.org/10.30901/2227-8834-2026-2-o22
Abstract
Background. In recent years, blackberry has become an increasingly popular small-fruit crop in Russia. However, its winter hardiness is relatively low, so expanding its cultivation to regions with cold winters requires winter sheltering or the development of more winter-hardy cultivars through selective breeding. The objective of this study was to justify the need to develop several models of blackberry cultivars for the central regions of Russia due to their different frost and winter hardiness and growth types.
Materials and methods. Thirty-nine accessions of different morphological types from the blackberry bioresource collection were analyzed for their frost resistance in Orel Province in 2022–2025 (with absolute minimums of ‒25°C, ‒29.5°C, and ‒19°C, respectively). Field tests were performed using the methodology conventional for Russia. Most of the cultivars were covered with agrofabric during the winters. Variance analysis was used for statistical data processing.
Results. Differences in frost resistance were found among four morphological types of cultivars and individual genotypes within the groups. Representatives of three groups ‒ upright summer, primocane-fruiting, and trailing summer cultivars ‒ were identified as promising for solving the problem of winter hardiness through selective breeding in this climate zone.
Conclusion. The analysis of the data obtained helped to choose three main models of blackberry cultivars as benchmarks for breeding targeted at increasing the crop’s winter hardiness under the conditions of central Russia. The first model incorporates cultivars with high winter hardiness and an erect, compact growth habit, intended for unprotected cultivation; the second model is represented by primocane-fruiting cultivars with early fall ripening of berries and frost-resistant underground parts for cultivation without winter sheltering; the third model contains early-ripening cultivars with trailing flexible shoots for covered cultivation.
Supporting agencies: the work was carried out within the framework of a state task in accordance with the thematic plan of the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding, Topic No. FGZS-2025-0009 “Creation of competitive cultivars of berry crops using modern breeding methods and development of the components of their cultivation technology”.
About the Author
L. A. Gruner
Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Lidia А. Gruner, Cand. Sci. (Agriculture), Leading Researcher
Zhilina Village, Orlovsky District, Orel Province 302530, Russia
References
1. Clark J.R. ‘Prime-Ark® Freedom՚ primocane-fruiting thornless blackberry. HortScience. 2014;49(8):1097-1101. DOI: 10.21273/ HORTSCI.49.8.1097
2. Clark J.R., Finn C.E. Blackberry breeding and genetics. Fruit, Vegetable and Cereal Science and Biotechnology. 2011;5(1):27-43.
3. Clark J.R., Moore J.N. ‘Natchez’ thornless blackberry. HortScience. 2008;43(6):1897-1899. DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI.43.6.1897
4. Clark J.R., Moore J.N. ‘Ouachita’ thornless blackberry. HortScience. 2005;40(1):258-260. DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI.40.1.258
5. Clark J.R., Worthington M., Ernst T. ‘Caddo’ thornless blackberry. HortScience. 2019;54(9):1632-1636. DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI14119-19
6. Connor A.M., Finn C., Alspach P.A. Genotypic and environmental variation in antioxidant activity and total phenolic content among blackberry and hybrid berry cultivars. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. 2005;130(4):527-533. DOI: 10.21273/JASHS.130.4.527
7. Dospekhov B.A. Methodology of field trial (with fundamentals of statistical processing of research results) (Metodika polevogo opyta [s osnovami statisticheskoy obrabotki rezultatov issledovaniy]). 5th ed. Moscow: Agropromizdat; 1985. [in Russian]
8. Evdokimenko S.N., Kulagina V.L. Evaluation of blackberry varieties and raspberry-blackberry hybrids in conditions of the Bryansk Region. Horticulture and Viticulture. 2015;(4):20-23. [in Russian]
9. Finn C.E., Clark J.R. Blackberry. In: M.L. Badenes, D.H. Byrne (eds). Fruit Breeding. New York, NY: Springer Science; 2012. p.151-190. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Marco-Conedera/publication/318912505_Chestnut/links/5989a7daa6fdcc75626366fb/Chestnut.pdf [accessed Mar. 15, 2026].
