Raspberry plant named ‘Driscoll Estrella’

[0001] The variety is botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L. subgenus Rubus.

[0002] The Raspberry variety denomination is ‘Driscoll Estrella’.

[0003] This invention relates to a new cultivar of raspberry called ‘Driscoll Estrella’. The new cultivar of raspberry plant was developed from a single seedling selected from the hybridization of the selection Q481.7 (an unpatented variety) as the seed parent with the selection S826.3 (an unpatented variety) as the pollen parent. The parents were crossed in 1998, whereafter fruit and seed were collected to produce seedlings for field planting in Watsonville, Calif. in 1998. The new cultivar was selected from these seedlings in 2000 for its yellow color, productivity and flavor. The cultivar has been asexually propagated by in vitro shoot tip culture, root sucker division and root cuttings at the Cassin Ranch in Santa Cruz County, Calif. and has been shown to maintain the desired and distinguishing characteristics after propagation over several generations.

[0004] The present invention provides a new and distinct yellow raspberry cultivar named ‘Driscoll Estrella’. The cultivar is botanically identified as Rubus idaeus L. The ‘Driscoll Estrella’ yellow raspberry plant produces a primocane crop which begins in late June and continues until early November. The floricane crop begins in late April and continues until late June or early July. Both the primocane and floricane yields are high relative to other comparable yellow varieties. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ is notably quite firm and very consistent with regard to its size and shape throughout its harvest period. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ separates easily from its receptacle.

[0009] The following detailed description of the new raspberry cultivar, ‘Driscoll Estrella’, is based upon observations taken of plants and fruit grown in Watsonville, Calif. between 2001 and 2005, and is believed to apply to plants of the ‘Driscoll Estrella’ cultivar grown in similar conditions of soil and climate elsewhere.

[0010] Throughout this specification, color names beginning with a small letter signify that the name of the color, as used in common speech, is aptly descriptive. Color data beginning with a capital letter and followed by an alphanumeric code indicate the most similar color designations as provided by The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.) Colour Chart published by the Royal Horticultural Society of London, England. 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.

[0011] Table 1 provides information on the plant and fruit characteristics of the new cultivar ‘Driscoll Estrella’ compared with characteristics of the unpatented raspberry cultivar ‘Heritage’. Observations of the cultivars were taken in comparisons under similar conditions.

[0012] The new variety is particularly characterized and distinguished from other cultivars by its yellow fruit color, fruit firmness, consistent fruit structure and high yield. The fruit color of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ is a bright yellow at harvest. Fruit of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ separates easily from the receptacle and is of excellent firmness at harvest. The fruit of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ is very consistent in size and shape throughout the harvest period.

[0013] The primocane and floricane yields of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ are high relative to the variety ‘Heritage’. ‘Driscoll Estrella’ is distinguishable from its pollen parent, selection ‘S826.3’, by producing a higher yield of larger, firmer fruit with a brighter yellow color. The new cultivar has similar fruit size, shape and color as its seed parent, selection ‘Q481.7’. Additional characteristics of ‘Driscoll Estrella’ include an average flower diameter of about 10.0 mm.

[0014] ‘Driscoll Estrella’ has exhibited some resistance to Phragmidium rust and Phytophthora root rot. Cold tolerance of the new cultivar has not been established. Post harvest fruit rot resistance is good in comparison with many selections and varieties.

[0015]

TABLE 1
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS OF ‘DRISCOLL ESTRELLA’
	Driscoll Estrella	Heritage
GENERAL
Plant Size	Small to medium	Large
Growth habit	Erect	Erect
Productivity	High	Medium
Self-fruitfulness	Self-fruitful	Self-Fruitful
Time of bud burst	Medium	Medium
Primocane fruiting
Percent of cane	50-70	20-40
Length flowering as
Primocane
Percent of total yield	51	50
Primocanes
Number of young shoots	Many	Medium
Young shoot	None	Medium
pigmentation
Length (cm)	178	195
Time of shoot emergence	Early	Medium
Glaucosity (waxy bloom)	Weak	Weak
Strength	Medium	Medium
Cane cross section	Angular	Rounded to angular
(from mid cane of
primocane)
Dormant cane color	164-A	166-B
Prickles
Pigmentation	Green	Green to brown-
		green
Density on young shoots	Medium	Dense
Attitude of tip	Horizontal	Downward
Size	Medium	Medium
Size: Length (mm) (base	1.8	2.0
to tip at 1 m height at
end of harvest)
Texture	Heavy	Heavy
Presence and distribution	Present, regularly	Present, regularly
of petioles	distributed	distributed
Pubescence on canes	Absent	Absent
Internodal distance (cm)	4.8	4.3
(at central ⅓ of cane)
LEAVES
Color
Face	147-A	147-A
Underside	N138-C	148-C
Relief between veins	Medium	Weak
Glossiness	Medium	Medium
Petiole
Length (cm)	7.3	7.0
Pigmentation of upper	Absent	Present
surface
Pigmentation of	Absent	Absent
underside
Stipule orientation	Reflex	Erect
Arrangement	Compound	Compound
Number of leaflets	Sometimes 3,	Sometimes 3,
	Sometimes 5	sometimes 5
Overlapping of lateral	Touching	Free to touching
leaflets
Lateral leaflet: length to	Very short	Very short
stalklet (lower pair)
Terminal leaflet
Length (cm)	12.6	14.8
Width (cm)	10.0	8.8
Shape	Ovate	Ovate
Tip	Acuminate	Acuminate
Base	Cordate	Rounded
Margin	Doubly serrate	Doubly serrate
Lateral
leaflets (basal pair)
Length (cm)	10.7	13.7
Width	7.3	7.8
Orientation	Opposite	Opposite
Shape	Ovate	Ovate
Tip	Acuminate	Acuminate
Base	Oblique	Oblique
Margin	Doubly serrate	Doubly serrate
Rachis length between	2.1 to 4.4	3.7 to 5.8
terminal leaflet and
adjacent lateral leaflet
(cm)
FLOWERS
Flowering period
Primocane	Late May to late	Early July to
	September	Early October
Floricane	Early April to	Mid April to
	Mid June	Mid June
Flower size	Medium	Medium
Petal
Length (cm)	0.9	0.7
Width (cm)	0.5	0.3
Pedicel
Coloration	None	Medium
Length	Medium	Medium
FRUIT
Harvest Season
Primocane	Late June to Late	Early August to Early
	October	November
Floricane	Early May to Mid July	Late May to Mid July
Fruiting Lateral
Number of fruit	14	23
per lateral
Color	Yellow	Medium Red
Immature	11-B	180-A
Maturing	162-B	185-B
Mature fruit	162-A	185-A
Glossiness	Medium	Medium
Shape	Ovate	Ovate
Dimensions
Size	Medium	Small
Length (mm)	22	19
Width (mm)	23	19
Length:width	0.95	1.0
Weight (g/Fruit)
Primocane	4.5	3.4
Floricane	4.4	2.6
Soluble Solids (%)	11.1	10.5
Titratable acidity (%	1.3	1.50
as citric acid)
Seeds
Weight	1.87	1.62
(mg/seed)
Number druplets/fruit	82	75
Adherence to plug	Medium	Medium
(1-9)
Firmness	Very firm	Firm
Yield	High	Medium