USPP35977P3 - Raspberry plant named ‘VR-16.004-68’ - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention relates to a new and distinct everbearing variety of raspberry plant named ‘VR-16.004-68’. The new variety is primarily adapted to the growing conditions of the central coast of California and is characterized by the following: mid-season primocane production with large sized fruit of light-red coloration. Fruit is of consistent long conic shape, releases very easily from receptacle, is glossy and possesses good flavor. Foliage is flat to slightly concave, medium green, possessing weak rugosity, weak gloss and is always 3 foliate. Primocanes have an absent or very weak waxy coat and are densely covered with long dark red prickles.

Description

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Rubus idaeus.

Variety denomination: ‘VR-16.004-68’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct fall bearing raspberry variety designated as ‘VR-16.004-68’. This new variety is a result of a controlled cross made in 2016 in Watsonville, California between raspberry variety ‘VR 12.004-27’ (unpatented) as the female parent and raspberry variety ‘RR 10.032-41’ (unpatented) as the male parent in an ongoing breeding program. The variety is botanically known as Rubus idaeus and was tested as ‘VR 16.004-68’ and ‘VR-0468’.

The seedling resulting from the aforementioned cross was asexually propagated by dormant canes in Santa Cruz County, California and was subsequently selected by the inventor from a controlled breeding plot in Watsonville, California in 2018. After its selection, the new variety was further asexually propagated by dormant canes, roots and non-dormant root shoot cuttings in Watsonville (Santa Cruz Co), Manteca (San Joaquin Co), and Macdoel (Siskiyou Co), California. The new variety was then extensively tested over the next several years in fruiting fields in Watsonville, California. This propagation has demonstrated that the combination of traits disclosed herein as characterizing the new variety are fixed and remain true to type through successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

‘VR-16.004-68’ is primarily adapted to the climate and growing conditions of the central coast of California. This region provides the necessary year-round temperatures required for it to produce and maintain a strong vigorous plant and to remain in fruit production from July through December on primocanes and in the ensuing year from May through July on the floricanes. Damage to fruit and young leaves has been observed in summer temperatures at or above 95° F. (35° C.). No winter damage has been observed on fruiting plants in off-cycle (winter) production regions of USDA climate zones 9b and above. No winter damage has been observed on dormant plants in on-cycle (summer) production regions of USDA climate zones 7b-9b. In climate zones below this, winter hardiness is unknown for ‘VR-16.004-68’. ‘VR-16.004-68’ is not drought tolerant and requires frequent irrigation to maintain proper plant health. The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be unique characteristics of ‘VR-16.004-68’, which in combination distinguish this raspberry plant as a new and distinct variety:

• • 1. Large berries.
  • 2. Long conic fruit shape.
  • 3. Light red fruit color.
  • 4. Absent to very weak primocane glaucosity.
  • 5. Good flavor.

The raspberry variety that is believed to be most closely related to the new raspberry variety ‘VR-16.004-68’ is the raspberry variety ‘MAJESTIC’ (patented, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 31,716). In comparison to the similar raspberry variety ‘MAJESTIC’, ‘VR-16.004-68’ differs by the following combination of characteristics described in Table 1:

Comparison between VR-16.004-68’ and Majestic

TABLE 1
		‘MAJESTIC’
		(U.S. Plant Pat.
Characteristic	‘VR-16.004-68’	No. 31,716)
Predominate number	Always 3	Equal 3-5
of leaflets
Leaf shape (cross	Flat to slightly concave	Slightly convex
section)
Rugosity	Weak	Medium
L/W ratio of fruit	Much longer than broad	Longer than broad
Fruit shape	Long conic	Conical
Prickle length (mm)	2.48	0.70
	Long	Short
Relative number of	40.1	22.1
pedicel prickles	Very many	Many

‘VR-16.004-68’ differs from its parents, ‘VR 12.004-27’ and ‘RR 10.032-41’ by the following combination of characteristics described in Table 2:

Comparison between ‘VR-16.004-68’, ‘VR 12.004-27’ and ‘RR 10.032-41’

TABLE 2
	‘VR-	‘VR	‘RR
Characteristic	16.004-68’	12.004-27’	10.032-41’
Productivity	High	Medium	Low
Crates/Acre (18-Mo)	10,639	8,825	7,112
Glossiness (fruit)	High	High	Low
Firmness (fruit)	High	Medium	High
Adherence of receptacle	Very weak	Strong	Weak
Primocane time of fruiting	Medium	Medium	Late
Fruit size	Large	Medium	Medium
Primocane fruit weight (g)	6.2	4.0	4.2
Flavor	Good	Good	Poor
Soluble Solids (% brix)	9.9	9.5	7.7

