Blackcurrant breeding and domestication

The breeding and domestication of Ribes has taken place only within the last 450 years, with the first records of blackcurrants found in 17th century herbals referring to the medicinal properties of the fruit and leaves (Roach 1985). The descriptions of the fruit in these references suggest that the initial selections were very close to wild types. Early selection was fairly erratic, but Keep (1995) suggests that there was probably selection for self-fertility, since selfed progenies of most cultivars show marked inbreeding depression. By the nineteenth century, a range of blackcurrant cultivars was available, including the cultivar 'Baldwin' which is still grown in some parts of the UK.

The number of available cultivars, all based entirely on R. nigrum, increased until in 1920 26 cultivars were classified into four main groups. Since that time, the number of available cultivars has increased steadily, and today the most popular are the 'Ben' series bred at the Institute. These cultivars, starting with the release of Ben Lomond in 1972, and more recently the later-flowering cultivars 'Ben Alder' and 'Ben Tirran', are widely grown both in the UK and throughout Europe. Newer releases such as the partially gall mite-resistant 'Ben Hope' (a complex cross involving 'Westra' and a blackcurrant x gooseberry backcross hybrid) and the reversion-resistant 'Ben Gairn' ('Ben Alder' 'Golubka') are now the leading cultivars within the UK and beyond. The Institute blackcurrant breeding programme has been commercially funded since 1991 (view details of Institute varieties).

Blackcurrant breeding plots at the Institute

Breeding objectives in blackcurrant have altered significantly in recent years, with fruit quality attributes, including ascorbic acid and anthocyanin content, total acidity and levels of soluble solids, now regarded as equally important as agronomic traits in many programmes, due to processor demands. The main agronomic goals are consistency of yield and resistance to pests and diseases. The latter is driven by the loss of many chemical controls and a widespread move towards Integrated Crop Management systems. Most breeding programmes are using other Ribes species as donors of specific traits, followed by backcrossing over several generations, and this trend is set to increase in the future.

References

Keep E (1995) Currants Ribes spp. (Grossulariaceae). In: Smartt J and Simmonds NW, Evolution of Crop Plants 2nd Ed. Longman, Harlow, UK, pp. 235-239.
Roach FA (1985) Cultivated fruits of Britain. Their origin and history. Blackwell, Oxford.