Raspberries
For more than 90 years, WSU Puyallup has developed excellent cultivars for the raspberry industry in Washington, the largest producer of processed raspberries in the US. Thirteen cultivars have been released from the program, including ‘Meeker’, the cultivar that was instrumental in making the state the premier US source of high quality frozen raspberries.
The breeding program develops cultivars that are harvestable by machine for the processing market, with firm, highly colored fruit and good yields. Our breeding goals also include resistance to soil- and pollen-borne diseases, as well as hardiness to winter injury and other environmental stresses. We also develop fresh market raspberry cultivars with excellent fresh flavor, attractive color, and large size.
Cascade Legacy™
Cascade Legacy™ is a mid-season, productive, floricane-fruiting red raspberry cultivar adapted to the Pacific Northwest. Fruit is large, firm, rich red in color, and has intense raspberry flavor. harvested fruit quality. ‘Cascade Legacy™’ is well suited to machine harvesting and high-grade processing like individually quick frozen. The harvest season begins in early July in northwestern Washington and continues through the final week in July. Root rot tolerance is moderate; the plant may develop cane botrytis in conditions conducive to the disease. The plant has shown minimal winter injury in plantings in the PNW region.
Cascade Prize™
Cascade Prize™ is a very late season floricane-fruiting cultivar for the late fresh market. It fruits after summer raspberries and before most fall raspberries in the Pacific Northwest, from about the fourth week in July to the end of August. It is a vigorous plant that is tolerant to root rot. The fruit of ‘Cascade Prize™’ is bright red, firm, and medium sized. It has good flavor and is a good candidate for home gardens and local fresh production.
Cascade Premier
Cascade Premier (released in 2018) is a floricane fruiting cultivar. It produces large, firm fruit and is well suited to machine harvesting and for processing. It is currently being evaluated for individually quick frozen processing. Because of its flavor, large fruit, attractive appearance and easy fruit release at an early stage of maturity, Cascade Premier is also suitable for fresh market use. It has good levels of tolerance to phytophthora root rot in field trials.
Cascade Harvest
Cascade Harvest (released 2015) is a new cultivar intended for the processing market but can also be grown for fresh use. It is a mid-season cultivar with high yields, good color, pleasant flavor, and excellent firmness and integrity for processing. It is moderately resistant to phytophthora root rot and to RBDV.
Cascade Gold
Cascade Gold (released 2014) is a niche yellow raspberry for the fresh market. It is a large, firm berry with good flavor. It is susceptible to both phytophthora root rot and RBDV.
Cascade Delight
Cascade Delight (released 2003) is a late season, firm, large, and attractive raspberry with excellent flavor that works well for fresh market. It is resistant to phytophthora root rot.
Meeker
Meeker (released 1965) has been the leading raspberry of the Washington processing industry for more than two decades. It is the most widely planted raspberry today and is favored for its high yields, good color and flavor, and good processing quality. It is moderately susceptible to phytophthora root rot and raspberry bushy dwarf virus, which can lead to problems on some sites.