U.S. patent number PP14,860 [Application Number 10/306,458] was granted by the patent office on 2004-06-01 for raspberry plant named `driscoll francesca`.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Driscoll Strawberry Associates, Inc.. Invention is credited to Fred M. Cook, Carlos D. Fear, Richard E. Harrison, Gavin Sills.
United States Patent |
PP14,860 |
Fear , et al. |
June 1, 2004 |
Raspberry plant named `Driscoll Francesca`
Abstract
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of
raspberry plant named Driscoll Francesca. The new cultivar is
distinguished from other raspberry cultivars by its fruit firmness,
fruit structure, yield and flavor. The new cultivar is
distinguished from its seed parent by having better flavor, it is
distinguished from its pollen parent by producing fruit of
consistent shape and good firmness.
Inventors: |
Fear; Carlos D. (Aptos, CA),
Harrison; Richard E. (Aptos, CA), Cook; Fred M. (Aptos,
CA), Sills; Gavin (Watsonville, CA) |
Assignee: |
Driscoll Strawberry Associates,
Inc. (Watsonville, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
32325692 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/306,458 |
Filed: |
November 27, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
PLT/204 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A01H
6/7499 (20180501); A01H 5/08 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A01H 005/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;PLT/204 |
Primary Examiner: Grunberg; Anne Marie
Assistant Examiner: McCormick-Ewoldt; Susan B.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Pennie & Edmonds LLP
Claims
We claim:
1. A new and distinctive cultivar of raspberry plant, substantially
as shown and described.
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 `Tola` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,087)
as the seed parent with the selection `Isabel` (an unpatented
variety) as the pollen parent. The parents were crossed in 1996;
whereafter fruit and seed were collected to produce seedlings for
field planting in Oxnard, Calif. in 1997. The new cultivar was
selected from these seedlings in 1997 for its excellent fruit size
and flavor. 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.
2. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a new and distinct cultivar of red
raspberry plant named `Driscoll Francesca`. The cultivar is
botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L. The `Driscoll Francesca`
red raspberry plant produces a primocane crop which begins in
mid-July and continues until mid October. The floricane crop begins
in mid-May and continues until late July. Both the primocane and
floricane yields are high relative to other comparable varieties.
The fruit of `Driscoll Francesca` is notably quite firm and very
consistent with regard to its size and shape throughout its harvest
period and has good flavor. The fruit of `Driscoll Francesca`
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 `Driscoll Francesca` primocane fruiting
lateral showing ripe and unripe fruit.
FIG. 2 is a photograph of `Driscoll Francesca` primocane leaves
showing upper and lower leaf surfaces.
FIG. 3 is a photograph of `Driscoll Francesca` primocane shoot.
4. DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
The following detailed description of the new raspberry cultivar,
`Driscoll Francesca`, 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
Francesca` 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
alphanumeric code designates the color according to The 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 Francesca` 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 fruit firmness, fruit structure, yield,
and flavor.
The fruit color of `Driscoll Francesca` is a medium red at harvest
but darkens after harvest to a deeper color. Fruit of `Driscoll
Francesca` separates easily from the receptacle and is of good
firmness at harvest. The fruit of `Driscoll Francesca` is very
consistent in size and shape throughout the harvest period. The
average plant height is about 180 cm and the average plant spread
is about 80 cm. The prickle color is 187A. The pedicel color is
144A. The sepal color is also 144A.
The reproductive organs of `Driscoll Francesca` are variable. The
pigmentation color of both surfaces of the petals is 155D and there
are five petals per flower. The style pigmentation color is 157D,
the average number of styles per flower is about 99, the anther
pigmentation color is 155D, and the average number of anthers per
flower is about 108. The color of the seeds of `Driscoll Francesca`
is 161A, the average seed weight is about 1.4 mg, and there are an
average of about 101 seeds per fruit.
The primocane and floricane yields of `Driscoll Francesca` are high
relative to the variety `Heritage`.
`Driscoll Francesca` is distinguishable from its pollen parent,
selection `Isabel`, by producing fruit of consistent shape and good
firmness. The new cultivar is distinguished from its seed parent,
selection `Tola`, by having better flavor.
4.1 DISEASE AND STRESS RESISTANCE
Resistance is unknown to powdery mildew. 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 I PLANT CHARACTERISTICS OF `DRISCOLL FRANCESCA` Driscoll
Francesca Heritage General Plant size Medium 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 30-50 20-40 length flowering as primocane
Percent of total yield 40 53 Primocanes Number of young Medium
shoots Young shoot Weak Medium pigmentation Length (cm) 212 196
Time of shoot Medium Very late emergence Glaucosity (waxy Strong
Weak bloom) Strength Medium Medium Cane cross section Rounded to
angular Rounded (from mid cane of primocane) Dormant cane color
purple mainly with brown to purple brown brown Prickles
Pigmentation brown to purple green-brownish to green Density on
young medium Dense shoots Attitude of tip Downward Downward Size:
Length 1 2.3 (base to tip) at 1 m height at the end of season (mm)
Texture smooth Rigid Presence and Distri- Present: irregularly
Present irregularly bution on Petioles distributed Pubescence on
canes Absent Absent Internodal distance 4.9 5.3 (cm) (at central
1/3 of cane) LEAVES Arrangement Compound Compound Relief between
veins Weak Very weak Number of leaflets Sometimes 3, Sometimes 3,
somtimes 5 sometimes 5 Overlapping of lateral Free to touching Free
to touching leaflets Glossiness Medium Medium Lateral leaflet: Very
short Very short length of stalket (lower pair) Terminal leaflet
Length (cm) 11.4 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)
10.4 14.7 Width (cm) 6.6 8.6 Orientation Opposite Opposite Shape
Ovate Ovate Tip Acuminate Acuminate Base Round Oblique Margin
Doubly serrate Doubly serrate Rachis length between 3.6 1.5
terminal leaflet and adjacent Lateral leaflets (cm) Color Face 147A
147A Underside 148B 148B Petiole length (cm) 4.5 7.7 Stipule
orientation Erect Erect FLOWERS Flowering period Primocane 15
weeks, 19 weeks, Early May mid Late May September Late September
Floricane 12 weeks, 10 weeks, Late March to Late March to Late June
mid June Flower diameter (cm) 2.0 1.8 Petal Length (cm) 0.8 0.8
Width (cm) 0.4 0.3 Pedicel coloration Present, medium Present,
strong intensity intensity FRUIT Harvest season Primocane Mid
July-early Early July- early October November Floricane Mid
May-late July Late May-late July Fruiting Lateral Length (4.sup.th
lateral 61.5 49.8 from tip) (cm) Number of fruit per 18 20.3
lateral Color Immature 44A 42C Maturing 46A 46A Mature Fruit
Glossiness Weak Medium Shape Ovate Ovate Dimensions Size Medium
Small Length (mm) 22 17 Width (mm) 21 18 Length: width 1.05 0.94
Weight (g/Fruit) Primocane 4.2 3.1 Floricane 3.7 2.3 Soluble solids
(%) 11.3 10.8 Titratable acidity 1.41 1.58 (% as citric acid) Seed
weight (mg) 2.8 1.5 Number druplets/fruit 101 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 Francesca and Heritage yielded DNA fragment patterns that
uniquely distinguish each of these genetically distinct
genotypes.
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