WARF TECHNOLOGIES

Cranberry is Wisconsin’s number one fruit crop. Wisconsin provides nearly 60 percent of the U.S. supply, and significant growth in demand, particularly for fruit for sweetened dried cranberries, is expected to continue over the next decade.

UW–Madison researchers have developed a new variety of cranberry with the trade name “Sundance.” This variety was developed through a cross of the “Stevens” cultivar and a seedling selection of “Ben Lear” that offers significantly improved traits over its “Ben Lear” parent. “Sundance” is superior to the predominant cranberry cultivar “Stevens” in fruit size, overall coloration, yield potential and flower bud set. Also, under high crop loads, “Sundance” tolerates high levels of fertilizer to improve yield and flower bud set without causing excessive vine growth. Researchers believe that the improved fruit quality of “Sundance,” specifically larger size and solid cell structure, will result in an improved variety for sweetened dried cranberry production.

Growers interested in this cranberry variety should license the variety from WARF and obtain vines from one of the approved propagators listed below. The license between WARF and the grower must be in place before vines can be obtained.

• Cranberry Creek Cranberries Inc.
• Dempze Cranberry Co.

• Cranberry production  

• Large berry size – tests have indicated 60 percent of the “Sundance” yield was in berries greater than two grams, as compared to less than 20 percent in “Stevens.”
• Excellent bud set traits, both in general bud set and in rebud (return bloom)
• Fruit color is initially similar to “Stevens,” but color accumulation will proceed even when “Stevens” does not.
• High yield potential – unoptimized initial large-plot testing indicated 650 barrels per acre; subsequent multi-acre tests showed yields up to twice that of fully established “Stevens” on four-year-old “Sundance.”
• Fertilizer tolerance – will not runner excessively under high crop loads
• Can be scaled up to full production relatively quickly

Several years of field trials have been completed with excellent results. A number of full beds are now in commercial development.

The development of this technology was supported by WARF Accelerator. WARF Accelerator selects WARF's most commercially promising technologies and provides expert assistance and funding to enable achievement of commercially significant milestones. WARF believes that these technologies are especially attractive opportunities for licensing.

Related Technologies

• See WARF reference number P01289US for a previously developed high-color, early maturing cranberry hybrid called “HyRed.”

Tech Fields

• Animals, Agriculture & Food : Plant varieties