California Table Grape Commission reflects on a century of plant breeding
Celebrating 100 years of scientific development that resulted in the creation of many new table and raisin grape varieties, the California Table Grape Commission joined USDA Agricultural Research Service officials, growers and public and private stakeholders to commemorate decades of successful partnership, according to a news release.
“The California table grape growing community has partnered with ARS since 1981 to develop new varieties, and since 2001 to protect and commercialize them in the U.S. and grape growing countries around the world,” Ross Jones, commission senior vice president and chief science and technology officer, said in the release.
Jones spoke on behalf of the commission and the growers it serves during the recent 100th anniversary ceremony at San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center in Parlier, Calif.
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He recognized the accomplishments of breeders David Ramming, Craig Ledbetter and members of their teams, emphasizing the teams’ work to bring the hopes and dreams of generations of growers to fruition through the development of the kind of new cultivars that changed the trajectory of individual farming operations and the expectations and eating habits of consumers around the world, the release said.
“It is not an overstatement to say that this program changed the table grape industry and the world of table grape breeding. The new varieties that have emerged have, without question, helped the table grape farming community be sustainable and competitive,” Jones said.
USDA-bred table grape varieties accounted for 36% of the volume California table grape growers produced in 2022, according to the commission.
The celebration commemorating the past represents the launch point for the next-level partnership planned between ARS and the table grape growing community through the commission, Jones said.