For identification, a series of molecular markers have been determined for this new variety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying color photographs illustrate the overall appearance of typical specimens of the new raspberry variety, ‘VR-16.004-68’ at various stages of development as true as reasonably possible with color reproductions of this type. Color in the photographs may differ slightly from the color value cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describes the color of ‘VR-16.004-68’. The depicted plant and plant parts of the new raspberry variety ‘VR-16.004-68’ were taken in Watsonville, California and are approximately 2 to 16 months old:

FIG. 1 shows typical primocane fruit shape, color and gloss characteristics of ‘VR-16.004-68’ taken in the month of October 2022;

FIG. 2 shows typical shape, gloss, coloration, foliate and rugosity characteristics of ‘VR-16.004-68’ taken in the month of October 2022;

FIG. 3 shows typical fruiting lateral characteristics of ‘VR-16.004-68’ taken in the month of June 2023;

FIG. 4 shows typical floricane plant characteristics of ‘VR-16.004-68’ taken in the month of June 2023.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

‘VR-16.004-68’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The characteristics of the new variety may vary in detail, depending upon variations in environmental factors, including weather (temperature, humidity and light intensity), day length, soil type, and location.

The aforementioned photographs, together with the following description of the new raspberry variety ‘VR-16.004-68’, unless otherwise noted, are based upon observations taken during the 2022-2023 growing season in Watsonville, California. Primocane measurements and ratings were taken from plants of ‘VR-16.004-68’ dug from a nursery located in Siskiyou County, California during the middle of October 2021 and planted approximately 3 to 4 weeks later in Watsonville, California. The approximate age of the observed primocane plants is 7 to 8 months. Floricane measurements and ratings were taken from the same planting of ‘VR-16.004-68’ at an approximate age of 16 to 18 months. Yield observations and fruit quality characteristics are averaged from three years of data collected from the 2020 through 2023 production seasons. Flower measurements and characteristics are from secondary flowers unless otherwise noted. Fruit characteristics and measurements are from secondary fruit unless otherwise noted. Foliage characteristics and measurements are from 3-foliate foliage unless otherwise noted.

Color terminology where noted follows the RHS Colour Chart Sixth Edition, Royal Horticultural Society, London, United Kingdom (2015).

The following Tables 3-7 describe fruit, plant, foliage, flower and pest/disease characteristics of the new raspberry ‘VR-16.004-68’ in comparison to the similar raspberry varieties ‘MAJESTIC’ (patented, U.S. Plant Pat. No. 31,716).

Comparison between ‘VR-16.004-68’ and Majestic

TABLE 3
FRUIT CHARACTERISTICS

		‘MAJESTIC’
		(U.S. Plant Pat.
Characteristic	‘VR-16.004-68’	No. 31,716)
Color mature fruit	RHS 43A	RHS 43A
	Vivid reddish orange	Vivid reddish orange
Color achenes	RHS 159A	RHS 159A
	Light yellowish pink	Light yellowish pink
Fruit length (mm)	28.57	25.49
Fruit width (mm)	20.09	22.73
Length/width ratio	1.42	1.12
	Much longer than	Longer than broad
	broad
Seed weight (mg)	1.64	1.68
Drupelets per berry	106	131
Weight of single	0.056	0.044
drupe (g/drupe)
Drupe length (mm)	3.81	7.15
Drupe diameter (mm)	4.04	4.19
Relative size of drupes	Medium	Medium
Fruit size	Large	Medium
Fruit per node	11	11
Predominant shape	Long Conic	Conical
Receptacle length (mm)	17.74	23.55
Receptacle diameter	7.23	10.41
(mm)
Receptacle color	RHS 158B	RHS 155B
	Pale yellow	Yellowish white
Evenness of color (fruit)	Even	Even
Glossiness	High	High
Adherence of receptacle	Very weak	Weak
Firmness of flesh	High	High
Firmness of skin	High	High
Soluble Solids (% brix)	9.9	10.8
Flavor	Good	Very good
Fruit Use (Intended	Fresh Market	Fresh Market
Market)

