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Red Raspberry Cultivars for Oregon EC 1310 Reprinted February 2000 B.C. Strik Do you want to print a copy? We recommend downloading the print version (52 K). First download the free Adobe Reader, if you don't already have it. Contents Summer-bearing cultivars Fall-fruiting cultivars There are two types of red raspberry: "summerbearing" and "fall-bearing," also sometimes called "everbearing." Summer-bearing types have biennial canes--they grow one year (primocane), and produce fruit the following year (floricane). Floricanes die after they have fruited. There are two names for a raspberry cane, depending on whether the cane is in its first or second year of growth. Primocanes: first year of growth; only fall-fruiting raspberries produce fruit on primocanes in the late summer/fall. Floricanes: second year of growth; these produce fruit on branches. Both summer-bearing and fall-bearing raspberries produce fruit on floricanes.  In fall-bearing types, the primocanes produce a crop on the top portion of the cane in late summer. The following summer, the remaining portion of the cane produces fruit; the floricane then dies. Fall-bearing cultivars (varieties) can be grown for both an early summer and a late summer ("fall") crop. However, if you want a large crop of good quality fruit in both the summer and fall, plant both a summer-bearing and a fall-bearing cultivar. If you're a home gardener, see EC 1306 for more information. This publication lists and briefly describes red raspberry (Rubus sp.) cultivars. Yellow fruited raspberries are the result of a mutation of red raspberries that prevents the formation of red color-they are grown exactly the same as red raspberries. Cultivars differ in fruit characteristics, time of ripening, plant growth habit, tolerance to various pests, and harvest suitability (home garden production, commercial production, or machine harvest). The descriptions given are brief and are intended to serve only as a guide in choosing a cultivar that's appropriate for your needs; the performance of a cultivar often varies with location. Because we intend this publication for both the home gardener and the commercial grower, it includes information about how well each cultivar is suited for mechanical harvest. If you're a home gardener, feel free to skip the information about mechanical harvest. Commercial growers should check with their county office of the OSU Extension Service and their processor before purchasing cultivars for commercial production. top Summer-bearing cultivars Summer-bearing cultivars are: Algonquin Canby Chilcotin Chilliwack Comox Haida Malahat Meeker Newburgh Nootka Qualicum Skeena Sumner Tulameen Willamette  Algonquin. Fruit is small, bright red, acceptable flavor, firm; suitable for processing, but not machine harvest; cold hardy and suitable for eastern Oregon; some tolerance to phytophthora root rot. Canby. Fruit is small to medium, bright red and moderately firm; suitable for home freezing and canning; berries lack firmness required for a commercial processed product; very susceptible to root rot. Fruit shakes off easily for machine harvest, but fruit may be too soft for a good harvested product. Chilcotin. Fruit is medium, bright red, fairly firm; suitable for fresh market and processing; mid-season; long harvest season; more productive than 'Willamette'; susceptible to root rot. May be suitable for mechanical harvest although fruit sometimes doesn't detach readily, and laterals may break. Chilliwack. Fruit is medium to large, bright red, firm, sweet, good to excellent flavor; mid-season; good for fresh market and processing; fruit has considerable resistance to postharvest fruit rot; vigorous canes, nearly spine-free; good hardiness; productivity about equal to 'Willamette'; some root rot resistance. Well suited for machine harvest. Comox. Fruit is medium to large, medium red, firm, acceptable flavor; mid-season; good for fresh market and processing; fruit has considerable resistance to postharvest fruit rot; more productive than 'Willamette'; highly susceptible to root rot. May not be as suitable as some other commercial cultivars for machine harvest. Haida. Fruit is medium-sized, medium red, firm, good flavor; suitable for freezing, fair for canning and preserves; ripens a few days later than 'Willamette' and is more productive in some areas; cold hardy and suitable for eastern Oregon; some root rot resistance. Unpredictable results for machine harvest. Malahat. Fruit is large, bright red, firm, acceptable flavor; early season (one week earlier than 'Meeker'); suitable for fresh market with good postharvest shelf life; plants are susceptible to phytophthora root rot. Meeker. Fruit is medium to large, medium to dark red, firm, good flavor; mid-season; high to medium yield; suitable for freezing, canning, and preserves; later ripening and higher yielding than 'Willamette'; less susceptible