Yellow and blush raspberries provide an exciting variety to local markets. Cornell’s berry breeding program is developing varieties with superior fruit quality to complement the larger red raspberry industry.
Fruits
Raspberries
Golden Blush
Double Gold
‘Double Gold’ is a late fall primocane-fruiting raspberry cultivar that is well-suited for the home grower and direct retail market. ‘Double Gold’ produces a moderately heavy crop on very vigorous, tall canes and bears attractive blushed pink to peach colored fruits, with superior flavor and moderate size. With tall canes, this variety is suitable for double crop for the summer.
Red Raspberries
Primocane red raspberries are the industry production standard for fresh raspberries worldwide. Cornell’s berry breeding program is developing varieties suitable for local markets as well as the larger wholesale market. Specialty varieties such as ‘Crimson Night’ provide added value to the local marketer to differentiate themselves from the wholesale market.
Crimson Treasure
‘Crimson Treasure’ is a fall-bearing raspberry with large, firm, bright red, conic fruit. It is very high yielding, with larger fruit than traditional varieties grown in the region. The well-known ‘Heritage’ raspberry produces fruit of approximately 2.5 grams, while ‘Crimson Treasure’ produces berries twice as large, averaging between 4 to 6 grams. Fruit detaches easily making for less harvest damage and longer shelf-life when harvested firm pink.
Crimson Giant
‘Crimson Giant’ has very large, firm, bright red conical fruit with good flavor, ripening in the late fall. The is the largest fruiting variety developed by Cornell, with maximum fruit size approaching 12 grams. The plant is somewhat susceptible to root rot, which can be mitigated by growing on raised beds or in soilless substrate culture.
Crimson Night
‘Crimson Night’ produces dark red to burgundy colored fruit. The heavy primocane crop ripens in the mid to late fall season with excellent flavor and good fruit size. It is well-suited for the home grower and direct retail market and is an outstanding freezing berry.
Apple Scions
Cordera® NY56
Cordera® stands out for exceptional flavor and texture partnered with a robust resistance to apple scab. In climates with damp springs that are prone to the fungal threat, Cordera® is a reliable option that does not compromise on quality or yield. Due to its low vigor, a strong rootstock is recommended. Bitter pit, a nutritional disorder, can be an issue on young trees.
Pink Luster® NY73
Pink Luster® is the result of 23 years of plant breeding. Susan Brown and Kevin Maloney’s dedication to blending the best traits of ‘Honeycrisp’ and ‘Gala’ apples led to a medium to large size variety with vibrant pink-red skin, crisp juicy texture, and mild sweet flavor. Maturing in mid-September, Pink Luster® is perfect for on-farm sales and U-pick operations.
FireCracker® NY109
FireCracker® is a versatile apple variety ideal for eating, baking, and hard cider production. The variety’s partial russet skin adds character to its unique blend of acidity and sweetness, resulting in complex and evolving flavors. This variety has excellent consumer response. Aggressive thinning is recommended for fruit size.
Wine Grapes
White Wine Grapes
Cornell’s white wine grape breeding program has produced exceptional varieties like ‘Aravelle’, ‘Aromella’, and ‘Valvin Muscat’. These releases exhibit traits such as moderate disease resistance, improved cold hardiness, and consistent quality, reflecting the program’s focus on developing grapes suited to New York’s climate while delivering aromatic and flavorful wines.
Aravelle
Cornell’s most recent wine grape, ‘Aravelle’, was the final variety released by Cornell grape breeder Bruce Reisch. This hybrid between ‘Cayuga White’ and ‘Reisling’ was released in 2023 after an astounding 42 years of research. ‘Aravelle’ offers moderate resistance to powdery mildew, downy mildew, and botrytis bunch rot, along with improved cold hardiness and consistent high-quality production.
Aromella
‘Aromella’, a winter-hardy white wine grape, exhibits remarkable potential productivity and delivers aromatic muscat wine qualities. Its wines boast enticing notes of honeysuckle, citrus peel, pineapple, and floral muscat character. This mid-season grape is recommended for commercial production, offering versatility as both a standalone varietal and an exceptional addition to blends.
Valvin Muscat
‘Valvin Muscat’, the 2007 American Wine Society Competition silver medalist, offers versatility as a grape suitable for both semi-dry dinner wines and sweet dessert wines. Born from a cross of ‘Muscat du Moulin’ and ‘Muscat Ottonel’, ‘Valvin Muscat’ is moderately winter hardy and well-suited to good grape growing sites in the Eastern United States. Ideal for crafting high-quality semi-dry blends or varietals ‘Valvin Muscat’ has a beautifully long finish.
Red Wine Grapes
Cornell’s red wine grape breeding program has yielded outstanding varieties, each producing flavorful and distinctive red wines tailored to New York’s climate and winemaking needs. These selections exhibit a range of characteristics ideal for cool climate viticulture, including moderate disease resistance, winter hardiness, and suitability for mechanized production systems.