TABLE 4
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS

		‘MAJESTIC’
		(U.S. Plant Pat.
Characteristic	‘VR-16.004-68’	No. 31,716)
General:
Habit	Upright	Upright
Plant height (m)	1.4	1.8
Plant width (cm)	38	35
Time to initiate roots (days)	12-14	10-12
Canes per hill	13.8	10.4
Productivity	High	High
Crates/Acre (18-Mo)	10,639	10,490
Self-fruitfulness	Yes	Yes
Type of bearing	Everbearing	Everbearing
Primocane:
Color (true)	RHS 145A	RHS 145A
	Strong yellow	Strong yellow
	green	green
Length (cm)	141.5	178.1
Basal diameter (mm)	12.26	13.62
Diameter central 1/3 (mm)	10.14	11.38
Lateral length at central 1/3 (cm)	39.3	28.5
No. fruiting laterals per cane	13.8	15.3
Total nodes per cane	33	35
Internode length at central 1/3 (mm)	43.21	39.01
Anthocyanin coloration	RHS 59B	RHS 59B
	Deep purplish	Deep purplish
	red	red
Anthocyanin intensity	Absent to very	Absent to very
	weak	weak
Pubescence	Absent	Absent
Vegetative bud length (mm)	7.70	10.34
Vegetative bud diameter (mm)	5.79	5.46
Vegetative bud shape	Widely ovate	Ovate
Vegetative bud color	RHS 187B	RHS 187B
	Dark red	Dark red
Strength of waxy coat (glaucosity)	Absent to very	Absent to very
	weak	weak
Time of flowering	Early to	Mid-season
	Mid-season
Time of fruiting	Early to	Mid-season
	Mid-season
Length of fruiting season	Long	Long
% of total yield	53%	44%
Flowering period	Late June to	Late June to
	Late November	Late November
Harvest period	Late July to	Late July to
	Late December	Late December
Primocane fruit weight (g)	6.2	4.2
Primocane yield (g/plant)	1,869	2,571
Young Shoots:
Number (per meter)	20-25	15-20
	High	Medium
Anthocyanin presence	Present	Present
Anthocyanin coloration	RHS 179A	RHS 179A
	Moderate red	Moderate red
Anthocyanin intensity	Absent to very	Medium
	weak
Prickles:
Prickle coloration (tip)	RHS 183A	RHS N186B
	Dark red	Dark greyish
		purple
Prickle coloration (base)	RHS 183A	RHS N186C
	Dark red	Dark greyish
		red
Prickle length at central 1/3 (mm)	2.48	0.70
Prickle base at central 1/3 (mm)	1.62	1.23
Prickle presence	Present	Present
Prickle density per cm at central 1/3	6.27	5.35
	Dense	Medium
Prickle texture	Rigid	Rigid
Attitude of the tip	Horizontal	Horizontal
Floricane:
Color (true)	RHS 165B	RHS 165B
	Brownish	Brownish
	orange	orange
Length (cm)	125.5	130.8
Width at central 1/3 (mm)	10.79	10.88
Total nodes per cane	19	20
Internode length at central 1/3 (mm)	41.82	40.70
Fruiting lateral attitude	Erect	Erect
Time bud burst (Endodormancy)	Medium	Medium
	Late February	Late February
Time of flowering	Medium	Medium
Time of fruiting	Medium	Medium
Length of fruiting season	Medium to	Medium to
	long	long
% of total yield	47%	56%
Flowering period	Late April to	Late April to
	Late June	Late June
Harvest period	Late May to	Late May to
	Late July	Late July
Floricane fruit weight (g)	6.0	4.0
Floricane yield (g/plant)	1,657	3,273

TABLE 5
FOLIAGE CHARACTERISTICS

		‘MAJESTIC’
		(U.S. Plant Pat.
	‘VR-16.004-68’	No. 31,716)
Characteristic	(3 Foliate)	(3 Foliate)
General:
Color of upper surface	RHS NN137A	RHS 137A
	Greyish olive	Moderate olive
	green	green
Color of lower surface	RHS 190B	RHS 192A
	Pale green	Pale yellow green
Venation	Pinnate	Pinnate
Shape in cross section	Flat to slightly	Slightly convex
	concave
Arrangement	Compound	Compound
Relief between veins	Weak	Medium
(rugosity)
Glossiness	Weak	Weak
Number of leaflets/leaf	Always 3	Equal 3-5
Total leaf length (cm)	18.1	21.2
Total leaf width (cm)	21.1	22.1
Terminal Leaflet:
Length (mm)	133.7	116.2
Width (mm)	88.7	79.1
Length/width ratio	1.5	1.5
	Longer than broad	Longer than broad
Size	Medium	Medium
Shape	Cordate	Cordate
Shape of base	Rounded	Cordate
Shape of tip	Acuminate	Acuminate
Margins	Biserrate	Biserrate
Lateral Leaflet:
Length (mm)	105.3	104.9
Width (mm)	66.7	77.2
Length/width ratio	1.6	1.3
	Longer than broad	Longer than broad
Rachis length (mm)	33.17	43.11
Rachis diameter (mm)	1.27	1.90
Rachis anthocyanin coloration	RHS 181C	RHS 184A
of upper surface	Moderate red	Greyish red
Rachis anthocyanin intensity	Absent to very	Weak
	weak
Orientation	Opposite	Opposite
Arrangement	Compound	Compound
Shape	Ovate	Ovate
Overlapping	Overlapping	Overlapping
Shape of the base	Oblique	Rounded
Shape of the tip	Acuminate	Acuminate
Margins	Biserrate	Biserrate
Petiole:
Length (mm)	42.05	61.10
Width (mm)	2.94	4.68
Prickle presence	Yes	Yes
Prickle orientation	Erect	Erect
Anthocyanin coloration of	RHS 181C	RHS 180B
upper surface	Moderate red	Moderate red
Anthocyanin intensity of	Absent to very	Absent to very
upper surface	weak	weak
Stipule length (mm)	10.37	10.70
Stipule width (mm)	0.74	0.89
Stipule orientation	Erect	Erect
Stipule anthocyanin intensity	Absent	Absent
Stipule coloration	RHS 145A	RHS 145A
	Strong yellow	Strong yellow
	green	green

