NC State Alumnus introduces world’s first seedless blackberry

USA – NC State University alumnus, Lauren Redpath, has unveiled the world’s first seedless blackberry, in a groundbreaking development in fruit technology.

Lauren Redpath, a 2021 doctoral graduate in horticultural science from NC State, has made a significant impact on the fruit industry. Redpath, now working with Pairwise, a Durham-based company, played a key role in developing this novel fruit.

“Everyone would love to eat a better fruit, such as a seedless berry,” Redpath comments. “I am interested in making fruit more accessible to more people. Plant gene editing makes these goals accessible and achievable on a faster timeline than conventional breeding.”

Pairwise utilized CRISPR technology, a sophisticated gene-editing tool, to create the seedless blackberry. CRISPR identifies specific points in a genome, allowing scientists to edit the DNA and alter plant traits.

Redpath describes the process, “Developing the seedless blackberry was a multi-year endeavor which relied upon many subject matter experts working together to achieve our goal.”

The team at Pairwise focused on editing the genes responsible for pit development. After pinpointing the genetic sequences involved, they modified the plants and monitored their growth for the desired traits.

“Plants were then screened for successful editing and grown in a controlled environment for phenotypic evaluation,” Redpath adds.

The choice to start with blackberries was strategic. They are not only nutritious and flavorful but also present unique opportunities for improvement through genetic editing.

“With many gene targets yet to be discovered, the blackberry is an appealing choice for Pairwise to make major advances in crop improvement,” says Redpath.

Blackberries, being polyploid with multiple sets of chromosomes, are more complex to work with compared to other crops. However, their relatively quick fruiting time made them an ideal candidate for this pioneering project.

Redpath notes, “Starting with a fast-growing plant like the blackberry allowed Pairwise to develop a ‘seedless’ variety much faster.”

Pairwise’s success with the seedless blackberry could lead to similar innovations in other fruits. “Now that we’ve achieved the seedless trait in blackberries, we can take those learnings and apply them to removing the pits in other fruits, such as cherries,” Redpath says.

The introduction of seedless varieties, such as seedless grapes and watermelons, has previously led to increased consumption.

With the seedless blackberry, Pairwise aims to remove barriers to consumption and enhance the appeal of this nutritious fruit. “When fruits like seedless grapes and seedless watermelon were introduced, consumption went way up,” Redpath concludes.

“Blackberries are highly nutritious, but people don’t like the seeds. So we developed a seedless blackberry variety.”

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