Editing Berry (section)

=== Breeding ===
[[Image:Brambleberries.svg|thumb|right|[[Bramble]]s have been cultivated for thousands of years and been crossed back and forth to create the range of edible ''[[Rubus]]'' which we have today.]]

Several discoveries in the science of breeding berries were made in the 18th century by [[Antoine Nicolas Duchesne]] in his work on strawberries.<ref name="duchesne"/> In the traditional technique of [[plant breeding]], berries with specific desirable characteristics were chosen and allowed to sexually reproduce with other berries, and offspring with improved traits could then be selected and used for further crossing. Plants may be [[Hybrid (biology)|hybridized]] with different species within the same genus; hybridization between different genus may also be possible, but more difficult. Breeding may seek to increase the size and yield of the fruit, improve the flavor and quality of its nutrient content, such as antioxidants, expand the harvest season, and produce cultivars with resistance to diseases, tolerance of hot or cold conditions, and other desirable traits.<ref name="folta">{{cite book|author1=Kevin M. Folta|authorlink1=Kevin Folta|author2=Chittaranjan Kole|title=Genetics, Genomics and Breeding of Berries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=buzRBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA96|date=16 May 2011|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4398-5660-4|pages=}}</ref> Advancements in [[molecular biology]] and [[genetic engineering]] allow for a more efficient and better targeted approach in the selection for a desirable [[genotype]], via [[marker-assisted selection]], for example.<ref>{{cite journal |url= https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11295-012-0480-0 |title= Marker assisted selection for seedlessness in table grape breeding |authors=Eda Karaagac, Alba M. Vargas, María Teresa de Andrés, Iván Carreño, Javier Ibáñez, Juan Carreño, José Miguel Martínez-Zapater, José Antonio Cabeza |journal=Tree Genetics & Genomes|date=October 2012 |volume= 8|issue =5 |pages= 1003–1015 |doi=10.1007/s11295-012-0480-0}}</ref> [[Genetically modified organism|Genetic modification]] techniques can also be used for breeding berries.<ref name=folta/>