Raspberry plant named ‘Driscoll Carmelina’

Abstract

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of raspberry plant named Driscoll Carmelina. The new cultivar is distinguished from other raspberry cultivars by its late primocane production, high spring yields, good flavor and disease resistance. The new cultivar is distinguished from its seed parent by having better release from the receptacle, firmer fruit and better spring bud break. The new cultivar is distinguished from its pollen parent by producing firmer fruit with better shipping characteristics.

Description

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: The variety is botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L.

1. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The new cultivar of raspberry plant was developed from the hybridization of the selection ‘P362.1’ (an unpatented variety) as the seed parent with the selection ‘N119.1’ (an unpatented variety) as the pollen parent. The parents were crossed in 1995, whereafter fruit and seed were collected to produce seedlings for field planting in Watsonville, Calif. in 1995. The new cultivar was selected from these seedlings in 1997 for its large size, good flavor, and productivity. The new cultivar has been asexually propagated by in vitro shoot tip culture, root sucker division and root cuttings at the Cassin Ranch in Santa Cruz county, Calif. and has been shown to maintain the desired and distinguishing characteristics after propagation over several generations.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: The variety is botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L.

2. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a new and distinct cultivar of red raspberry plant named ‘Driscoll Carmelina’. The cultivar is botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L. The ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ red raspberry plant produces a primocane crop which begins in late July and continues until early November. The floricane crop begins in late May and continues until mid-July. Floricane yields are high relative to other comparable varieties. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ has consistently good flavor and the fruit separates easily from its receptacle.

3. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying photographs show typical specimens of the primocane fruit, leaves and shoot of the new cultivar, in color as nearly true as it is reasonably possible to make in color illustrations of these characteristics.

FIG. 1 is a photograph of a ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ primocane flowers and fruit in various stages of development.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of a ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ primocane leaves showing upper and lower surfaces.

FIG. 3 is a photograph of a ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ primocane shoot.

4. DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the new raspberry cultivar, ‘Driscoll Carmelina’, is based upon observations taken of 7 to 17 month old plants and fruit grown in Watsonville, Calif. between 2001 and 2002, and is believed to apply to plants of the ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ cultivar grown in similar conditions of soil and climate elsewhere.

Throughout this specification, color names beginning with a small letter signify that the name of the color, as used in common speech, is aptly descriptive. Color data followed by an alphnumeric code indicates the most similar color designations as provided by The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour Chart published by The Royal Horticultural Society of London, England. Color designations, color descriptions, and other phenotypical descriptions may deviate from the stated values and descriptions depending upon variation in environmental, seasonal, climatic and cultural conditions.

Table 1 provides information on the plant and fruit characteristics of the new cultivar ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ compared with characteristics of the unpatented raspberry cultivar ‘Heritage’. Observations of the cultivars were taken under similar conditions.

The new variety is particularly characterized and distinguished from other cultivars by its late primocane production, high spring yields, good flavor and disease resistance.

The fruit color of ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ is a deep red at harvest. Fruit of ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ separates easily from the receptacle and is of good firmness at harvest. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ is very consistent in size and shape throughout the harvest period. There were an average of 17 young shoots in the observed plants of ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ and the shoots emerged around February 22nd. The pigmentation color of both surfaces of the petals is 155D and there are five petals per flower. The color of the seeds of ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ is 161A, the average seed weight is about 1.4 mg, and there are an average of about 91 seeds per fruit.

The floricane yields of ‘Driscoll Carmelina’ are high relative to the variety ‘Heritage’.

‘Driscoll Carmelina’ is distinguishable from its pollen parent, selection ‘N119.1’, by producing firmer fruit with better shipping characteristics. The new cultivar is distinguished from its seed parent, selection ‘P362.1’, by having better release from the receptacle, firmer fruit and better spring bud break.

4.1. DISEASE AND STRESS RESISTANCE

The cultivar has good tolerance to late leaf rust. Resistance to root rots is intermediate to other varieties. Cold tolerance of the new cultivar has not been established. Post harvest fruit rot resistance is good in comparison over many selections and varieties.