10. Finn C.E., Strik B.C., Yorgey B.M., Peterson M.E., Jones P.A., Martin R.R. ‘Columbia Sunrise’ thornless trailing blackberry. HortScience. 2018;53(2):256-260. DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI12673-17
11. Finn C.E., Strik B.C., Yorgey B.M., Peterson M.E., Lee J., Martin R.R. et al. ‘Columbia Star’ thornless trailing blackberry. HortScience. 2014;49(8):1108-1112. DOI: 10.21273/HORTSCI.49.8.1108
12. Gruner L.A. Adaptive capabilities of blackberries in conditions of Orel region. Contemporary Horticulture. 2019;(3):27-41. [in Russian]. DOI: 10.24411/2312-6701-2019-10305
13. Gruner L.A., Kornilov B.B. Priority trends and prospects blackberry breeding in conditions of Central Russia. Vavilov Journal of Genetics and Breeding. 2020;24(5):489-500. DOI: 10.18699/VJ20.641
14. Kazakov I.V., Gruner L.A., Kichina V.V. Raspberry, blackberry, and their hybrids (Malina, yezhevika i ikh gibridy). In: E.N. Sedov, T.P. Ogoltsova (eds). Program and Methodology of Variety Studies for Fruit, Berry and Nut Crops (Programma i metodika sortoizucheniya plodovykh, yagodnykh i orekhoplodnykh kultur). Orel: VNIISPK; 1999. p.374-395. [in Russian]
15. Kichina V.V., Kazakov I.V., Gruner L.A. Raspberry and blackberry breeding (Selektsiya maliny i yezheviki). In: E.N. Sedov, T.P. Ogoltsova (eds). Program and Methodology of Variety Studies for Fruit, Berry and Nut Crops (Programma i metodika sortoizucheniya plodovykh, yagodnykh i orekhoplodnykh kultur). Orel: VNIISPK; 1999. p.368-386. [in Russian]
16. Kolbas N.Y., Silva M.A., Teissedre P.L., Reshetnikov V.N., Anthocyanins and antioxidant activity of fruits certain representatives of genus Rubus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (Biological Series). 2012;(1):5-10. [in Russian]
17. Ladyzhenskaya O.V., Anyskyna T.S., Kryuchkova V.A. Comparative evaluation of winter hardiness of blackberries when covered for winter and treated with the natural organomineral phytomodulator “Beliy Zhemchug Antifreeze”. Izvestiya of Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. 2023;1(6):14-25. [in Russian]. DOI: 10.26897/0021-342X-2023-6-14-25
18. Lee J. Blackberry fruit quality components, composition, and potential health benefits. In: H.K. Hall, R.C. Funt (eds). Blackberries and Their Hybrids. Boston, MA: CABI; 2017. p.49-62. DOI: 10.1079/9781780646688.0049
19. Makarkina М.А., Vetrova О.А., Gruner L.А., Коrnilov B.B. Bioactive compounds in blackberry fruits under the conditions of Central Russia. Proceedings on Applied Botany, Genetics and Breeding. 2022;183(2):58-66. [in Russian]. DOI: 10.30901/2227-8834-2022-2-58-66
20. Medical Statistics (Meditsinskaya Statistika): [website]. [in Russian] (Медицинская Статистика: [сайт]). URL: https://medstatistic.ru [дата обращения: 03.03.2026].
21. Ourecky D.K. Brambles. In: Kh.K. Enikeev (ed.). Breeding of Fruit Plants (Selektsiya plodovykh rasteniy) (translation from English). Moscow: Kolos; 1981. p.166-179. [in Russian]
22. Stanisavljevic M. New small fruit cultivars from Cacak: 1. The new blackberry (Rubus sp.) cultivar ‘Сacanska Bestrna’. Acta Horticulture. 1999;505:291-296. DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1999.505.37
23. Telepenko Y.Y. Frost-resistance of the blackberry (Rubus subg. Eubatus Focke) cultivars in the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine. Plant Varieties Studying and Protection. 2018;14(1):124-131. [in Ukrainian] (Телепенько Ю.Ю. Морозостiйкость сортiв ожины (Rubus subg. Eubatus Focke) в умовах Захiдного Лiсостепу Украiни. Plant Varieties Studying and Protection. 2018;14(1):124-131). DOI: 10.21498/2518-1017.14.1.2018.126521
24. Vitkovsky V.L. Fruit plants of the world (Plodovye rasteniya mira). St. Petersburg; Moscow; Krasnodar: Lan’; 2003. [in Russian]
25. Wójcik-Seliga J., Wójcik-Gront E. Evaluation of blackberry and hybrid berry cultivars new to Polish climate. Horticultural Science. 2013;40(2):88-91. DOI: 10.17221/1/2012-HORTSCI
Review
For citations:
Gruner L.A. Breeding models of blackberry cultivars for central Russia in connection with different winter hardiness and plant habits. Proceedings on applied botany, genetics and breeding. 2026;187(2):47-57. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.30901/2227-8834-2026-2-o22
Views:
33
JATS XML
Email this article 