Historical perspective on blackcurrants at The James Hutton Institute

The blackcurrant breeding programme at The James Hutton Institute (formerly the Scottish Crops Research Institute and the Scottish Horticultural Research Institute) was established in the 1950s, to provide varieties suitable for cultivation in northern parts of the UK. Initially, the work covered only the establishment in 1952 of variety trials for both black- and redcurrants, under the aegis of Malcolm Anderson, but results from the trials showed scope for considerable improvement within the existing genetic base, and breeding of blackcurrants was inaugurated in 1956. The initial objectives of the programme were to produce improved germplasm with cold tolerance, especially in the spring, even and earlier ripening and fungal disease resistance. Initial hybridisations were made between established UK varieties and varieties from Canada, Scandinavia and northern Europe, together with a small interspecific programme, and the first commercialised product of the continuing breeding effort, 'Ben Lomond', was released in 1972. Since then, further varieties have been released for commercial cultivation, with 'Ben Hope' now the most popular cultivar in the UK.