TABLE 1 PLANT CHARACTERISTICS OF ‘DRISCOLL CARMELINA’ Driscoll Carmelina Heritage General Plant size Large Growth habit Semi-erect Erect Productivity High Medium Self-fruitfulness Self-fruitful Self-fruitful Time of bud burst Medium Late Primocane fruiting Percent of cane length 10-30 20-40 flowering as primocane Percent of total yield 37 53 Primocanes Number of young shoots Medium Medium Young shoot pigmentation Weak Medium Length (cm) 249 196 Time of shoot Early Very late emergence Glaucosity (waxy bloom) Strong Weak Strength Medium Medium Cane Cross section Rounded to angular Rounded from mid cane of primocane) Dormant cane color brown to purple brown to purple brown brown Prickles Pigmentation green green- brownish to green Density on young shoots Sparse Dense Attitude of tip Downward Downward Size: Length (base to tip at 1.2 2.3 1 m height at end of harvest) (mm) Texture smooth Rigid Presence and distribution on Present irregularly Present petioles irregularly distribtuted Pubescence on canes Absent Absent Internodal distance (cm) (at 5.0 5.3 central ⅓ of cane) LEAVES Color Face 147A 147A Relief between veins Weak Very weak Glossiness Medium Medium Underside 148C 148B Petiole length (cm) 6.1 7.7 Stipule orientation Erect Erect Arrangement Compound Compound Number of leaflets Sometimes 3, Sometimes 3, sometimes 5 sometimes 5 Overlapping of lateral leaflets Free to touching Free to touching Lateral leaflet: length of stalket Very short Very short (lower pair) Terminal leaflet Length (cm) 12.4 14.6 Width (cm) 8 7.8 Shape Ovate Ovate Tip Acuminate Acuminate Base Cordate Acute to rounded Margin Doubly serrate Doubly serrate Lateral leaflets (basal pair) Length (cm) 10 14.7 Width (cm) 5.6 8.6 Overlap Yes Free Orientation Opposite Opposite Shape Ovate Ovate Tip Acuminate Acuminate Base Round Oblique Margin Doubly serrate Doubly serrate Rachis length between 3.5 1.5 terminal leaflet and adjacent lateral leaflets (cm) FLOWERS Flowering period Primocane 19 weeks, 19 weeks, Late May- Late May- late September late September Floricane 10 weeks, 10 weeks, Early April- Late March- late June mid June Flower diameter (cm) 1.5 1.8 Petal Length (cm) 0.7 0.8 Width (cm) 0.4 0.3 Pedicel coloration Present, strong intensity FRUIT Harvest season Primocane Mid July-early Nov Early July-early November Floricane Late May-late July Late May-late July Fruting lateral Length (4th lateral from 82.0 49.8 tip) (cm) Number of fruit per lateral 22.1 20.3 Color Immature  47A  42C Maturing 185A  46A Mature fruit  46A  59A Glossiness Weak Medium Shape Elliptic Ovate Dimensions Size Medium Small Length (mm) 22.3 17 Width (mm) 20 18 Length:width 1.05 0.94 Weight (g/fruit) Primocane 4.1 3.1 Floricane 3.8 2.3 Soluble solids (%) 10.4 10.8 Titratable acidity 1.57 1.58 (% as citric acid) Seed Weight (mg) 2.6 1.5 Number druplets/fruit 91 72 Adherence to plug Medium Medium Firmness Medium Firm Yield High Medium

4.2. NUCLEIC ACID FINGERPRINTING

Distinctive patterns of polymorphism can be detected using a variety of nucleic acid analysis methods. In one non-limiting example, molecular genetic maps can be produced using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) (Williams et al., 1990, “DNA polymorphisms amplified by arbitrary primers are useful as genetic markers”, Nucleic Acids Res. 18(22):6531-5). Using a variety of oligonucleotide primers, alone or in combination, RAPD analysis of Driscoll Carmelina and Heritage yielded DNA fragment patterns that uniquely distinguish each of thses genetically distinct genotypes.

Claims

1. A new and distinctive cultivar of raspberry plant, substantially as shown and described.