Domestication of a new crop in Sweden -: Dogroses (Rosa sect. Caninae) for commercial rose hip production

A project for the domestication of dogroses in Sweden was initiated 11 years ago to provide the food manufacturing industry with domestically grown rose hips. This project seeks to develop varieties that can be grown on a commercial scale and are suitable for mechanical harvesting. Other important breeding objectives include satisfactory fruit quality (e.g. high content of ascorbic acid, high proportion of fruit flesh and high level of dry matter), high productivity, and disease resistance against powdery mildew and black spot. In 1993, commercial plantations were established for the first time in Sweden, using four selections developed in this project.