Geneva Red
‘Geneva Red’, selected from a cross of ‘Buffalo’ and ‘Baco Noir’, is known as the “working man’s red” and thrives in the Finger Lakes region. This early-to-mid-season grape is distinguished by its high winter hardiness, disease resistance, and adaptability to mechanized production. ‘Geneva Red’ produces dark red wines with classical aromas and lower acidity, making it easier to vinify than ‘Baco Noir’. While it can produce good varietal wines, it is particularly valuable in blends, serving as a substitute for ‘Baco’, ‘DeChaunac’, and ‘Rougeon’. Suitable for all wine-growing regions of New York, it is especially recommended for its high productivity and straightforward management, though care is needed in areas prone to spring frost. As a blending component, ‘Geneva Red’ is useful in both hot and cool years, contributing to the production of standard quality table wines.
Noiret
A mid-season red wine grape suitable for producing varietal wines, ‘Noiret’ produces a distinctive red wine with notes of green and black pepper along with raspberry, blackberry, and some mint aromas. A major distinguishing characteristic of this selection is the fine tannin structure that is complete from the front of the mouth to the back. The vine is moderately winter hardy and moderately resistant to powdery mildew and Botrytis bunch rot. ‘Noiret’ represents a distinct improvement in the red wine varietal options available to cold climate grape growers. Wines are free of the hybrid aromas typical of many other red hybrid grapes.
Arandell
‘Arandell’ is a mid-season red wine grape characterized by a high degree of natural disease resistance and producing dark red wines with clean, berry aromas. Wines are densely colored, with light to moderate tannins, and exhibit notes of dark berry fruit (blueberry, black cherry), tobacco, and hints of black pepper or cedar on the finish. It is moderately hardy and recommended for production under minimal spray programs, with potential for organic management.
Corot noir
‘Corot noir’ is a mid-to-late season red wine grape suitable for either blending or the production of varietal wines. ‘Corot noir’ is a complex interspecific hybrid resulting from a cross in 1970 between ‘Seyve Villard 18-307’ and ‘Steuben’. The wine has a deep red color and attractive cherry and berry fruit aromas. Its tannin structure is complete from the front of the mouth to the back, with big soft tannin feel. The vine is moderately winter hardy and moderately resistant to fungal diseases. The wine tends to be a mix of cherry and red berry aromas with occasional touches of smoke or earth.
Melons
Muskmelon, charanteis, and honeydew melon
Muskmelon, charanteis, and honeydew melons have been part of the Cornell vegetable breeding program since the 1940s when Henry Munger released ‘Iroquois’ as part of his doctoral work. ‘Iroquois’ was the first melon variety to make resistance to Fusarium wilt available to growers and transformed melon growing. Melon improvement efforts continue to develop cultivars that combine flavor with key resistances to yield productive and delicious harvests. In addition to the highlights below, Cornell is continuing to work through the archives to make disease melon resistant breeding lines available to others.
PMR Delicious 51
‘PMR Delicious 51’ is an improved version of the ‘Delicious 51’ melon, offering excellent resistance to powdery mildew (races 1 and 2) and Fusarium wilt (race 2). In both conventionally managed unsprayed fields, and organically managed fields, it produces high-quality, marketable fruit even when powdery mildew is present. This open-pollinated nature of ‘PMR Delicious 51’ makes seed production much more accessible than with hybrid varieties, ensuring this variety is well-suited for home gardeners and commercial growers. The round fruit has slight to medium netting with shallow ribbing and slips when ripe.
Hannah’s Choice
‘Hannah’s Choice’, a creation by Molly Jahn, is a delectable eastern-type muskmelon renowned for its delightful sweetness and a subtle charanteis perfume. With a large, dense vine and medium green foliage, ‘Hannah’s Choice’ produces highly netted, ribbed, and slightly oval fruits that slip when ripe. The firm rind enhances its shipping quality, while the interior boasts medium to dark orange flesh and a small seed cavity.
Derived from Henry Munger’s pioneering work, ‘Hannah’s Choice’ was the first commercial melon to combine resistance to these three potyviruses: watermelon mosaic virus, papaya ringspot virus, and zucchini yellow mosaic virus. It also boasts multiple other disease resistances, including powdery mildew (races 1 and 2), tolerance to Fusarium root rot (race 2), and exhibits field tolerance to downy mildew, angular leaf spot, spider mites and gummy stem blight.
Trifecta
‘Trifecta’ stands out as one of the first melon varieties with resistance to the 2004 strain of downy mildew that plights many cucurbits. While other melons may suffer from defoliation due to the mildew, The foliage on ‘Trifecta’ remains lush and green, ensuring that the muskmelons can fully ripen on the vine, producing fruits that are exceptionally sweet and flavorful.
