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A lack of genetic diversity in cultivated black raspberry ( Rubus occidentalis L.) germplasm has been widely recognized as a major factor limiting progress towards breeding improved cultivars. Despite this, little effort has been made since the early twentieth century to systematically collect and evaluate wild black raspberry for germplasm improvement. In recent years, there has been renewed interest in black raspberry breeding to replace existing cultivars that lack durability and disease resistance. We planted seedlings from 109 wild black raspberry populations, representing 24 US states and two Canadian provinces, in the field in replicated trial plots in Corvallis, Oregon (USA), to evaluate their performance. These populations showed wide variation in morphology, architecture, fruiting season, vigor, and apparent field tolerance to Verticillium wilt. For nearly every trait examined, wild black raspberry germplasm exhibited a range of variation beyond existing cultivars, and showed great potential for use in future breeding. While most populations were fairly uniform phenotypically, segregation for fruit gloss and possible tolerance to Verticillium wilt was noted in a few, indicating the possibility of simple inheritance of these traits. A few populations with unusual morphology, such as spinelessness or flower abnormalities, were identified, as were populations that flowered on first year canes and produced fall fruit. Populations from the southern edge of the range appear to be particularly well adapted to western Oregon, with vigorous upright growth, strong canes, and some with a low incidence of Verticillium wilt. This germplasm will be of great value to breeders interested in developing improved black raspberry cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: We have constructed a densely populated, saturated genetic linkage map of black raspberry and successfully placed a locus for aphid resistance. Abstract: Black raspberry ( Rubus occidentalis L.) is a high-value crop in the Pacific Northwest of North America with an international marketplace. Few genetic resources are readily available and little improvement has been achieved through breeding efforts to address production challenges involved in growing this crop. Contributing to its lack of improvement is low genetic diversity in elite cultivars and an untapped reservoir of genetic diversity from wild germplasm. In the Pacific Northwest, where most production is centered, the current standard commercial cultivar is highly susceptible to the aphid Amphorophora agathonica Hottes, which is a vector for the Raspberry mosaic virus complex. Infection with the virus complex leads to a rapid decline in plant health resulting in field replacement after only 3-4 growing seasons. Sources of aphid resistance have been identified in wild germplasm and are used to develop mapping populations to study the inheritance of these valuable traits. We have constructed a genetic linkage map using single-nucleotide polymorphism and transferable (primarily simple sequence repeat) markers for F population ORUS 4305 consisting of 115 progeny that segregate for aphid resistance. Our linkage map of seven linkage groups representing the seven haploid chromosomes of black raspberry consists of 274 markers on the maternal map and 292 markers on the paternal map including a morphological locus for aphid resistance. This is the first linkage map of black raspberry and will aid in developing markers for marker-assisted breeding, comparative mapping with other Rubus species, and enhancing the black raspberry genome assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breeding progress in black raspberry ( Rubus occidentalis L.) has been limited by a lack of genetic diversity in elite germplasm. Black raspberry cultivars have been noted for showing very few phenotypic differences and seedlings from crosses between cultivars for a lack of segregation for important traits. Despite these challenges, little molecular work has been done to explore genetic diversity and relationships in wild and cultivated black raspberry germplasm. Microsatellite, or simple sequence repeat (SSR), markers are highly polymorphic codominant markers useful for studying genetic diversity, population genetics, genetic fingerprinting and other applications. We examined genetic diversity in 148 wild and cultivated black raspberry accessions using 21 polymorphic SSR markers. Black raspberry cultivars clustered tightly and showed higher than expected heterozygosity while that of wild accessions was low. Relationships between wild black raspberry accessions were poorly resolved and regional clusters were mostly absent from our analysis. Our results indicated that wild black raspberry germplasm is a relatively untapped resource available for future breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viruses vectored by the aphid Amphorophora agathonica cause decline in black raspberry plant health resulting in a shortened life and poor fruit quality of the infected plantings. New aphid resistant cultivars could increase the longevity of plantings providing growers and processors with consistent fruit production. Recent exploration of the native range of black raspberry identified three sources of aphid resistance: Ag4 from Ontario (ON), Canada, Ag5 from Maine (ME), and a third source from Michigan (MI) with no formal designation. The objectives of this study were to assess segregation of these three sources of aphid resistance in populations with single and combined sources and develop markers that can identify each source of resistance. A genetic linkage map constructed for ORUS 4305 placed the ON aphid resistance locus on Rubus linkage group (RLG) 6. Segregation ratios in populations with single and combined sources, and linkage mapping in two populations (ORUS 4304 and ORUS 4812) segregating for the Ag5 and MI sources, respectively, indicated that these three sources of resistance are each conferred by single dominant genes/alleles that are linked on RLG6. Confirmation of marker association in 16 validation populations identified four markers that could be used to predict resistance; however, none could distinguish between the ON and MI sources. These four markers may be useful for screening populations to enrich the field-planted progeny for aphid resistance. Fine mapping of the resistance loci is needed to develop functional markers at each of the resistance loci to enable pyramiding and durable aphid resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]