Haskap (Lonicera caerulea) also known as honeysuckle or honeyberry is a circumpolar species native to the cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It grows in the northern boreal forests, also known as taiga, which stretch across large swaths of North America, Europe, and Asia. These forests, haskap is adapted to the long, cold winters and short growing seasons. Although harvested from the wild for centuries in Japan and Russia, breeding programs began the 1950’s in Russia and in the 1980’s in Japan. Only in the late 1990’s did the only two breeding programs in North America begin at Oregon State University in the United States and the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.

Until recently, the fruit, unknown in Canada, could become a commercially interesting crop in the near future thanks to the program for breeding wild haskaps from different parts of the world. Breeder Dr. Bob Bors from the University of Saskatchevan and Dr. Maxine Thompson from Oregon State University set themselves a clear role from the start. At the end of their work, useful varieties of haskaps should be created.

Dr. Bors describes the program for research and breeding of haskap berries in Canada as quite unique because it focuses on varieties suitable for mechanical harvesting and further fruit processing which could allow this crop to be grown on a  large scale. Vast areas in the cold regions of Canada still await agricultural use. The program also investigates a collection of haskap for high antioxidant levels as well as breeding varieties for good flavour.

The genetic material collected for breeding purposes came from four areas: Saskatchewan, Russia, the Kuril Islands, and Japan. Cultural varieties came from Russia and Japan, and wild plants of haskaps were brought from the Kuril Islands and Saskatchewan. From the collection of these wild forms and varieties, which underwent suitability assessment, six Russian, two Kuril, and several Japanese were finally selected as suitable for further breeding.

The best results in cross-breeding were achieved with the offspring of Kuril wild forms and Russian varieties. The fruits had an optimal oval-barrel shape, weighed 1.2 to 1.6 g, and were sufficiently firm. The method for evaluating hybrids also considered suitability for mechanized harvesting. Plants were not picked by hand, but instead were harvested by shaking into umbrellas to mimic mechanical harvesting. In addition to the total yield per bush, the degree of fruit damage during harvest was also assessed. Only the more promising selections were further evaluated for fruit size, flavour, and shape.

There are 11 haskap varieties developed by the University of Saskatchewan Fruit Breeding Program that are branded as "Haskap" in Canada. These varieties include Tundra, Borealis, Aurora, Honeybee, Indigo Series (Indigo Gem, Indigo Treat, Indigo Yum) and Boreal Series (Boreal Blizzard, Boreal Beauty, Boreal Beast, Boreal Bliss). Here is a more detailed look at the varieties: 

Tundra: released in 2007. Tundra is best suited for commercial production. It's fruits are firm and can withstand commercial harvesting and sorting. Ranking at almost the top for flavour, fruit size and the shape of its fruit. Variety is especially suited for Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) processing.

Borealis: released in 2007. Borealis has great flavour and a very large fruit size with its fruits measuring almost twice the size of the Russian varieties. The downfall of the variety is this variety does not have the firmness of Tundra and it is not suitable for mechanical harvesting as it tends to get a bit mushy when handled with equipment. The variety is best for home gardeners or U-pick operations who can hand pick the delicate fruit.

Aurora: was released to propagators in 2012 and obtained Canadian plant breeders rights in 2018. It was selected as one of the best of the mid-season types from among 10,000 seedlings and a decade of breeding. Aurora was originally selected to be a pollinator variety for Borealis, Tundra and Indigo series. It was also found to be compatible with Honey Bee. Observation trials at the University of Saskatchewan indicated that Aurora and Honey Bee are the most productive of the early blooming and ripening varieties and those two varieties should be planted together for cross-pollination.

Honey Bee: was selected to be a pollinator for Borealis, Tundra and the Indigo series. It blooms at the same time and has given good fruit set when used in controlled crosses with them. It is very fast growing, productive and starts fruiting at an early age. Unlike most Russian varieties used for pollination, Honey Bee holds onto its fruit firmly and stays on the bush longer than most other varieties. The cylindrical fruit shape doesn’t roll around very well in equipment, so this variety is definitely not recommended for m mechanical harvesting, unless juice is the goal.

The Indigo series varieties are sisters to Borealis and Tundra. 

Indigo Gem: is very productive variety with smaller firm berries,  potentially better for processing, because of more durable fruit. It showed slight susceptibility to mildew.

Indigo Treat: this variety is most similar to Tundra with the berries being about 10% smaller. Easier to propagate than Tundra. The berries are slightly more elongated than other varieties and it has excellent flavour.

Indigo Yum: the berries are slighty more elongated than other haskap varieties. The variety is difficult to propagate making it undesirable in the market.

The Boreal series of haskap varieties was created from a strategy to combine desirable attributes of germplasm from Russia, Japan and the Kuril islands.

Boreal Blizzard: released in 2016. The variety was so named because of fruit size, productivity, and flavour. Boreal Blizzard’s berries are more than twice as heavy as Tundra or Borealis and are three times heavier than the largest varieties in the ten years of research trials.  The berry is very meaty and heavy. A profitable niche for this variety in North America would be the fresh market. This could be an ideal variety for U-pick farms.

Boreal Beauty: released in 2017. The late bloom characteristic of Boreal Beauty is very rare. Its fruit fully ripe a month after most varieties finish. Its plant and berry characteristics fit all categories suitable for mechanical harvesting. Berries are heavy, firm, mostly oval, and hold onto branches with just the right amount of force and taste great. Bushes are strong and upright growers and show no signs of mildew and are very productive. Its berries are almost as heavy as Boreal Blizzard berries.

Boreal Beast: released in 2017. The variety is recommended as a companion plant for pollination with Boreal Beauty. Boreal Beast is remarkable for flavour when fresh or frozen. It has one of the best aromas and very nice aftertaste. With a berry size of 2 grams, its berries can hold onto bushes for a longer time than varieties with even larger fruit. Boreal Beast is the closest of advanced selections for being in sync with Boreal Beauty for bloom time that also has qualities showing commercial potential.

Boreal Bliss: is the first haskap cultivar to be released that has wild Canadian haskap in its lineage. The male parent in the cross was collected from a wild type in Nova Scotia. The female parent came from the collection of Japanese Haskap from Dr. Maxine Thompson of Oregon State University.