The table and raisin grape breeding program at USDA-ARS Crop Diseases, Pests and Genetics Research Unit in Parlier, California, has been developing high-quality grape cultivars since the 1920s. Industry favorites like “Flame Seedless”, “Scarlet Royal”, and “Summer Royal” are just a few of the more than 30 cultivars that have been released by the program and are grown throughout the world. Lance Cadle-Davidson’s grape research at USDA-ARS Grape Genetics Research Unit in Geneva, New York is focused on incorporating powdery mildew resistance into commercial-quality cultivars. Both USDA-ARS grape breeding programs use mapping and marker-assisted selection and collaborate with the USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository Research Unit in Davis, California, and the USDA-ARS Horticultural Crops Research Unit in Corvallis, Oregon, on a systems approach to grape and wine production.
Grape
