Tech partnership Cornell AgriTech and Sun World International bear cold-climate grapes

24 Mar 2022 --- Two grape cultivars, Sugrafiftytwo and Sugrasixty, have entered the market thanks to a 13-year collaboration between Cornell AgriTech and Sun World International, a fruit genetics and licensing company. The grapes are touted as offering nuanced flavors and better growth characteristics such as resistance to the cold.

Sugrafiftytwo is an early ripening, green seedless grape variety with a sweet Muscat flavor and firm, crisp texture. Sugrasixty is a midseason ripening red variety with large berries and a tropical aroma with overtones of mango.

“With the right varieties, the Eastern table grape industry might consider expanding. That could drive economic development through tourism, farm markets and home enthusiasts. Many home growers are interested in doing something new,” says Bruce Reisch, professor, School of Integrative Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Mitigating growing challenges 
Increased exports from outside the US and the proliferation of proprietary varieties create challenges for retailers and consumers. 

Public institutions are an important source for innovation as farmers face more complex challenges such as climate change.The Sugrafiftytwo and Sugrasixty table grapes are well suited to resist the cold climate.

“AgriTech is focused on system solutions. It goes beyond the germplasm to find solutions for plant breeders, growers and consumers. It takes ten years to develop a new variety. It’s amazingly complex to go fast and be as precise as possible to deliver what growers and consumers need,” says Jennifer Petersen, chief science officer, Sun World.

“We rely on different technologies and cross-institutional collaborations to be successful. One of my top priorities is to pursue partnerships with private and academic institutions to ensure that Sun World continues to be an industry leader delivering premium varieties to growers and the marketplace,” says Petersen.

The Cornell-Sun World partnership unlocks research efficiencies for Reisch’s program and its future. The steady stream of funding for public specialty crop research helps insulate it from the complications of grant cycles. 

Cornell’s breeding program also has access to Sun World germplasm with seedlessness, storage and shipping traits.

Sun World has a network of licensed growers and marketers in the US, Europe, Australia, South America, South Africa, Israel and North Africa.

Grape proceeds to fund breeding program
Royalties from the commercialization of the Sugrafiftytwo and Sugrasixty grape varieties will be directed to the Cornell Grape Breeding and Genetics Program.

The flavors of the grapes were developed through crossbreeding that harnessed the germplasm, genetic material that controls the expression of specific traits. While all breeding collections include germplasm, scientists at Cornell AgriTech have advanced techniques in breeding table and wine grapes suited to New York’s colder climate and grower requirements.

Reisch has focused on developing improved genetic and trait marker technology for four decades to harvest the genetic diversity of wild and native grape species in the US and fast-track the release of varieties with sought-after traits like powdery mildew resistance, cold-hardiness and early ripening.

 “These advances, coupled with our own California-based seedless grape development work spanning several decades, make for a distinctive combination,” says Reisch.

By Inga de Jong