Grusha
‘Grusha’, selected by Michael Mazourek, is a unique open pollinated variety where Molly Jahn combined with a Siberian Honeydew heirloom with one of Henry Munger’s disease-resistant melons. This sweet, white-fleshed melon features a hint of pear and resembles a ‘Galia’. It is conveniently the size of a softball. Small and flavorful, the melons ripen in a concentrated set, with their rinds turning from green to yellow, highlighted by sparse netting. Ideal for those seeking a delicious and resilient melon variety.
Breeding Lines
Cornell’s melon breeding program boasts a rich history of innovative releases, introducing key advancements such as disease resistance, the slipping trait for easier harvesting, and round monoecious melons. These breakthroughs have significantly enhanced melon cultivation and quality.
HD 1217
The ‘HD 1217’ breeding line revolutionizes honeydew melon harvesting with its introduction of the “slipping trait”. This breakthrough feature allows for easy detection of peak ripeness, as the stem detaches effortlessly from the fruit with a gentle pull. Coupled with its impressive size, ‘HD 1217’ promises a rewarding honeydew harvest.
NPCMRd
‘NPCMRd’, is the Netted Powdery Mildew Resistant, Charanteis Flavored, Monoecious, Round Melon. This pioneering melon from Henry Munger introduced a round, monoecious melon with soft orange flesh and netted skin. ‘NPCMRd’ was pioneering in breaking the linkage between fruit shape and flower type, making round monoecious melons a reality. Renowned for its resistance to powdery mildew, ‘NPCMRd’ would make a great addition to any melon breeding program.
ZBCTUF#
‘ZBCTUF#’, introduces disease resistance to the ‘TAM Uvalde’ melon. Selected for multiple virus resistances—including papaya ringspot virus, watermelon mosaic virus, zucchini mosaic viruses, and high resistance to powdery mildew (races 1 and 2)—‘ZBCTUF#’ remains a reliable source of disease resistance.
Strawberries
June-Bearing
June-bearing strawberries are the traditional types grown in temperate regions around the world. Cornell has a long history of developing varieties suitable for perennial production on the thousands of acres in these regions for local retail and wholesale markets. Our varieties provide the superior eating quality consumers expect when buying direct from the grower.
Dickens
‘Dickens’ is a traditional June-bearing strawberry with high yields and bright red fruit that continues bearing late into the summer season. ‘Dickens’ produces large, firm fruit with a short conic shape on multiple fruiting laterals. The fruit develops a good, sweet flavor while maintaining a firm texture for relatively long shelf-life. ‘Dickens’ has performed well in annual plasticulture and perennial production systems.
Herriot
‘Herriot’ is a short-day variety bred for cooler climates that produces mid-summer season. The plant is very vigorous and resistant to root diseases. The heart-shaped fruit is shiny red with excellent flavor containing overtones of pineapple. The fruit is relatively soft but holds its size over an extended period, which produces high yields.
Archer
‘Archer’ strawberries combine intense flavor with exceptional size. With the largest fruit weighing over 50 grams, these berries are the size of a typical plum in the region. Their cold-hardy nature and tolerance to common diseases make them a top choice for growers from New York to the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond.
Cherries
Pearl Sweet Cherry Series
The Pearl Series comprises sweet cherry varieties selected by Robert Andersen and Susan Brown for superior qualities such as flavor, disease resistance, cold tolerance, and minimized rain cracking. Each variety embodies the culmination of breeding efforts aimed at enhancing quality and resilience in sweet cherries.
EbonyPearl®
EbonyPearl®’s dark red fruit sits on long, firmly attached stems. This variety produces the largest and tastiest cherries among Cornell’s “Pearl Series,” offering a perfect balance of sweetness and tang. EbonyPearl® is renowned for its firmness. Moderate rain-induced cracking. Its S alleles are S1S4.
BurgundyPearl®
BurgundyPearl® stands out for its large, firm high-quality fruit. It has low-to-moderate rain crack. The variety ripens a few days before ‘Bing’ and has S3S4 S alleles. The tree itself is vigorous, productive, and canker resistant. The fruits have a sweet, mild flavor and attractive translucent red skin.
RadiancePearl®
RadiancePearl® cherries delight with exceptional flavor boasting a high sugar content and moderate to high susceptibility to rain cracking. The vigorous, hardy tree blooms early to mid-season, yielding firm fruit with minimal pitting. Its spreading habit ensures ample light penetration, resulting in a delightful blush when ripe. Its S alleles are S1S3.
BlackPearl®
BlackPearl® is an early-ripening cherry variety whose fruits are a deep, dark hue. Known for its firm, crunchy texture, and medium size, BlackPearl® boasts excellent flavor and storage qualities. It has low to moderate rain-induced cracking and cankers making it popular in the Northwest. Growers suggest hand thinning to achieve fruit size. Its S alleles are S4S13.
Contact Information
For additional information please contact:
Albert Tsui
Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing
Email: ayt28@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 254-5979
Contact Information
For additional information please contact:
Emily Courson
Business Development & Licensing Associate – Plant Varieties
Email: eac293@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 254-7920
