23 September 2024, UK: This new investment in soft fruit research follows in the footsteps of major agricultural crops, including pulses, oilseed rape and wheat, with a co-ordinated research approach to pre-breeding genetics of key traits and new breeding tools. These GINs have provided a key link between industry and academia to ensure that genetic research addresses the needs of the industry, and tackle some of the longer-term issues through breeding efforts.
Professor Xiangming Xu, Director of Research at NIAB, explains that the Soft Fruit GIN will advance new biotechnology tools and generate significant genetic data and resources. “The results will help breeders introduce beneficial traits so crops can be grown more productively, with less environmental impact.”
Specific targets within the research programme include understanding genetics of improved tolerance to pests and diseases and increased water and nutrient use efficiency in strawberry and raspberry. It will also develop genetic tools and resources for two underutilised soft fruit crops – blackberry and honeyberry – to assess whether there is potential to increase their production in the UK.
The Soft Fruit GIN will be run in close partnership with the soft fruit industry and the research outputs will be made freely available.
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