The University of Arkansas has become one of the centers of world blackberry breeding, thanks in part to work started by horticulture professor John Clark back in the 1990s.

Although the program is designed to develop varieties that will benefit the state’s growers, it produces releases that are in demand worldwide.

As a result, the university has developed partnerships with companies in Chile and English, with more on the way.

Clark, who is based at the university’s Fayetteville campus, inherited a collection of blackberry germplasm from James Moore, an emeritus professor who started the collection in 1964.

"Our testing of Arkansas breeding lines and varieties in other states and countries revealed opportunities to maximize genotype by environment interactions," Clark says. "Some of our germplasm that doesn't do well in the heat and humidity of our summer does great in a more moderate climate."

Clark recognized that there were lines in the program—also in the grape, blueberry, peach and nectarine breeding programs—that likely would be discarded in Arkansas but might have use in other locations.

Starting about 2002, he began to broaden testing and breeding relationships with partners in various locations, such as South America, Australia and South Africa in the southern hemisphere, where the growing season occurs during Arkansas' winter, and the United Kingdom, where fresh fruit is not likely to be produced and marketed in competition with Arkansas producers.

The partnerships were developed to strengthen the program on behalf of Arkansas growers by generating royalty income for research, Clark says.

One partner is Hortifrut, one of the world's largest fruit growing and marketing companies based in Santiago, Chile. Another is Hargreaves Plants, a nursery company in Spalding, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom.

"Our partners pay for access to our material for use in the cooperative improvement programs, and if a variety is developed that is commercialized the university receives royalties," Clark says.

‘Other partners are interested in simply growing already patented Arkansas varieties of blackberries, grapes, peaches, nectarines and blueberries. One of these is Eurafruit, which is testing Arkansas varieties on its farms in South Africa for production and shipment to Europe. Ozeki Nursery in Japan is licensed to propagate and market a variety of  Arkansas blackberry plants.

"Blackberries are hot, right now, and fortunately, for our purposes, it is mainly a fresh market crop with limited storage time compared to frozen berries," Clark satys.

But he adds that Arkansas growers could benefit from an expanded market presence to strengthen consumer demand for blackberries if berries from other areas find there way into local stores.