Blackcurrants

Science programme: Berryfruit & hops breeding

The main objective of our blackcurrant breeding programme is to produce cultivars for the New Zealand blackcurrant industry that have:

• Pest and disease resistance (with particular emphasis on gall mite resistance)
• Outstanding juice characteristics including anthocyanin content, high vitamin C, high sugar, excellent flavour and the potential for high yields
• Seasonal spread (early December to late January)
• Product diversity including a range of colour, acidity and flavour types
• Consistently high fruit yields
• Growth habits which allow for efficient machine harvesting over many years with minimal inputs
• Low chill requirement.

The programme is underpinned by studies on vitamin C, anthocyanins and antioxidant activity in blackcurrant products and their benefits to human health.

Our breeding programme is based at HortResearch, Canterbury and is supported by funding from the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology and Blackcurrants New Zealand Ltd.