Of the Ribes fruits, blackcurrant (R. nigrum) is the primary concern at The James Hutton Institute, but a small amount of breeding effort is placed on gooseberry (R. grossularia), focusing on the hand-picked and amateur markets. The Institute holds a small but wide range of germplasm, including interspecific hybrids.
The objectives and priorities within gooseberry breeding are:
- reduction or absence of spines
- mildew resistance
- good fruit quality, especially shape and sensory characters
- plant vigour and propagation ability
Two gooseberry hybrids from an open-pollinated seedling population of (Leveller x EM 136-2) are currently under assessment at The James Hutton Institute and in trials at the Royal Horticultural Society.
You can see details of these new gooseberries.
