Abstract

The breeding of new blackcurrant cultivars with commercial utility is increasingly focused on specific targets, notably fruit quality aspects and traits such as pest resistance that will facilitate their use in low-input cropping systems. In this respect, the use of marker-assisted breeding and selection, together with improved phenotyping of germplasm, has a pivotal role in the future efficiency of Ribes breeding programmes. Initial work in this area at SCRI has led to the development of both dominant and codominant markers in Ribes, and further work to develop a linkage map of blackcurrant is currently in progress. Work to develop AFLP markers linked to gall mite resistance is described.