Raspberry plant named ‘DrisRaspTwentySix’

Latin name:

Botanical classification:L.

Varietal denomination: The varietal denomination of the claimed variety of raspberry plant is ‘DrisRaspTwentySix’.

Raspberries are the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genusof the rose family. Most raspberry species are in the subgenus. Raspberry plants are perennial plants with woody stems. Many of the most important modern commercial red raspberry cultivars derive from hybrids betweenand. Recent breeding has resulted in cultivars that are thornless and more strongly upright, not needing staking.

Both the red and the black raspberry species have albino-like pale-yellow natural or horticultural variants. Fruits from such plants are called golden raspberries or yellow raspberries. Most pale-fruited raspberries commercially sold in the eastern United States are derivatives of red raspberries. Yellow-fruited variants of the black raspberry are sometimes grown in home gardens. Despite their dissimilar appearance, golden raspberries retain the distinctive flavor of their respective red or black species.

An individual raspberry fruit is made up of around 100 drupelets, each of which contains a juicy pulp and a single central seed. A raspberry bush can yield several hundred berries a year. Unlike blackberries and dewberries, a raspberry has a hollow core once it is removed from the receptacle.

Raspberries are traditionally planted in the winter as dormant canes, but planting plugs produced by tissue culture is also common. Additionally, the long cane production method consists of growing canes for one year in cold climates where the bud break is early, and then transplanting the canes to warm climates where they quickly flower and can produce an early season crop. A very vigorous crop, raspberries spread well and can be considered invasive, using extended underground shoots (also known as suckers or basal shoots) that can develop roots and individual plants.

Raspberries are a popular fruit that are recognized for their antioxidants, high fiber, and as a good source of vitamin C. Raspberry fruit is typically consumed as fresh fruit, individually quick frozen (IQF) fruit, or in prepared foods, such as purées, juices, jellies, jams, grocery items, baked goods, and snack foods.

Raspberry is an important and valuable commercial fruit crop, widely grown in all temperate regions of the world. Accordingly, there is a need for new varieties of raspberry plant. In particular, there is a need for improved varieties of raspberry plant that are stable, high yielding, and agronomically sound.

In order to meet these needs, the present invention is directed to an improved variety of raspberry plant. In particular, the invention relates to a new and distinct variety of raspberry plant (L.), which has been denominated as ‘DrisRaspTwentySix’.

Raspberry plant variety ‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ was selected in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, Mexico in March of 2019 and originated from a cross between the proprietary female parent ‘RH813.2’ (unpatented) and the proprietary male parent ‘RJ0721.1’ (unpatented). The original seedling of the new variety was first asexually propagated in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, Mexico via root cuttings in May 2019.

‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ was subsequently asexually propagated via root cuttings, and has undergone testing in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, Mexico for four years (2020 to 2024). The present variety has been found to be stable and reproduce true to type through successive asexual propagations via root cuttings and tissue culture.

‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ was particularly selected for its fruit quality, yield, flavor, and shelf life, as well as its plant vigor and growth characteristics.

The following descriptions set forth the distinctive characteristics of ‘DrisRaspTwentySix’. Unless where otherwise noted, the data that define these characteristics are based on observations taken from ‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ plants that were one year old, grown in Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco, Mexico from 2020 to 2024. These descriptions are in accordance with UPOV terminology. Color designations, color descriptions, and other phenotypical descriptions may deviate from the stated values and descriptions depending upon variation in environmental, seasonal, climatic and cultural conditions. ‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The indicated values represent averages calculated from measurements of several plants. Color references are primarily to The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society of London (R.H.S.) (2015 edition). Descriptive terminology follows the2edition by James G. Harris and Melinda Woolf Harris, unless where otherwise defined.

‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ differs from the proprietary female parent ‘RH813.2’ (unpatented) in that ‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ has improved flavor, larger fruit size, and improved shipping and storage quality as compared to ‘RH813.2’.

‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ differs from the proprietary male parent ‘RJ0721.1’ (unpatented) in that ‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ has larger fruit size and improved shipping and storage quality as compared to ‘RJ0721.1’.

‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ differs from reference raspberry variety ‘DrisRaspThirteen’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 29,402) in that ‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ has absent anthocyanin coloration of very young shoot apex during rapid growth, sparse prickle density, light red fruit color, and the predominant number of leaflets is three, whereas ‘DrisRaspThirteen’ has medium anthocyanin coloration of very young shoot apex during rapid growth, medium prickle density, dark red fruit color, and the predominant number of leaflets is equally three and five.

‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ differs from reference raspberry variety ‘DrisRaspTwelve’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 30,577) in that ‘DrisRaspTwentySix’ has absent anthocyanin coloration of very young shoot apex during rapid growth, medium green color of the upper leaf side, broad conical fruit shape in lateral view, and light red fruit color, whereas ‘DrisRaspTwelve’ has medium anthocyanin coloration of very young shoot apex during rapid growth, dark green color of the upper leaf side, trapezoidal fruit shape in lateral view, and light orange fruit color.