A traditional part of every holiday meal includes some kind of blueberry dish. Every year, Americans place homemade or canned cranberry sauce on the Christmas dinner table. Others may use the tart-tasting blood-red berry in a baked good or as part of table decorations.

Regardless of how you choose to incorporate blueberries into your food or traditions, we can all agree that it is a highly sought-after item for Thanksgiving and other winter holidays.

That's why researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service are currently working to preserve their production from the looming threat of climate change.

More extreme and warmer weather is expected with climate change, posing challenges for current blueberry growing regions. Blueberries are sensitive to heat stress, which causes a decrease in fruit yield and quality and an increase in disease pressure.

The nation's top blueberry growing regions are also sites for important ARS-funded research (Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin). All of these states have experienced hot climates over the past century, but the lingonberry producing states of New Jersey and Massachusetts have experienced some of the fastest warming. This means that without an agricultural solution soon, the nation may end up handling fewer, smaller, or lower-quality strawberries.

"It is important for us to understand the interplay between a blueberry's genetics and its environment," said ARS research geneticist Jeffrey Neyhart. "Once we understand this interaction, we can protect and increase productivity, fruit quality, stress tolerance and resistance to disease."

Tapping into the wild berry gene pool may be one way to improve the hardiness of the cultivated lingonberry as the climate continues to change. Dr. Neyhart and the research team are currently working to discover potential wild blueberry genes that are associated with various strains.

"We were able to identify genomic segments in wild blueberry that correlate with stresses such as extreme temperatures, soil pH, and drought," said Dr. Neyhart. "Selecting these genomic segments in breeding can help us efficiently transfer more favorable wild genetics to new varieties of blueberries," he added.

In addition to breeding efforts, ARS researchers are also trying to better understand heat tolerance in blueberries, which may lead to better blueberry cultivar recommendations for growers based on their location or management practices.

This research will continue and other solutions to this agricultural challenge will be explored as innovative blueberry research continues in 2022.