Until recently, the fruit, unknown in Canada, could become a commercially interesting crop in the near future thanks to the program for breeding wild haskaps from different parts of the world. Breeder Dr. Bob Bors from the University of Saskatchevan and Dr. Maxine Thompson from Oregon State University set themselves a clear role from the start. At the end of their work, useful varieties of haskaps should be created.
Dr. Bors describes the breeding program as unique because it focuses on varieties suitable for mechanical harvesting and further fruit processing. Vast areas in the cold regions of Canada still await agricultural use. The program for research and breeding of haskap berries in Canada began in the late 90s of the last century.
The genetic material collected for breeding came from four areas, namely Saskatchewan, Russia, the Kuril Islands and Japan. Cultivated varieties came from Russia and Japan, and wild forms of haskaps were brought from the Kuril Islands and Saskatchewan. From the collection of wild forms, 2 Kuril, 6 Russian and several Japanese varieties were finally selected as suitable for further breeding.
The best results in crossing were achieved by the offspring of Kuril wild forms and Russian varieties. The fruits had an optimal oval barrel shape, a weight of 1.2 to 1.6 g and sufficient firmness. The method for evaluating hybrid hybrids also took into account the assessment of suitability for mechanized harvesting. In addition to the total weight of the crop per bush, the degree of fruit damage during harvest was also assessed.
In addition to agronomic criteria, the evaluation is currently focused on the detection of antioxidants and selection based on the high content of this health-promoting component, abundant in the fruits of earthworms.
As a result of the breeding program, the first two Saskatchevan varieties, Tundra and Borealis, were released in 2007.
In 2012, a new variety Aurora with large fruits weighing up to 1.9 g was released for commercial propagation. For good pollination, Aurora is recommended to be grown together with the older variety Borealis.