to root rot than 'Willamette'; more susceptible to winter injury than 'Sumner' or 'Willamette.' Suitable for machine harvest although long laterals may break. Newburgh. Fruit is medium sized, light red in color and medium firm; not acceptable for commercial production but good for home garden use; resistant to root rot. Nootka. Fruit is medium-sized, medium red and moderately firm; suitable for processing; longer harvest season than 'Willamette'; more productive and more winter-hardy than 'Willamette'; susceptible to root rot. Fruit shakes off easily for mechanical harvest. Qualicum. Fruit is large, medium red, firm, good flavor; mid-season; especially suitable for fresh market due to good postharvest shelf life and ease of fruit removal; also suited for processing and machine harvest; susceptible to phytophthora root rot. Skeena. Fruit is medium to large, bright red, firm, good flavor; early season and longer ripening period than 'Willamette'; suitable for fresh market, freezing, canning, and preserves; cold hardy and suitable for eastern Oregon; highly susceptible to root rot; canes nearly spine-free. Plant growth habit, such as strong fruit laterals, make it suitable for mechanical harvest, but fruit does not detach as easily as some other commercial cultivars. Sumner. Fruit is small to medium-sized, medium red, firm, sweet, intense flavor; suitable for freezing, preserves, and canning; harvest time similar to 'Meeker'; most tolerant variety for heavy, poorly drained soils and hardier than 'Meeker' or 'Willamette.' Fruit doesn't detach or shake off easily, so it's not suitable for machine harvest. Tulameen. Fruit is large, firm, attractive, glossy, medium red, sweet, excellent flavor, especially suited for fresh market due to long fruiting season and good postharvest shelf life; also suited for processing; can be machine harvested; cold hardiness similar to 'Meeker'; sensitive to phytophthora root rot. Willamette. Fruit is medium, dark red, fairly firm with a fair to good flavor; early season; low yield; well suited for canning and juice, slightly dark for freezing and preserves; ripens early; susceptible to root rot and doesn't produce well in heavy soils. Suitable for machine harvest. top Fall-fruiting cultivars Fall-fruiting cultivars are: Amity Autumn Bliss Fallgold Fallred Heritage Redwing Summit  Amity. Ripens up to 1 week earlier than 'Heritage' and fruits for a month or until frost; fruit is medium-sized, medium-dark red, very firm, good flavor; good quality for freezing, preserves, processing, fresh market, and shipping; canes can be vigorous and benefit from trellis support; canes are almost spine-free; susceptibility to root rot equal to 'Meeker,' but less than 'Canby.' Fruit doesn't detach easily at maturity, so it's not adapted for machine harvest. Autumn Bliss. Ripens late July through August. Fruit is large, but size and quality deteriorate late in season; medium red, good flavor, firm. Susceptible to Raspberry Bushy Dwarf Virus (pollen borne). Fallgold. Ripens 10 days prior to 'Heritage'; fruit is yellow, moderately firm, very good flavor; fruit is softer and productivity less than 'Heritage'; plants are very hardy. Not adapted for machine harvest. Fallred. Ripens about 2 weeks earlier than 'Heritage'; fruit is small, red, fairly firm, good flavor; plants are vigorous, productive, and require support. Not adapted for machine harvest. Heritage. Moderate summer crop with a much larger fall crop; ripens in late August to early September; fruit is medium, red, firm, good flavor; excellent quality for freezing, canning, and preserves; plants are vigorous--sturdy canes require no support; hardy. Some resistance to phytophthora root rot. Yellow-fruited clones are available under the cultivar names 'Goldie' and 'Kiwigold.' Not adapted for machine harvest. Redwing. Ripens 2 weeks earlier than 'Heritage'; fruit is medium, red, firm, good flavor; suitable for freezing, canning, and preserves; productivity equal to or slightly less than 'Heritage'; summer crop is small; vigorous canes benefit from support. Not adapted for machine harvest. Summit. Matures about 10 days earlier than 'Heritage'; fruit is small to medium sized, firm, medium to dark red. Some root rot resistance. What if you find a cultivar that's not on this list? Find out some of the plant growth and fruit characteristics: Is it a summer-bearing or fall-bearing type? Does the nursery's description indicate that it's susceptible to any diseases, such as root rot or viruses? What's the fruit like? Is it machine-harvestable (commercial growers)? Remember: If you purchase a cultivar that's not on this list, it probably hasn't been extensively tested in Oregon. It's best to try a few plants first; see if they grow well and if you like the fruit.  top Prepared by Bernadine C. Strik, Extension berry crops specialist, Oregon State University. Reprinted February 2000.

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