TABLE 6
FLOWER CHARACTERISTICS

		‘MAJESTIC’
		(U.S. Plant Pat.
Characteristic	‘VR-16.004-68’	No. 31,716)
Petal color (upper surface)	RHS NN155A	RHS 155C
	Yellowish white	Greenish white
Petal color (lower surface)	RHS NN155A	RHS 155C
	Yellowish white	Greenish white
Flower diameter (mm)	25.22	21.22
Petal Length (mm)	7.93	7.46
Petal width (mm)	3.36	3.10
Petal length/width ratio	2.36	2.40
	Much longer	Much longer
	than broad	than broad
Petal shape in cross	Flat	Flat
section
Petal shape (overall)	Narrowly Spatulate	Narrowly Spatulate
Petal shape (apex)	Rounded	Rounded
Petal shape (base)	Attenuate	Attenuate
Petal margin	Entire	Entire
Petal texture	Glabrous	Glabrous
No. petals/flower	5.0	5.2
No. sepals/flower	5.0	5.4
Sepal length (mm)	9.34	9.70
Sepal width at base (mm)	3.64	5.20
Sepal shape	Widely deltate	Widely deltate
Sepal shape (apex)	Acuminate	Acuminate
Sepal coloration (upper	RHS 144A	RHS 144A
surface)	Strong yellow green	Strong yellow green
Sepal coloration (lower	RHS 144B	RHS 144B
surface)	Strong yellow green	Strong yellow green
Sepal margin	Entire	Entire
Sepal texture	Slightly pubescent	Slightly pubescent
No. stamen/flower	92	95
Filament length (mm)	4.06	5.19
Filament color	RHS 155C	RHS 155C
	Greenish white	Greenish white
Pollen quantity	High	High
Pollen color	RHS 196D	RHS 196D
	Yellowish white	Yellowish white
Anther length (mm)	0.79	1.12
Anther diameter (mm)	0.31	0.51
Anther coloration (pre-	RHS 155C	RHS 155C
dehiscence)	Greenish white	Greenish white
Anther coloration (post-	RHS 165B	RHS 165B
dehiscence)	Brownish orange	Brownish orange
Stigma shape	Lobed	Lobed
Stigma length (mm)	0.10	0.10
Stigma diameter (mm)	0.40	0.41
Stigma coloration	RHS 145D	RHS 145D
	Light yellow green	Light yellow green
Style length (mm)	3.11	3.10
Style diameter (mm)	0.40	0.40
Style coloration	RHS 145D	RHS 145D
	Light yellow green	Light yellow green
Ovule length (mm)	1.12	1.39
Ovule diameter (mm)	1.02	1.42
Ovule coloration	RHS 145B	RHS 145B
	Light yellow green	Light yellow green
Pedicle length (mm)	28.68	20.15
Pedicle diameter (mm)	1.25	1.42
Pedicle anthocyanin	RHS 184C	RHS 181C
coloration	Moderate purplish red	Moderate red
Pedicle anthocyanin	Absent to very weak	Absent to very weak
intensity
Relative number of	40.1	22.1
pedicel prickles	Very many	Many
Peduncle length (cm)	6.51	8.84
Peduncle anthocyanin	Present	Present
presence
Peduncle anthocyanin	RHS 182C	RHS 184A
coloration	Dark pink	Greyish red
Peduncle anthocyanin	Absent to very weak	Absent to very weak
intensity

TABLE 7
PEST AND DISEASE REACTIONS

		‘MAJESTIC’
		(U.S. Plant Pat.
Characteristic	‘VR-16.004-68’	No. 31,716)
Spotted wing drosophila	Susceptible	Susceptible
(Drosophila suzukii)
Two spotted spider mite	Susceptible	Susceptible
(Tetranychus urticae)
Grey fruit mold	Susceptible	Susceptible
(Botrytis cinerae)
Powdery mildew	Moderately	Moderately
(Podosphaera aphanis var.	susceptible	susceptible
aphonic)
Yellow rust	Moderately resistant	Moderately resistant
(Phragmidium rubi-idaei)

Claims (1)

I claim:

1. A new and distinct variety of raspberry plant named ‘VR-16.004-68’, substantially as described and illustrated herein.

Images