[:en]Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and Canadian colleagues have discovered black raspberries that have resistance to the aphid that spreads black raspberry necrosis virus; These are the first results regarding the resistance of black raspberries to aphids.
The ARS, promoter of this research, is the main scientific research agency of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and this research supports the priority of promoting international food security.
The researchers tested seedlings from 132 wild black raspberry populations for the presence of aphid resistance on any of the plants. They found strong resistance in three towns—one in Ontario in Canada, one in the state of Maine, and one in the state of Michigan, both in the US. It appears that resistance in the native populations of Ontario and Maine are controlled by multiple genes, but resistance in the native population of Michigan is controlled by a single gene.
Identifying these genes will facilitate the incorporation of this resistance in commercial varieties of black raspberries. Aphid control is important because black raspberry necrosis virus has a serious impact on fruit set. This and other aphids are important vectors of viruses on black raspberries worldwide.
Although breeding raspberries to incorporate aphid resistance is an important tool to protect red raspberries against viral infections, this research provides the first report on aphid resistance in black raspberries.[:]
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