New raspberry cultivars for Chile: first releases from the local breeding program

The area devoted to raspberry cultivation in Chile is approximately 13,000 ha; its production is aimed mainly at the frozen raspberry export market. However, varietal supply is limited; the main cultivar is 'Heritage', with 82% of the cultivated area. In this context, in 2009, a public-private breeding program was started, based on traditional breeding. The objective was to obtain primocane fruiting raspberry cultivars, adapted to Chilean agricultural and climatic conditions and presenting quality attributes appropriate to new market demands. To date, more than 30,000 seedlings have been evaluated in Santo Domingo (33 degrees 38' south latitude), located in the coastal area of central Chile, with a mild winter and with maritime influence. During the 2012-2013 season, 130 advanced selections were evaluated and compared with 'Heritage'. All these selections, of the primocane fruiting types, were superior to 'Heritage' in terms of yield and fruit size. In addition, a significant advance in earliness took place, some of the selections began flowering on primocanes in early January, two months before 'Heritage'. The same trend was observed in the floricanes crop, suggesting that these selections might have a lower chilling requirement than 'Heritage'. Three of these selections are in the process of protection in Chile, and are characterized by their high productivity (4.5 kg plant(-1)), significant earliness (primocane fruit 84 days after planting), and high fruit size (4.72 g fruit(-1)), which opens new possibilities for Chilean growers.